Mapping Esme

"Excuse me?" The boy said mockingly.

Cleo repeated the question written on the clipboard. "What role does your family play in your life? In what ways have they shaped who you have become?"

Esme cast an assessing look her way. Whatever he saw in her eyes, he saw enough that he threw back his head and laughed. The rich sound filled the room. "I'm only going to answer that if you do." He said.

Flashes of her father's rage filled eyes and alcohol clouded judgement, of cigarette stubs staining the carpet, of broken trust and broken hearts filled Cleo's vision. Not all of it her father's fault, but enough of it that she only cried once when he walked out of her life. She shuddered the memories away.

"That's what I thought." Esme smirked when she didn't answer. She glanced down at the sheets in her hands. This was going to take much longer than she had planned.

~~~~~~~~~~

Cleony Slade had a few plans for her summer, but they didn't include being forced to volunteer in a rehabilitation center. She learned that all she needed to do to complete her assignment was to get Esme, a boy from the center, to answer some questions. It becomes obvious that won't be easy to accomplish, with Esme and Cleo matching in stubbornness and pride. But as Cleo digs deeper into his story, what starts out as a frustrating task turns into a frantic journey to save what matters most.