A man on the bus tells me I’m pretty. Two weeks later, a note. He’s sorry about the comment. His wife is an alcoholic, his daughter is dead, I look just like her. I don’t see him again for the rest of sixth grade, but I do see his daughter.

Nicky DeMarie is a writer and musician based out of New York City. She is currently a student at The New School, and working towards her first novel.