Wash 6

Sylvia strutted through the mall with Betsy and Letty,

all three holding melting ice cream cones, weighed down with shopping bags.

They giggled like teenage rebels who had just cut class—except, in reality,

life is more complicated than their mall selves.

There’s Sylvia, a grown woman in her early 60’s who

popped a son in Teddy dumped by her man and consistently

acts like a hormonal teenager and her two friends:

technically in their early 20’s both trophy girlfriends.

Betsy nudged Sylvia. "So, did you ask your golden son for more dinero yet?

You know, more moolah?"

Sylvia opened her mouth to respond, but her face suddenly froze.

She blinked. Something felt...wrong. She ran her tongue along her teeth.

OH NO!

She just swallowed one.

Her eyes went wide, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Letty caught the movement and gasped.

"Oh my God. Sylvia, are you ok, what’s wrong? Did you forgot to update

your Tiktok? ‘cause that will be so unforgivable and technically OMG”

Sylvia shook her head furiously, trying to object,

but as she inhaled sharply—

Gulp.

Another tooth was gone.

Panic set in. Sylvia’s breath hitched.

Betsy, entirely unfazed by Sylvia’s growing horror, continued, "So anyway, I already

paid for the hotel room, but you gotta refund me ‘cause I used my mom’s credit card.

My boyfriend will not be in town next weekend, so everything will be girl party

perfect. Here’s the thing Sylvia, Letty’s boyfriend will also be out of town

with my man. Not sure why they’re together, not that I’m implying anything."

She shot Letty a long, cold stare.

Letty, suddenly sweating, took a hard swallow. "Wait, hold up. What are you saying?"

"Girl," Betsy leaned in dramatically, "I’m just saying, our boyfriends are pretty close."

Letty shoved Sylvia aside—who yelped as yet another tooth dropped onto her tongue.

This was all Teddy’s fault. If he hadn't given her money, she wouldn’t have bought this ice cream.

She wouldn't be standing here, gulping down her own teeth like a human coin slot.

He’s poisoning me, isn’t he? Or maybe it was all the detergent. Bleach. Acid.

That damn laundry.

Letty squared up with Betsy. "Tell me what you saw. Right now."

Betsy tilted her head. "I saw..."

Letty’s breath hitched. "You saw what?" Her voice cracked.

"I saw this gorgeous black leather jacket with glossy sparkles in a Paris fashion

show on YouTube, and—OH MY GOD, LOOK!" Betsy shrieked, pointing at a boutique.

Sylvia, mid-breakdown over her disintegrating teeth, was abruptly yanked forward

as Betsy dragged her into the store. The boutique clerk practically materialized out of thin air,

grinning like a shark. "Ah, ladies, fresh from Paris, our latest collection!"

She handed Betsy and Letty each a glass of white wine before her eyes landed on Sylvia.

Her grin evaporated.

Sylvia, still clutching her mouth, was now a walking horror movie extra,

smeared with blood. Betsy and Letty, of course, had dumped all their

shopping bags on her.

The boutique clerk blinked. Then, ever so slightly, she shifted her eyes toward the door,

then back at Sylvia, then back at the door.

Sylvia blinked. "Me?"

The clerk widened her eyes, a silent Yes, you.

Sylvia’s mouth twitched. "But—"

The clerk physically pushed her out. Like, full-force shove.

Sylvia stumbled back onto the glossy mall floor as the store’s automatic doors slid

shut in her face. Through the glass, she watched as the clerk instantly snapped back

to a beaming saleswoman, flashing Betsy and Letty an extra-wide smile and Sylvia, well,

she got the finger.

Sylvia squinted. Did she just give me the finger?

Few minutes later, Letty and Betsy steps out of the boutique in their new jackets.

Betsy twirled. She loved her new jacket.

"Sylvia! Where were you, girl? You should’ve bought one too!"

Sylvia stood there, processing multiple levels of betrayal.

"Well, I just...I have a situation."

Another tooth dropped.

She clamped her mouth shut, eyes darting.

Betsy waved a manicured hand. "Girl, just get the money from Teddy, okay?

Pay me back for the hotel room. I invited three hot guys from the dorm.

They’re all gonna be there, and you know what’s gonna happen next."

She grinned.

Letty caught up, flashing a new bracelet. "Okay, but real talk, what’s going on with you?"

She peered at Sylvia. "Why are you covering your mouth like that?"

Betsy scoffed. "In public, Sylvia is always an attention whore.”

Letty ignored her. "Sylvia...is that...blood?"

Sylvia went rigid.

Betsy and Letty’s eyes widened.

Then—

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Letty and Betsy’s synchronized screams echoed through the entire mall.

Time froze. Shoppers stopped mid-step.

A janitor dropped his mop. A child’s balloon slipped from their fingers.

Everyone stared.

And there, in the dead center of the mall, stood Sylvia, her lips red,

her mouth slightly open, revealing a horrifying gap where her perfect teeth once were.

She smiled awkwardly.

Oh, how humiliating.