ELLA
I found the lake when I was twelve, and it became my place to disappear.
It sat behind a stretch of woods that nobody bothered to visit because the path was overgrown and the water was dark and still.
There was nothing pretty about it, but it was quiet, and that was something I never had enough of at home.
I sat on the same flat rock I always sat on with my knees pulled up to my chest, and I simply watched the water for hours.
I had not eaten anything since last night, and I did not care. My phone sat beside me, silenced since morning because I did not want to talk to anyone, and I did not want to explain why I skipped school.
I did not want to see the worry in Liam's eyes that always made me feel guilty for being such a mess.
A bird landed somewhere nearby, and the water ripp
