The Worst Smell

Holly

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The church bell signaled that it was 3 PM in the quaint suburban neighborhood of Fouler Hill. Cars rolled along steadily in the streets, a dog or two here and there poking their heads out of the windows. An old couple crossed the street where a school bus stopped to release some children, who raced each other excitedly back to their houses. Just a few hundred feet away, Holly and her friends were sitting at a picnic table across the street from the convenience store, snacking on chips and slurping drinks while they shared the latest gossip.

"I heard Wendy and James just broke up again."

"Isn't that like, the third time this week? What's their deal, anyway?"

"I dunno. I don't even get why she's with that dweeb."

"Hey, that's not nice. He's sweet. Now Jared, that guy is a creep."

"What is it with guys named Jared, anyway? Are they all just doomed to be disgusting perverts?"

"Have you seen Dylan lately, though? He's getting sorta hunky."

"Ewww! Dylan? That dude from high school who smelled like a garbage truck?!"

"Yeah, that guy smelled so gross! And everything he touched smelled like it too."

"Probably the worst thing I've ever smelled."

Some of the girls nodded their heads in agreement. One of them, however, spoke up.

"Oh girl, you don't even know the meaning of the word 'stink'. My brother left his sweaty socks in my room once and I actually almost threw up when I found them."

"Oh, you think that's bad?" another one said. "Try being a nursing student. We have to change diapers and wipe asses on a daily basis. It's disgusting!"

"Yeah?" piped in another girl. "Well one time I was camping and got sprayed by a skunk. I had to soak myself in tomato juice for weeks before it came out completely."

"Oh, you wanna talk about bad smells?" Holly said. She brushed back a few strands of long brunette hair, letting it fall behind her shoulders with her ponytail. She let her ever-so-slightly chubby arms rest on the table, palms down as she leaned forward. Due to her taller stature, this brought her to eye level with the rest of the group "I was changing my little sister's diaper once and she had like 5 tacos and Chinese food the night before. It was so disgusting I actually had to get a medical mask." The other girls grimaced from disgust.