Books, Boys, and Basketball: Junior Year

HELL

I never wanted to go back to Candor, but here I am... yet again. And the trip back to this dump wasn't long enough. I hoped it would drag on forever so I could enjoy my freedom a little while longer. But my freedom has become a thing of the past. The Isaac's couldn't wait to get their hands on me.

I could've avoided all of this if I would've kept my cool, but I sealed my fate when I ran away from home. Now I'm locked in this hellhole until I'm eighteen. With my only comfort being letters from Drew, Quincy, and my friends.

Speaking of Drew... my best friend turned boyfriend turned whatever the hell we are now... the boy with a gorgeous face, a side of irresistible dimples, and a nice body. I wonder if he'll wait for me or grow tired and move on to some other girl? Seeing how he can't be single for more than five seconds. I probably should have thought this whole running away thing through, but it's too late for that now.

And Drew... Drew is a big reason I ended up back in this place. It would suck to go through all of this just to lose him, anyway.

Then there are my parents. I really let them down. I acted out when I should've just sucked it up, and I bought myself a one-way ticket with my mouth and my attitude to Fuckedupville.

I wanted to tell my parents about what went on the seven long years I was at Candor before, but it was too painful to even think about. So, I kept it bottled up inside. They would never believe me, anyway. My dad's mind was set, and since I hadn't brought it up before, he'll just think whatever I said was my way of trying to talk him out of sending me back. Which would be true. But not for the reasons he thinks. So, I kept my mouth shut, and now the same concrete walls that held me prisoner before surround me once more. I am alone and at the mercy of the Isaacs.

There's a new headmistress at the boarding school named Anna Connelly, and she's no better than they are. She is mean, brutal, and she has it out for me too.

They all do. Becca Isaac had the biggest smile on her face when I returned, and I knew it was because she couldn't wait to get her hands on me. I've made a mockery of her precious institution and Candor's high conversion rate, which will cost them dearly.

In fact, until my return, they've never had a repeat offender. So not only does my return put a black stain on the school's pristine record, but my return is at the Isaacs expense. In translation, I have a target on my back now and they'll be riding me even harder to make sure I don't relapse again.

A lot of things have changed here since I left too. Candor has an in-house doctor now, Dr. Hadley, who is just as twisted as the Isaac siblings, which is probably why they hired him.

I've heard rumors about Hadley forcing himself on many of the girls here, and they do nothing about it. The Isaac siblings, the headmistress, and Hadley all seem to have an understanding. They're like a united front of cruelty, with the headmistress beating us into submission, Hadley nursing us back to health while satisfying his sick perversions, and the Isaacs getting the desired results they want from us.

Candor is worse now than it was when I left. But the Isaacs put up a good front for the parents, who are dumb enough to buy into it the load of crap they're selling and continue to write their checks.

Sitting across from my parents, I want to tell them what's going on behind these walls. That what they see is a carefully crafted lie meant to lure them into the false belief that their children are safe here.

We're not...

But anything I say will be twisted and turned into me trying to manipulate my parents to get out of here.