Page 67 (2/2)

Fear fillsto catch a breath My body starts to shake, e

Forcing myself tohand, I reach out and turn the handle

My sunken heart drops like a stone

Paul is lying on his bed He’s naked with a woman astride him A naked woman

They’re clearly having sex

Jesus

My hand clutchesoutward to the rest of my body

Tears fill my eyes

He instantly seesthere, and his face blanks Shock and fear fill his features

He grabs the wo her in her endeavors

That’s when she turns her face to me

Then, I see she’s not a woman at all

She’s a girl

A girl I know Cassie She lives at the group home where I live

And she’s fourteen years old

Bile rises in my throat

I stu voice

I run out of the building, heading straight for the bus stop, which is thankfully empty I hide around the back of the bus shelter, so Paul can’t see me

I swipe the tears from my cheeks

Cassie She’s only fourteen

But wasn’t I fifteen when Paul started sleeping with me? It seemed so ro hi

Why didn’t I see it then? Why didn’t I see what kind of man he is?

Now, I’roup home

A irls

I can’t stopup

When I reach the point of dry-heaving, I try to steadya mile a minute

Moving away from the stench ofout of sight Hand pressed to ainst the shelter I slowly pull my phone from my pocket and speed-dial the only person in the world I have

Kit answers on the first ring, “What’s wrong?”

Twin intuition Kit and I always knohen there’s a problem with the other

“I’m in trouble” Tears tumble down my cheeks

“What kind of trouble?”

“I-I…I’nant”

Silence

But I can hear hi down the line

“Kit?”

“Where are you?” Disappointment laces his voice

It slices me wide open

A sob escapes me I take a deep breath “I’m at a bus stop”

“Where?”

I holdnext, “The one near…Paul’s flat”

More silence