Buried secrets, two girls with the same face, and a boy who loved too much.
***
When Travis and Nicole meet on a bus for the first time, he thinks she's his ex, Rachel, who broke his heart two years ago. But he doesn't understand why she's pretendin...
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I STARED HARD AT Jahdiel, fighting to swallow my anger and pain as she struggled to not wince as she took her seat.
Merlinda's eyes were burning holes through my head, beckoning me to stop making Jahdiel uncomfortable and not stare, but I couldn't help it.
"He hurt you again, didn't he?" I placed my hand over Jahdiel's. She flinched and pulled it away.
"I'm fine." But she refused to look at any of us, training her gaze on her plate of muffins.
"You're not." I stared hard at the pale bruise on her cheek she'd tried to hide. "Jahdiel-"
"Please, Nicole." She lifted teary eyes at me. "A month. Just a month, and this will end."
"But where will you go after graduation?" I asked. "Before college starts?"
"I've been... working. At a coffee shop." At the sound of Merlinda's groan, I knew she knew about it. "I've saved some money. It'll be able to get me some place to stay while I get another job and-"
"Are you hearing yourself-"
"What's wrong with me trying to pull myself through?" she snapped stubbornly. "I'm not the first teenager to work and fend for herself, so please stop looking at me like that."
"I tried." Merlinda raised her hands in surrender when I shifted my attention to her. "She was always so tired, so I tried talking her out of the job. I offered her money and offered for her to live with me." She shrugged bitterly. "She declined."
"She's right here, okay?" Her hand slammed on the table, making Marilyn jump in her seat. "And she refuses to be anyone's charity case."
"That's not-"
"You're frustrating me, seriously." Merlinda's voice was hard and sharp. "You refuse help. You refuse to go to the cops. You refuse to live with me. Do you know how worried I am? How worried we all are?"
"Well, don't be! I didn't ask any of you to!"
Merlinda's eyes rolled. "Jahdiel, I swear to god-"
"See you later." Grabbing a muffin off her plate, she pushed her chair back and stalked off.
I stared at her all the way to the cafeteria door. Her steps were purposeful, but she held herself stiffer, trying not to bump into anyone. I swallowed a harsh pain in my throat.
"She's hurting." Marilyn's hand clamped down on mine, gently squeezing.
I nodded. "I know. I know she can't help but snap." I closed my eyes, restraining a shiver. "But there's one more month. Anything can happen within that time. I'm terrified."
Merlinda laughed, but her eyes were shiny. "Well, imagine how terrified I've been for years, knowing what she was going through and being unable to do a single thing about it."
