Seventeen year old Safaya Bennett must navigate young adulthood under the stresses of her sins, her crumbling relationship with her twin sister, Rue, and a crippling mental disorder that makes her very dependent on her relationship with Nate Jacobs...
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Just when we thought the worst was behind us, here it came, full force like a whirlwind.
"Can we give a round of applause for how hard Lexi's life is?" Safaya heard Cassie's voice roam through the auditorium when she arrived back inside. A singular spotlight was on her, dressed in a two piece skirt set and heels, ready to unpack exactly how she felt about Lexi's play.
Safaya's eyes went wide at the realization of what was happening. She had only been gone a few minutes so she thought, what happened from then to now to make Cassie snap. The truth? Seeing Nate and Safaya leave together was her final straw.
"While on the topic of hard lives, I'd like to introduce Safaya Marie Bennett everyone!" Cassie called out to my sister. Her gaze would have burned holes in Saf's head if my sister even cared. Saf's feet carried her to the stage, her pain at an all time high and Cassie just had to be the one to set her off.
My sister sighed. "Cassandra, I'm not doing this with you tonight. Just get off of the stage."
"Her dad died, she became a drug addict at fourteen, and then found comfort in her best friend while he was dating someone ... life is hard am I right?" Cassie ignored her, smiling evilly. The audience clapped a little, some people staring at Saf is disbelief that the rumors they heard for years had been true.
Safaya took off her platform heels, walking up stage barefoot with the rage of a bull inside her veins. "I sure did." Safaya admitted, stepping on stage and facing everyone. "I'm exactly what Cassie says I am. I'm an addict and an asshole and I've become a better person, so who fucking cares?" She shrugged, a pained smile creeping on her lips as she thought back through every mistake that she made. "Nate and I would hook up behind Maddy's back. She and I were pit against each other in a toxic competition for a boy who isn't shit. I know that I fucked up and even though we worked through it I'll say it again. I am so fucking sorry, Maddy, and I hate that I did that to you. You know where my heart is."
The brunette smiled in the audience, clapping a little for my sister as she knew she was going to tear into Cassie. "Whoo!" She cheered my sister on.
My eyes widened. It was easy for me to see that Saf was still doing drugs. I knew what to look for, the weight loss, the hollow cheeks, it was clear as day to me since I lived it. My sister had never been so public with her problems, let alone her addiction. It finally made me feel like we were moving towards better days, like I wasn't alone in this because she admitted to her truth. I always thought that addiction was a secret she would take to the grave but I was wrong, and I'm glad I was.
"The difference between you and me, Cassie, is that I am not afraid to admit my truth because I know people are going to hate me. People are going to hate me regardless of what I do, but I promise you no one can hate me more than I hate myself." Safaya snarled. Looking the blonde up and down like she were the scum of the Earth. "And even then, no matter how low I got, I never fucked my best friends boyfriend. Let alone my ex boyfriends best friend at that. You can't say the same." Safaya smiled, laughing at the girl as Cassie's face dropped into a scowl. "Oh .. I'm sorry, was that not part of the play?"
