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Chapter 9: Buzzed Beauty
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Bone Thin Chapter 10: Believe Him
Where am I? Ugh, my head. Oh right, I crashed at Collin's house. Oh my gosh, I... CRASHED...AT...COLLIN'S HOUSE...Why do I do this to myself?I decided to find a new outfit. The dresser appears to have an outfit laid out for me. It's a sundress and leggings.Okay, I hate dresses. But its clothes and I can work with them. At least they come with leggings.I walk downstairs and feel like an idiot. My eyes find Collin's light green ones. I catch my breath. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be sad about Chad leaving."I see you found a new outfit. My mom laid it out for you," Collin says.Does his mom know I'm here? Shit."What did you tell her?" I ask."That you were studying at the tavern too late and needed a place to crash," Collin says."I don't know what to say," I reply."How about thank you," he says. He comes over to me and pulls down my jaw with his hand."It's easy. Thank...you," he repeats, moving my jaw up and down to get me to say his words back to him.But I'm
Bone Thin Chapter 11: All I Ask For
I head back into my house. Luckily, it's early in the morning, and I can change into an outfit that is more me. The smell of coffee is coming from the kitchen. I grab a mug, and as I'm turning around, I see my dad. He smiles, that big smile of his."Good morning, dad," I say."Hi, Natalie. Your mom explained everything to me. I'm not buying it. Who is that boy? And what does he want with you?" My dad asks like he's a member of the British Royal Guard."It's fine, dad. It's Collin Abernathy, from grade school. We've been catching up this week. I was lost last night, and he found me. His family took me in for the night, and I'm back safely," I tell him half the truth. I can't admit I was drunk last night."What does Chad have to say about Collin?" Dad asks."Is this a police investigation? Well, I guess you were gone a long time. Sorry, dad. To catch you up, I dumped Chad. He is moving to New York. I had a job interview at Penna Bakery. I start this weekend as a cashier," I say."Okay,
Bone Thin Chapter 12: Goodbye
Thursday is over. One more day and the weekend will be here. We leave Aunt Tara's house. I don't want to go home; knowing the divorce is coming is utter hell.The hell of tomorrow hangs over my head. I need to hear my dad out, but I would rather hang with Collin and get lost in the woods.I text Collin. I need to tell him the truth. I know he hasn't seen me since grade school. But I don't want to restart our friendship with lies.Me: Hi Collin....bad newsCollin: What's up?Me: I can't hang tomorrow.Collin: It's not a date, remember?Me: I can't... Going to dinner with my dad.Collin: Cancel?Me: Can't he's going to tell me about... personal shit.Collin: Like?Me: My parents are getting a divorce.I hit send. Seeing that written in a text message makes me sick. Were my parents not trying hard enough? They loved each other once; maybe they still could. Should I try to convince my dad otherwise at dinner?I don't want to be a broken family. I know we already are, given Sammy is my hal
Bone Thin Chapter 13: Why'd You Stop
I go to school. Everyone asks how Sammy and I are feeling. Oh right, we had the "flu" yesterday."Hey, Natalie, are you okay?" Selah yells.I'm a terrible friend. I haven't told her about Collin, the divorce, or wanting to run away."I'm not okay. My parents are getting a divorce," I manage to say while choking up on my damn tears. These tears are a gift from my horrible parents."I'm sorry, anything I can do?" She asks."Gum?" I ask, holding my hand out in desperation. She hands me two packs of gum. "You need these more than I do. What are you going to do?" Selah asks."Runaway," I admit while showing her the photos of my packed bags."Shit... You can't. Stay with my family. My dad loves you," Selah says."I might take you up on that. My aunt has offered for me to move in with her. So, I have options," I say.The first bell rings, and I feel my feet dragging me to class."Miss Ashman, a word," Mr. Henry, the art teacher, says."Yes," I stop."A few weeks ago, after you left the art
Bone Thin Chapter 14: Open Up
Collin takes me home. He has put me in a good mood. I'm not sure where we stand now-no time to think about that. I'm a little annoyed to be happy. My dad will only ruin it with the "divorce" news.My dad opens the door. We don't talk about Collin. He hugs me instead."Want to go to Olive Garden?" He asks."Sure," I reply.I can eat a salad or soup. Those aren't worth a whole lot of calories. And if I feel like purging later, soup is the easiest for me to get rid of. We get in the car and don't talk. I hear the humming of the wheels beneath my feet. The air conditioning is making my goosebumps appear. I turn it off."You cold?" He asks. I roll my eyes; he knows I'm always cold. I haven't been warm in years."Sure, Dad," I say. My attitude is hard to hold back. The actress in me will be hard to summon this night.We get to Olive Garden. The first wave of breadsticks is brought out. I used to love eating them. They are a calorie stick I can't devour. My dad puts three on his plate. Disgu
Bone Thin Chapter 15: A Mother's Helper
Collin encourages me to return to his car. He hugged me for a long time. Darkness surrounds the woods. I like the dark. It's quiet, silent, and nonjudgmental. The daylight brings drama and chaos."Let's go to the tavern. Maybe I can make you a smoothie?" He says."Thanks... Sure," I reply.We get into the tacky tavern. This cheesy cafe is growing on me. Maybe it reminds me of Collin, or it's a place to let down my guard. He grabs my hand and takes me to a table. We sit down for a long time."I'll go get you a smoothie now," he says.I wait for him and turn off my phone. My parents don't deserve to get a hold of me. The clock on the wall reads 10:30 pm. I ran away from dad two hours ago. Oh well...Collin returns with a pink smoothie. There must be strawberries inside. And in his other hand, he gives me an ice pack."What's this for?" I ask."Your arm got hurt in the woods. I want to make sure it will be okay," he says.Mrs. Abernathy comes into the tavern."Hello, Natalie. Collin told
Bone Thin Chapter 16: Kindness
I wake up to the vibrations of my cell phone. Selah's name appears on my screen. I answer."Hello," I say."Natalie, where are you? We haven't seen each other in ages. Have you forgotten about me? You didn't say goodbye to me. Whose car was that anyway?" She asks.I've been a shitty friend to Selah. I deserve all these questions and ridicule."I'm sorry, Selah. It's been a hard week. I haven't felt like me for a long time. Do you remember Collin Abernathy from grade school?" I ask, knowing I don't want to tell her about him. I want Collin to be my secret life away from the world."Yes, I do. Why?" She asks."Well, the guy I kept staring at in the tavern was Collin. We've been hanging out a lot this week. And we've been catching up. It was his car I got into at school. Sorry I've been distant. It's been hard," I say."Well, I understand. So where are you now?" Selah asks."I'm at Collin's. I stayed here last night," I reply."You did what now?" Selah asks."It's no big deal, Selah. My
Bone Thin Chapter 17: What are We?
Collin takes me to the Penna Bakery. I've never been a cashier before. I can handle touching debit cards, checks, and cash. It's work I'm nervous about. Fortunately, I'm too young to be asked to bake or cook. Minors are only allowed to be dishwashers and cashiers. The bakery smells like salt, sugar, and flour. I want it to smell good, but it smells like things I have purged over the years. The thought of it makes me sick."Natalie, you don't have to work here," Collin says, seeing my sick expression."I need money," I say."If being around food is too much. Can you give more horseback riding lessons at your aunt's?" Collin suggests."I don't know. I will have to ask," I reply."You'd better get started. I have math to study. Gross," he yawns."Bye, Collin," I say.I kiss him, and our eyes meet. His light green eyes have cast their spell on me."Good afternoon, Natalie," Mrs. Penna says."Hello, Mrs. Penna," I say."Here's your apron and name tag," she says while handing me my new empl
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