ANNA POVI did not answer away because if I opened my mouth I knew it would come out wrong too fast too broken too angry. Instead, I grabbed the keys, the metal cold against my palm, and that coldness made everything inside me feel worse not better.Rita reached me before I turned."Do not do this, " she said, grabbing my wrist lightly not forceful but firm enough to stop me from slipping past her. "You are emotional now Anna you do not make decisions like this when you are emotional.""This is not emotions, " I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended, because even hearing the word made my chest tighten. "This is clarity. I am done being played. Done watching things happen around me like I'm some background character in my own life, Anna's life."Her eyes narrowed slightly concern pulling at her expression as if she was trying to figure out how far I had already gone in my mind, Anna's mind."Played by who?" she asked quietly though she already knew the answer was not going to calm a
Read more