It had been a week and Oona was still in a cocoon. No one really wanted to wake her unless we had to. She wasn’t eating, or she wasn’t eating much. She would take a sip from a straw if one of us gave it to her, and then she would settle back into the…
Chapter Twelve – Undone
As promised, Liam dropped me off at my car. I noticed it was getting dark and there was less lighting than I expected. Against my better judgment, but also not wanting to be annoyed by the parenting voices of my friends, I turned my phone back on but left it in my car. It was…
Chapter Eleven- The Great Compromise
I watched his name linger on my screen before it notified me of a voicemail. I wasn’t in the mood. I picked up my phone and rolled it over in my hand. Why couldn’t I relax? What was the big deal? Liam was nice, right? He had never proved himself otherwise. He wanted to go…
Chapter Ten – The Turning Point
Reluctantly I headed back home. I wasn’t in the mood for a spa visit any more. I wasn’t in the mood for anyone, really. Home, with its hollow walls and plastic faces, seemed the best place to go. I had a plan. I would go home, hole up in my room, and listen to the…
Chapter Nine- The Invisibles
I had successfully made it through another weekend without a slice and was feeling pretty good about it. I tried to forget the fact that I was moments away from it when Mitzi called me and distracted me, and I chose to overlook the fact that the only reason I hadn’t cut Sunday after the…
Chapter Seven – Cleaning House
There are two memories of my mom that stand out vividly in my mind, moments that I will never forget, moments that shaped the path of our relationship. The first was when I was nine years old. I came home from school upset. At that time our maid was Anna; she was younger and uninvolved,…
Chapter Five – Those Boys
The next week was a whirlwind. I finally got the okay from both Celeste and Zella that we would throw Toby a welcome home party! I would have liked a little more time to plan and get things just right, but I had some tricks up my sleeves that I hoped would make the night…
Chapter Four – I’m sure it’s nothing
I had agreed to go to church with Zella and Celeste that Sunday, a week after Robbie got home. I’d managed to keep my distance from them for those few days so I was feeling stronger, well, more stubborn, which was more like myself. My mom had kept me busy with social club crap,…
Chapter Two – Unnecessary Confession
I grabbed my phone and wallet and left as soon as I could. My room was cleaned and inspected, of course, right after Maria, the lady who cleans our house, came in and collected my laundry with a knowing look on her face. I often wondered what she told her family when she got home.…
Chapter One – It is what it is
I will never forget the moment the thought entered my head, “Your parents don’t love you.” I was a second grader, and I had just picked up my lunch from the cafeteria and sat down to eat with the rest of my class when I saw the younger kids at the table across from me,…
Leslie A. Lamb 