The front door slammed behind me at exactly 12:03 p.m. I didn’t announce I was home. I never did.Dropping my bag at the bottom of the stairs with a loud thud, I headed straight upstairs without glancing toward the kitchen. I could hear Mom and Ric murmuring about something — probably the arrival of their precious golden boy tonight — but I wasn’t interested in pretending to care.
My room was my fortress. Door locked, blinds half-drawn, uniform stripped off and thrown into a corner.I took a long, scalding shower, letting the water beat against my skin until the tension in my shoulders eased. Then I collapsed onto my bed in nothing but a towel, exhaustion from the first day back at school pulling me under.
I didn’t wake up until the sky outside had turned deep indigo. My phone read 9:17 p
