Ayisha's diary entry

This book is about Ayisha, who is a high schoo; who has a fallout with her only friend group since middle school while struggling with a drunk, abusive father, rumours, addiction, depression and more and becomes a stripper to pay for college

(TEASTER)

I leave the room and the curtain swings shut behind me, heavy with perfume and sweat. The hallway feels colder now, or maybe that's just me cooling off. I head straight to the bathroom - need a minute, need air.
The mirror's cracked, the light's buzzing overhead like it's mocking me. My reflection looks tired, fake, like a version of me I never meant to become. I dab at my lip gloss with a napkin that smells like cheap soap. You're fine, Ayisha. Just breathe.
But then - that thought creeps in. Them.
Luna and Britney. My girls. The trio. The ones everyone wished they could sit with, laugh with, be with. We were unstoppable - matching nails, slow-mo videos, late-night FaceTimes, crying over dumb drama that didn't even matter.
And then Britney's boyfriend had to open his mouth. One lie - "Ayisha was flirting with me." That's all it took.
Britney believed him. Of course she did - Miss perfect hair, perfect house, perfect little world. She always had to be the one in control. And Luna? She just nodded along, her pink gloss catching the light like she understood anything that was happening. Didn't even look at him that way. I can still see Britney's face when she said, "I can't trust you." Like I was something disgusting. Like, I ruined her image.
My chest tightens. Breath goes thin. The bass outside turns into a pulse that's pounding through my ribs. My vision starts to fuzz around the edges.