LEXIE
The morning felt different, no shift at the drug store, no heavy boxes to move in the storage room, just a full day off stretching in front of me like an empty road.
I woke up slowly, took a long bath, and put on comfortable clothes, one of my new cheap shirts and soft jeans. I looked in the mirror and gave myself a small smile.
*Today you do nothing big, Lexie. Just breathe. Read. Pretend you're normal for a few hours.*
Mia had lent me an old book a few days earlier. It was a worn paperback with a faded cover, something about small-town secrets and forgotten stories.
I picked it up from the small table in my room and carried it downstairs, the bar was quiet in the early light. Only a few morning rays came through the windows, making the dark wood glow softly.
I sat at a corn
