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My door is pulled shut, and he’s gone

I exhale in relief and open et soht’s sleep in months I’ll wake in a few hours, where I’ll stare atfor a while before I fall back asleep, and then repeat

Yet although I can never sleep well, this is always the best part of every day That time where I know that for the next seven hours, I’ that toain

To normal in front of everyone

Toht’s fresh injuries hidden from Mom

Tomorro bruises will develop and new cuts will appear

And they will all be caused by Dad

2

PRESENT DAY

So around with o I close one eye and tilt the riure out if so other drinks into it while I haven’t been looking I’lance over to the kitchen Jake is there, his back to ether a bunch of different drinks as though he’s a fully trained bartender I fucking hate that guy

“What’s wrong?”

I drop lare down to Tiffani She’s been sprawled across s folded over ainsther nails slowly around my chest in a circular ht now Her face is tilted up to look at h a thick set of eyelashes that didn’t exist yesterday

“Jake thinks he’s hilarious slipping ruether as I lay my bottle down on the small table by the side of the couch “Coit around her shoulders instead, pulling her closer against me She presses her head to et at least five layers of hers I move my free hand to her knee, then slide it across the shs Her tiny black dress is too short and too tight, but that’s nothing to co out?”

“I was thinking eleven,” she says, but I know she’s distracted, because she reaches for her up her thigh, under her dress I can feel the lace of her underwear beneathas she leans up towardhere tonight?” I used to love that thing she does with her voice, where she lowers it to a breathy whisper that would have driven o, but it just doesn’t do it forto keep me interested with the promise of sex

But whatever, right now it’s working I sit up a little and pull her entirely ontoher hip beneath her dress andher blond hair to one side so that I can press my lips to her neck She tilts her head back fully as she runs her fingers through my hair, her eyes closed I take her skin beneathmy all-too-familiar mark on her body Tiffani claims she hates hickeys, but she never atte to differ

Suddenly, she pulls away, springing offup fast Over the sound of thefrom the speakers in the kitchen, I haven’t heard the front door open Tiffani has, and now she’s du at her dress, willing it to cover ht now, it hardly covers her ass

“Mo a few barefooted steps across the hardwood flooring “I thought you said you orking late”

“It’s eight thirty,” Jill states There’s a black folder held to her chest as she ainst the floor “This is late” She purses her lips in disapproval as she looks around First at the alcohol lining the countertop, then at Jake, who is leaning over to quickly lower the volume of the music, and then at Tiffani “You didn’t tellfriends over”

Tiffani is still pulling at her dress, because if there’s one thing I know for sure about her ht now “Because I thought we’d be gone before you got back,” she ad She has her arms folded across her chest now, but it’s obvious she’s only atte to hide how exposed her body is in that dress

“And where exactly are you planning on heading?” Jill asks in that hard tone she seems to always have In the past three years that I’ve been dating Tiffani, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her mom crack a smile She’s kind of a bitch They both are

“There’s a party,??

? Tiffani says, pouting “I thought we could all just hang out here until it was time to show up, because c’mon, Mom, we never turn up early to house parties That’s just e”

“Fine,” Jill says, but the stern tone to her voice makes it clear that she’s not happy we’re here “Keep theheadache” She rubs at her teh to prove this, then flicks her hair over her shoulder and spins around, back toward the door As she leaves, she throws lance as her eyes narrow, and I raise rin only because I know it’ll piss her off

The thing is, Tiffani’s mom doesn’t like me She never has from the very firsthter around a kid like ht, and in sorown into seething contempt, which she doesn’t even attempt to hide But I don’t even care all that much about Tiffani, let alone heranywhere, so I’ over her parents

The second Jill is gone, Tiffani relaxes back into her dress and says, “She’s so la her eyes, she tells Jake to turn the music back up as she joins him by the speakers He’s careful not to play it as loud as before

Pushing et to my feet and head toward the over which songs to add to the playlist and which drink to have next I push my way in between the two of them and throw my arainst me, Jake watches us out of the corner of his eye Jake Maxwell can get any daet Tiffani I think it’ll forever infuriate hiether with me rather than with hiirl so uys would kill to have by their side Other times, I wish Tiffani had chosen Jake over h hell and back, and not me