SofiaI listened to the monitors. I listened to the laughter in the hallway, someone’s music playing down the corridor, the dull thud of a party three doors over. Normal college sounds. Normal life happening all around us.I thought about reaching for Ava’s hand, maybe lacing our fingers together li
SofiaI lay on my back, naked under the sheets, eyes locked on the ceiling where the water stains had spread out like continents. I counted them—one, two, three, the shape near the sprinkler looked vaguely like South America—because if I stopped counting I’d have to think about what just happened.A
Sofia“Hey,” I said, voice so soft it barely registered. “Are you okay?”She didn’t answer.I tried again. “Ava?”She turned her head, slow motion, as if the word had to swim through a mile of static to reach her ears. She looked at me, and her eyes were huge, pupils blown out until the gold was jus
SofiaIt wasn’t a slow thing, or a soft thing. There was no warning. Her lips crashed into mine, teeth scraping, tongue urgent and searching. She grabbed my waist and pulled me closer, skin sliding on skin. The water turned every touch into heat, every friction into fire.I froze. For a second, I th
SofiaI guided her to the stall and opened the shower door. She stepped inside and just… stood, arms at her sides, chin down.I watched the water run over her, flatten her hair, trail down her skin in streaks that pooled at the ridges of her collarbone and then dripped in a rhythm I started counting
SofiaThe girls’ bathroom on this floor always smelled like one of those dollar store air fresheners that was supposed to cover up something much worse and only made it more noticeable, like a perfume-laced corpse.I guided Ava there with a hand under her elbow. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t wal