Red Dirt & Reasons

She was the girl who partied too loud, loved too hard, and never thought about tomorrow,
until tomorrow showed up and kicked her out.
After one too many reckless nights, her mother finally has enough and sends her packing to her aunt's small-town home, miles from the neon, noise, and trouble she's always known. Out here, the nights are quieter, but her mind isn't. The silence brings back every memory she's tried to bury, heartbreak, addiction, trauma and the parts of herself she swore she'd never face again.
She meets people who see past the smoke and sarcasm. Slowly, she starts to breathe again. To believe again.
But just as she begins to find her footing, life rips it out from under her.
A surprise pregnancy.
A miscarriage.
A heartbreak she didn't see coming.
And instead of healing, she unravels.
The girl who almost made it starts running again, back into the only world she's ever known.
Parties become her escape, chaos her comfort. She burns through nights and people like she's daring the universe to stop her.
Until it does.
One night, one bad decision, and the fall is fast and brutal.
A party turns into a blackout.
A blackout turns into rehab.
This time, there's no one left to save her but herself.
It's not pretty. It's not clean. But maybe this time, the mess will mean something.

Trigger Warnings

This book contains mature and emotionally heavy content that may be distressing for some readers.
Please read with care.

Themes include:
Substance abuse and addiction
Underage drinking and reckless behavior
Mental health struggles
Pregnancy and miscarriage loss
Self-destructive coping and relapse
Parental neglect and family conflict
Toxic relationships and emotional manipulation
Rehabilitation and recovery
Grief, trauma, and the process of healing

This story explores the messy, non-linear path of survival, how people break, how they cope, and how they try again. If you've lived any part of this, take what you need, and leave what hurts.