Malia
The alarm wouldn’t stop screaming.
I slammed my palm against it, missing the first two times before finally hitting the right button. The shrill beeping cut off, but the damage was already done.
My body jolted awake while my brain lagged several minutes behind. My head ached like I hadn’t slept at all.
After the dinner last night I needed rest, and normalcy. I needed to get through the day without replaying the sharp tone in my mother’s voice or the way she looked at me, as if she’d been waiting for me to fall short.
I also needed to forget how Maverick sat there at the table, arms loose, mouth twitching after he had kissed me like he was entertained while I tried to keep my temper from spilling over.
Today would be different and it would be mine.
I pulled myself out of bed,
