UNSTEADY 🅰️ LUCAS GOTTESMAN [book one]

SHE'S BETTER NOW

...

HALLOWEEN was over but Haley still found herself binging horror movies late into the night in her bed, bowl of popcorn in hand. It was certainly better than her nightmares. A storm raged outside, as well as on screen and it seemed they were in sync as a flash of lightning crashed quickly lighting up the room and Haley couldn't help but scream just as the main character did in the movie.

But it wasn't a psychotic slasher she'd come face-to-face with but her old friend who stood at the bottom of her bed.

"Mona?" She hissed quietly, pausing her movie "What the hell are you doing here?"

The Vanderwaal girl moved to sit on the edge of her bed "My doctors released me."

Haley was dubious "In the middle of the night?"

"Look, Haley I need your help. My mom is forcing me to go back to school and I'm— I'm so scared. Everyone knows what I've done and I have no one in my corner. But you were in Radley." Mona reached for her hand, sighing when Haley quickly pulled away "Wren said that you were my guardian angel, that you spoke to the doctors, you fought for me."

"You are not defenceless Mona." Haley shook her head "Not out here, and honestly, I don't think you ever were. Not even in Radley."

"Haley, I had a breakdown but I've turned a corner. I'm on new meds, everything's changed. I'm better now." Mona tried to reassure "I'm not proud of who I was. Just try to see me for who I am now."

A knock on the door saved the Marin girl from responding "Haley?"

"Who's that?" Mona whispered in a panic.

"Like you don't know." She retorted in the same tone before clearing her throat "Yeah Grandma?"

"Are you alone in there? I heard voices."

"Sorry, I was watching Netflix." Haley sighed "Go back to sleep."

As the woman's footsteps retreated back down the hall, Mona smiled softly at her friend "Thank you."

The Vanderwaal girl got to her feet but just when Haley thought she was leaving, she watched with furrowed eyebrows as she slipped in the bed beside her "Um, shouldn't you go home and get some sleep before school?"

"I haven't been sleeping much." Mona admitted, glancing over to the girl.

Haley met her gaze before sighing in defeat and setting the laptop between them before she unpaused the movie "Me neither."
...