Thursday is over. One more day and the weekend will be here. We leave Aunt Tara's house. I don't want to go home; knowing the divorce is coming is utter hell.The hell of tomorrow hangs over my head. I need to hear my dad out, but I would rather hang with Collin and get lost in the woods.I text Collin. I need to tell him the truth. I know he hasn't seen me since grade school. But I don't want to restart our friendship with lies.Me: Hi Collin....bad newsCollin: What's up?Me: I can't hang tomorrow.Collin: It's not a date, remember?Me: I can't... Going to dinner with my dad.Collin: Cancel?Me: Can't he's going to tell me about... personal shit.Collin: Like?Me: My parents are getting a divorce.I hit send. Seeing that written in a text message makes me sick. Were my parents not trying hard enough? They loved each other once; maybe they still could. Should I try to convince my dad otherwise at dinner?I don't want to be a broken family. I know we already are, given Sammy is my hal

Collin takes me home. He has put me in a good mood. I'm not sure where we stand now-no time to think about that. I'm a little annoyed to be happy. My dad will only ruin it with the "divorce" news.My dad opens the door. We don't talk about Collin. He hugs me instead."Want to go to Olive Garden?" He asks."Sure," I reply.I can eat a salad or soup. Those aren't worth a whole lot of calories. And if I feel like purging later, soup is the easiest for me to get rid of. We get in the car and don't talk. I hear the humming of the wheels beneath my feet. The air conditioning is making my goosebumps appear. I turn it off."You cold?" He asks. I roll my eyes; he knows I'm always cold. I haven't been warm in years."Sure, Dad," I say. My attitude is hard to hold back. The actress in me will be hard to summon this night.We get to Olive Garden. The first wave of breadsticks is brought out. I used to love eating them. They are a calorie stick I can't devour. My dad puts three on his plate. Disgu

I wake up to the vibrations of my cell phone. Selah's name appears on my screen. I answer."Hello," I say."Natalie, where are you? We haven't seen each other in ages. Have you forgotten about me? You didn't say goodbye to me. Whose car was that anyway?" She asks.I've been a shitty friend to Selah. I deserve all these questions and ridicule."I'm sorry, Selah. It's been a hard week. I haven't felt like me for a long time. Do you remember Collin Abernathy from grade school?" I ask, knowing I don't want to tell her about him. I want Collin to be my secret life away from the world."Yes, I do. Why?" She asks."Well, the guy I kept staring at in the tavern was Collin. We've been hanging out a lot this week. And we've been catching up. It was his car I got into at school. Sorry I've been distant. It's been hard," I say."Well, I understand. So where are you now?" Selah asks."I'm at Collin's. I stayed here last night," I reply."You did what now?" Selah asks."It's no big deal, Selah. My

The life I'm facing is hard. The life I'm facing has new joy. If I focus on Collin, I can be happy. If I focus on purging and divorce, I will lose myself. I open the door to my house and know I can embrace anything."Hello, Natalie," a familiar voice says. I look up."CHAD! What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York?" I say.What the hell is he doing here at my house? I don't need him dropping into my life only to ruin my new relationship with Collin. Chad and I used to be close. We used to love each other. But with Collin around, I can see Chad for what he is. A bad influence. He taught me to smoke, he taught me to shoplift, and he taught me how to break myself to my core."Chad get out?" I yell."Wait...Natalie...Hear me out? Please?" Chad begs like a dog."No, I have nothing to say to you," I groan."What happened to you? We didn't break up that long ago? What's changed, baby?" He asks."You moved...I got over you. And I'm not your baby anymore. Goodbye," I say, holdin

The handcuffs hurt. They make me sweat. Chad, wherever you are, this is low. Beating me up and going to the cops, how manly of you.I need gum, now! I need to chew on something. I grit my teeth and clench my jaw. The bones in my jaw pop from the pressure. This anger towards Chad won't help me face an army of cops. And how the hell do I tell my parents? Fuck.The car smells like real criminals. This stench doesn't belong to me. I won't wear this odor proudly. Officer Barnes pulls the car into a parking lot. We must be at a police station.He opens my door. I decide not to talk. If I don't talk, it might be for the better. Maybe this will end faster if I do what they say. I get out of the criminal car. Officer Barnes looks at me."I knew that day in the mall that we would be crossing paths again. It was only a matter of time," Officer Barnes says.I see my reflection in the car window. Utter shit. How are they not concerned about my well-being and bruises? Oh, wait. I'm wearing makeup.