BEFORE WE EVEN SPOKE

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 posture

hey'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