35

I walked for miles around the bustling city. I pulled on a sweatshirt over my arms to cover the welts Ace had left on me. I sweated profusely beneath the Florida sunshine, but I ignored it all as I tried to figure out what I was going to do.

I thought of going to Catherine’s, but Ace would know to look for me there. I would rather die than put her in danger.

I stopped at an ATM to take out some much-needed cash but was dismayed to find Ace had emptied our bank accounts. I had exactly zero cash on me. I was dead broke and completely on my own.

As the sky began to darken, I ran out of options and snuck into an outside restroom at a gas station. I locked the door and tried to ignore the stink of the dirty facility as I sat down on the floor in the corner. I hugged my backpack to my body as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. I would rest for just a little bit before figuring out what else to do.

Somehow, I found rest for over three hours before banging on the door st