Easy Skankin'

Tood liked to wear tight clothes. Many years later, I remember Tood mostly because of her "Juicy" sweatpants. It seemed like she wore those everyday. I would've called her Juicy but I didn't want to make her feel bad about wearing the same pants multiple times a week. My guess was that she wanted everybody in the program to know that her backside was Juicy.

Tood also had an attitude. She was one of the more difficult students on my caseload. It seemed like she did things just to get under my skin. I really disliked working with her. Talking to her never solved anything because she would just argue for the sake of doing so. After some time, I concluded that she acted out just to get attention from the counselors.

Another thing I remember about Tood was that she liked to be around the boys, in general. When we went on field trips, I often had to keep an eye out for her to make sure she wasn't sitting next to a boy. We had strict rules against boys and girls sitting next to each other on the bus. Some students, like Tood, tried to push that boundary but since I wasn't far removed from playing "pocket pool" with the ladies in high school, I knew better than to let the boys and girls sit together on the bus.

Within weeks of joining the program, there were rumors swirling about Tood and another girl in the program. Apparently, they were working out their neck muscles in some dark corners of the building. I never found out if the rumors were true. I didn't tell the Program Director for fear that he'd dismiss her from the program. Then again, I didn't think there was an easy way for any of us to find out if she was in fact "shining guys" in the hallway. It's not like any of us could just ask if she was doing that. It was just a rumor.

Upon investigating I learned that her father wasn't in the picture at all. Tood had never met him. Her mother was around, but she lived with her grandmother. However, that living situation wasn't going well because Tood was a handful. I wondered why she didn't live with her mother, but it wasn't a question I felt comfortable asking Tood. Instead, I asked the Director.

Me: Why isn't Tood living with her mom?
Director: There are a lot of issues there.
Me: Can you elaborate?
Director: It has to remain confidential, though.
Me: Of course.
Director: Her mother's a prostitute.