LORI
They were gone. I didn’t move.
My arms were locked tight across my chest. I could still feel Mabel’s voice in my ears, crawling down my spine like something rotten. He pities you.
Jason stood next to me. He didn’t say a word, didn’t ask if I was okay. He just stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes on the path they disappeared down.
I couldn’t breathe right. Everything inside me was too tight. My cheeks were hot, my throat dry, and my ribs felt like they might snap open if I moved too fast.
“I’m fine,” I said.
I wasn’t.
He didn’t call me out. Just looked at me once, then turned and started walking. He didn’t ask if I wanted to come with him. I followed anyway.
The wind picked up as we cut across the field. My hoodie wasn’t enough. I pulled the strings tighter, buried my hands
