Three months after the death of her childhood friend and first love, Lea Martinez moves to New York to live with her older brother.
Desperate to escape the trauma of 'that night' and fight her lingering insomnia, she drowns herself in the impending...
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I'M HALF-DEAD by Monday morning. Dread fills my aching bones as I pull into Reyna's driveway. Another friendless school year awaits us. Another year of ignoring hateful stares and vicious whispers. One last year before I can free her from the nightmare that sits behind her decrepit walls.
There are two greetings Reyna ever has to offer when exiting from her house lined with worn frames and beige peeling paint.
Distraught or relief.
Either she was tortured or was spared the wrath of a monster. Tears will fill her sunken eyes or a smile will brim from her cherry lips. She only has two emotions.
Today, she offers neither.
She approaches my truck with a gaze hot enough to set the world ablaze. After climbing inside, she slams her door shut, heaves a tremendous sigh, and subjects the windshield to a glower of death.
"Hey," I drag through hesitation. I readjust my seatbelt before leaning towards the space between us. "How was your night?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Harsh. Cold. Like ice raining down from the skies and piercing my skin. She never uses that tone with me. Usually, it's reserved for our peers she hates most or for her mother.
I've rarely gotten the end to her anger, but when I do, I know it's best not to push her in any direction. Shutting my mouth and taking on the livening streets is my only option.
Sweat pours from the palms of my hands as we close the distance between our neighborhood and school. The urge to puke intensifies after every traffic light and upon every turn.
Don't let them get to you.
One more year.
Keep control.
My fingers and shoulders cramp as I strangle the steering wheel. We've yet to enter the premises, but my body is in eject mode, prepared for impending conflicts. My jaw is set tight and my brows are low, preparing to glare at anyone who dares to glance at me for too long or whisper profanities about me or Reyna.
Ready to take the brunt of Jeremy's hatred and return it right back to him.
"I think David is sleeping with someone." Reyna's sharp tone slices through my thoughts, and tension lifts from my body. I glance at her but she's glaring at the structures mingling with nature flying past her window with her cheek propped up in the palm of her hand.
"He's cheating on your mom?" I return my attention to the traffic ahead. "Can't say I'm surprised." I suppress the rage boiling in my bones for even mentioning that man and keep my voice even. "Maybe you can use that against him? Finally prove what a piece of shit he is."
