Arlene Gray is falling apart-and she doesn't even know it yet. At just fourteen, Arlene navigates the jagged edges of a life defined by chaos: a father who vanished years ago, a mother who's given up, and the suffocating ache of a world that never seems to fit. Her days blur together in smoke-filled alleys, stolen moments, and crimson threads that mark her skin-her only attempt to control the uncontrollable. Then there's Syl, Arlene's magnetic and reckless best friend. Syl pulls her into a world of thrills and danger, where the line between exhilaration and destruction disappears. But as their bond tightens, so do the consequences, leading Arlene into a spiral of secrets, self-destruction, and near-disasters she can't outrun. Arlene must confront the cracks in her carefully constructed facade. But in a life where nothing feels real, how do you hold on to the fragments of yourself without breaking completely? (still a work in progress, i will be adding more!!!)