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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After days of researching this case, I wasn't even fucking tired. I felt great actually, but, a new sense of fatigue would hit Safaya and I. We never even saw it coming.
I'm not sure what possessed my sister into going to Maddy's house but she did. She borrowed our mom's car and for the first time in months, she actually drove somewhere by herself. I guess in the midst of the madness she was trying to find comfort in her own company but it was always hit or miss. Maddy lived right around the corner from us so luckily she didn't need to drive long.
She was sitting at the vanity in Maddy's pink-themed room, the brunette girl staring at her while she sat on the bed. The room was quiet, uncomfortably quiet, as they just looked at each other. Safaya had been mentally spiraling for days but sitting here across from her high school nemesis was the indicator that she had officially gone bat shit.
Maddy pushed her long hair behind her shoulders, exposing her collarbone and pendant necklace. "I get why you're confused that I invited you over." She broke the ice, speaking first.
"Well, we haven't exactly had the best track record." Safaya said, looking around the room. "But when you called me you sounded kinda spooked."
The brunette nodded. "I needed to talk to someone about what's been going on. I can't hold this in anymore, Safaya, and I know that you're the only one who will understand me." Maddy's normal confidence was gone, it was apparent in her voice. "It's about Nate."
"Are you going to tell me why you lied? And how you two just magically got back together?" Saf barked. Her jealousy was so obvious but Maddy could care less. As far as she was concerned, she wanted nothing to do with the boy. Safaya wanted to be mad at Maddy, she wanted to hate her so badly, but she saw the girl's lip quiver and her hand trail to her neck. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Maddy sniffled. "I know that this won't be easy for you to hear, but, the night of the carnival I was high. I took some Molly from Fezco and was off my ass when I came back to the Jacobs' booth and I called Marsha a cunt." Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Safaya watched her with careful eyes as she continued to speak. "And that's when Nate grabbed me. He dragged me behind trailers and I kept pushing his buttons, and pushing, and pushing until..."
"Until what, Maddy?"
The girl looked up from her lap with glossy eyes. "He grabbed me by my throat, Safaya. He choked me and whipped me around so he could pin me against the trailer."
Safaya was quiet. She didn't want to believe what Maddy was telling her, she loved Nate with everything she had, but sitting in Maddy's face while she broke down. Something in her chest didn't feel right. Nothing about being here felt right.
"But you and Nate showed up at the Halloween party like nothing was wrong? We were all just in school and you two were happy. I'm confused." Saf furrowed her brows.
