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Prologue

I cried again tonight I tried to hold back the tears, but they used that word That sickening word that opens the floodgates of my emotions Worthless It wasn’t that I viewed my tears as a weakness; it was that I knehat they’d said was true I was a nothing No one looked forward to seeing ht to dream of et hoanted I was

I ith a thin layer of sweat coveringthe dyed- blond hair fro My eyes darted toMarie My vision slowly adjusted to my dark, cramped bedroom I wasn’t in Mississippi any that nightued me every time I closed my eyes

Sometimes love burns so hot in your veins that it consu shell that can no longer function without your significant other whispering into your soul, telling your heart to beat

I sighed as I slid out ofat my feet The hardwood floor creaked and moaned as I tiptoed my way into the kitchen in my oversize anarchy T-shirt that nearly sed h school Marie would have a fit if she knew I still hung on to it—to the memory of what could have been But I couldn’t force ood-bye to Brock and not blas had fallen apart

Chapter One

One Day at a Time

“Was that you I heard creeping around last night?” Trish asked, as she pulled open the fridge and scavenged for so I’d hated in high school I stifled a yawn as I stretched h our nearly empty kitchen

“I was getting a drink It’s important to stay hydrated,” I replied dryly

Trish’s head spun around, and her blue eyes narrowed as she tried to decide if I was being a s to soht-blond hair whipped across her face as she old atop her porcelain skin, and I sank lower intoI should take her advicehalf as beautiful as Trish, with her pixie-like nose and high cheekbones Disney couldn’t create a princess as beautiful Of course none of theh

“Your skin is a little dry Wouldn’t hurt for you to h the open door I rolled e to kick her in the ass and send her face first into a leftover meat loaf

“I’ll keep that inloudly

“Beauty sleep isn’t just a phrase It would do you soood”

“Thanks again, Trish You’re a fount of wisdoht of nightmares

“Whatever I have class in an hour, but I’ym Wanna come?”

I snorted,my mouth as soon as the sound escaped “Last tiod-awful place, I fell off the treado back” I couldn’t help the laugh that followed I hated the gy to be perfect It was exhausting “I have atoday anyway”

Trish eyed o back down the hallway, a bottle of water in her hand “Ugh Who puts this much time into their future?” She shook her head as she disappeared into her roo her as I picked at the polish that peeled from my thumbnail I don’t know if Trish believed enuinely didn’t care what I was up to every Friday

I’d vaguely explained the athered to chat about hooroaned loudly as I stood fro up over ht of it not fitting one day set off , trying to get lost in the world of the characters in et dressed for the day

I absent-mindedly pulled on a worn pair of fitted jeans and a navy-blue tank top I gathered my hair in messy ponytail as I stared at ed a lot over the last year, and I barely recognized myself My hair, once a dull broas now vibrant blond I had traded loss on my lips Still I was a plain Jane by anyone’s standards Freckles dusted over my nose and across the apples of my cheeks My lips were thinner than I would like, andand wide like a Kewpie doll’s

I slid , an old arh to wear across my body

“I’,” I called out, but Trish didn’t respond as I shuffled to the door of our cramped apartment then pulled it closed behind me and locked it

The warht Orlando sun I chose this state to go to college because it was far from Mississippi, and people who lived this close to the ocean were supposed to be happy At least that’s what movies and television had led me to believe It also happened to be where h I avoided him at all costs He still had that look in his eye whenever he talked toup on his doorstep and burdening hiet and move on

Marie’s office was only a few blocks away, so I didn’t need to bother catching a bus I enjoyed the walk It was the only tih I always felt I was, even in the most crowded rooms It was hot, but there wasn’t as much humidity compared to back home, so it was still easy to breathe, not like a ton of bricks pressing against my chest as I inhaled

I climbed the white iron staircase outside the s quickened I tried, as always, to talk h with my appointment The door popped open, and June stuck out her head froe smile

“Planning your escape, Delilah?” She winked as she pushed the door open farther so I could slip in past her

I smiled back as I stepped inside and closed rees cooler than outside, and it felt incredible Ithe wall, but June stopped me before I could sit down

“She’s already waiting for you”

Of course she aiting I had takenover here and was now ten rabbed the handle to Marie’s office and shoved it open

“You’re late,” she said with a playful sth chestnut hair off her shoulder, revealing the birthmark that ran from her left ear and disappeared below the collar of her blouse She used to cover it with er tried to hide it, which made me feel more at ease She trusted me with her secret, and I felt I could trust her with mine

“You didn’t see that in your crystal ball?” I teased, and Marie shook her head, her cheeks blushing to the color of the mark