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JULIETTA
Five Years Ago
Music blasted through my earbuds, drowning out the wind and the rain pelting the outside of our single-wide trailer. Storms terrified me, and distractions were my only coping mechanism. My head bobbed to the beat while I scribbled down the answers to my math homework, solving each problem with ease.
Faintly I heard a booming rattle, different than the thunder that shook the floor, and pulled the buds from my ears. When it came again I knew it was someone at the front door, and I stiffened. The only people that came here since Nana died were hardly people at all. But no one had bothered us in months. I’d started to believe Vanessa was getting better.
A moment later the door opened, then closed. Voices sounded in the living room. One was undoubtedly male.
I sucked in a sharp breath, heart beginning to pound.
The landlord maybe. Or…the guy that sold her the stuff she took that made her so mean?
No, she said she was done with all that, and I believe her. She didn’t look sick anymore.
This voice was deeper. Gruffer. A lump lodged itself in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down.
“Julie! Come out here please,” Vanessa called. Her tone was unusually pleasant.
I took a steadying breath, setting my pencil atop the sheets of schoolwork before standing.
In the living room, a tall man in a suit with dark, golden skin stood behind Vanessa. His eyes were dark, his hair even darker.
He was kind of scary looking, and a stark contrast to my mother’s wan skin and blonde hair that used to be shiny.
Vanessa smiled brightly at me. “Julie, this is Romero. We’ve been dating for a little while. I thought it was time you two met.” Looking up at him like he personally formed the mountains and carved out rivers, she added, “Maybe we could all go out to dinner or something.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Julietta,” Romero said. His voice was deep and rich. My name sounded almost pretty when he said it. But I just blinked from him to my mother and back again.
After a moment, I shook my head and stared down at the pale carpet riddled with burn marks. “Another boyfriend, cool. Well, I’ve got schoolwork to do.” I was about to leave when my mother reached for me, grabbing my shoulder, and spun me around.
“Don’t be rude, Jules. He’s not just another boyfriend. We’re in love and we’ll be getting married.”
My eyes went wide. I’d assumed her getting clean had been in part due to me. She’d seemed happier, and I thought it was because we were finally getting to know each other. But no. It was him.
Of course it was.
“Married?” I’d choked on the word. “A-already?”
Vanessa’s lips pursed together. “Yes,” she said tightly.
Romero took a step forward, drawing my attention back to him. I retreated a step, involuntarily, and he froze. An apologetic look crossed his handsome features.
“Your mother and I have been friends for several years. We decided you’d both be happier in a bigger space. It won’t happen right away, of course. But I want you to be happy.” His gaze seemed to penetrate me on a cellular level, and it made my limbs tremble. “Both of you.”
I heard what he wasn’t saying: that we both needed to be looked after. Vanessa might be clean right now, but it wouldn’t last forever. No one that used as much as she did had ever succeeded long term. Multiple stints in rehab didn’t work. What business did she have in uprooting our lives—uprooting my life—for some guy that she’d leave in a few months?
Shaking my head, I shot her a disgusted look. “So the last few months of you being sober—of us being happy—had nothing to do with me then? I knew I wasn’t good enough for you. But maybe he is. I hope you two will be very happy together.” I ran for my room, ignoring my mother shouting after me.
I slammed the door behind me and threw myself down on my squeaky, rusting bed. Tears rushed from me, soaking the musty blanket beneath me. My sobs were uncontrollable, coming out more like screams.
A soft click came from behind me. I twisted, springing off the bed in one jolting motion. Vanessa’s boyfriend stood in the doorway.
“Don’t you dare fucking touch me,” I warned. My knife was on my desk and I couldn’t help but glance at it, wondering if I could reach it in time.
Romero’s brows kissed as a moment of confusion settled on his face. Then it changed to disgust. He stalked across the room and stopped in front of the desk, plucking up the knife. I took a step back, preparing to sprint from the room, when he extended the folded-up blade to me.
“I don’t want you to ever feel unsafe around me, Julietta. I know as well as you do the monsters that exist in this world.”
