ed hoodie sleeves nearly swallowing her fingers, she leaned against the foot of her bed, surrounded by a comfortable mess. Her room was cluttered in the way onl
sper of coming winter. Late October sunlight spilled across the floor in narrow strips, warm
e melancholy poetry. Her eyes were heavy, her hair long and knotted, her posturehey'd forgotten what they were doing. Music pulsed faintly from her phone sp
ell
ke a dropped dis
hard at the drawing, then rubbed
I know yo
open a second later and in came Tessa,her older sist
charcoal trousers. A sharp silver watch. She always looked like she was hea
's email again," Tes
eryone's email,"
scholarship
r to ignore. Two bird
to the room, careful not to crush any papers.
I'm barely
sting time. Mom's t
ly looking up. "Mom's trying to
surface beneath the lawyer-face. She sat down at the edge of th
e glancing down at her sketchpad. "Then why
followed wasn't h
a said. "You just do
rlessly. "Classic pa
nsult, Elle. I
eing a truth someone
Tessa. Another restrained storm behin
ve an
ave ta
idea what
n't argue
her sides like she was a cartoon character giving up on life. The
you're still th
r I'm planning a
till send
iling, "Tell her to stop pretending a sch
oor c
s stretching longer across the walls. Her hand drifted toward the sketchpad a
want to b
t want to
he without feeling like
even that fe