AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The pen.
I’d sifted through the drawer over and over, but it was nowhere to be found.
I tore through my bag, keeping my panic under the surface. But as I thought through my day, the realization dawned on me:
I’d tucked the pen in my diary—no,journal—and took it with me to Dr. Silk’s office.
It must have fallen out.
Into the couch.
Poking into the ass of the next patient.
I picked at my thumb cuticle as my mind connected the dots like some fucked up constellation.
That squirrelly-looking woman in the waiting room was the same stuck-up bitch I’d seen in the pharmacy parking lot;that’swhy she looked so familiar.
If I went back to Dr. Silk’s office and the pen wasn’t in the couch, that meant she probably had it. And if she was seeing Dr. Silk, that meant she was probably given the same writing assignment that Dr. Silk had given me:
Write down what you want in your perfect person.
If she used that pen, she was about to write her wildest dreams and watch them warp her life into a living nightmare.
4
Grace
“So, how’d your day go?” Effie asked from the couch.
I’d hidden the bag of medication deep in my purse, but that didn’t stop my paranoia that she’d hear the crinkling. I had to say something that would bore her, distract her, get her to tune out. “Oh, well, I taught calculus…”
Her emerald eyes narrowed. “Something’s off about you.”
I straightened my spine and everything inside launched into panic mode. What was her problem? Could shesmellthat I’d kissed Sawyer?
She took her time sitting up on the couch, her perfect caramel-colored hair shimmering as it spilled over her shoulders.
My sister looked like me, but prettier. Like all of my best features had gone through some kind of enhancement and landed on her.
“Nothing’s off,” I lied.
“Your top.” Her gaze dropped to my collarbone. “Your top button’s unbuttoned.”
Curse you and your observant ways.“It was hot today,” I explained, consciously keeping my hand from correcting the imperfection.
“Whatever. You’re not telling me something, Grace.”
Even the sound of my own name made me wince. It sounded too much like Grayson.
When we were together, I thought it was perfect: Grace and Grayson. Two people obviously made for each other. Though secretly, it did bother me a little that our couple’s name was just Grayson.
“Come on, spit it out,” she urged, crossing her legs. “You know I’m going to find out anyway. Even if I have to press you like aspatula.Even if I have todig.You know I’ll go looking.”
I sighed, knowing she was right. So I dropped my purse to the floor and the pill bottle clattered. She didn’t say anything as I sank beside her on the couch.
I told her all about Sawyer.
“Dude, you know that’shisfault, right?” she said with a sassy flick of her hair. “He totally came on toyou.”
