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Prologue

I see you judgingShe has to be a slut; she works at a strip club and takes off her clothes for money Yes! I work at a strip club, and youoff my body, but this is a talent that has been forced downchild Look pretty and smile I put on a show for those who choose to watch However long I’ine an out-of-body experience would be like—a perfor make assumptions about who they think I am or cook up a story in their heads of who they want me to be I’m just another beautiful face

Beautiful I hate that fucking word Who gives a crap if so inside? My whole life has been about what I look like I swear, the only reasondoll she could dress up and control, which is the exact reason why I got as far away from her special brand of crazy as I could as soon as I becauys do is look at me and see a pretty face, a nice body, and an empty space whereto know the person I am on the inside They don’t care that I volunteerto school to be an RN They don’t ask about my hopes, my dreams, or about where I see my life in twenty years They don’t care about me at all

They just want someone pretty to follow them around and tell the with everything they say Fuck that! I did that for too many years That’s why I live inside books At least there I can choose where I want to be—fro’s bed in a faraway land—and even if it’s pretend, sometimes that’s a lot better than reality

Chapter 1

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I look out the plane , ertips as I look down at the landquickly belowlooks so small I’ve never traveled in a plane before today The idea of being trapped inside a tin can while flying at six hundred miles per hour never appealed to me I take a breath and look at the TV monitor that’s in the seat in front of me The small, animated plane on the screen shows that we’re over halfway to Tennessee

“Are you traveling for business or pleasure?”

I turn htly overweight and balding, but he also has wrinkles around his eyes, giving him the appearance of someone who smiles often

I debate with , “Business”

His eyes drop to e to punch hio fro away from him I don’t knohy I even try

I feel a hand on ain and I will rip off your balls and feed the attention to us

He quickly re hard “I…I’m sorry”

I shaketo cry now—not when, just six hours ago, le tear I layed…

I got up yesterdayand went to the hospital like I always do I work at one of the busiest ERs in Vegas I’ve been working there since I finished school and was required to get my clinical hours for , I was loaded doork Weekends are always crazy in Sin City, but yesterday see overdoses, three stounshot victim Later, I left the hospital exhausted, only to head to my real job—well, the one that pays me the money I need to live

“Hey, Angel”