his hands, palms out to indicate surrender.

Finally, the bus pulled into the downtown Lansing Greyhound station. She looked the around bustling terminal for her mother, but seeing no one she sighed heavily and stepped outside into the frigid November air.

“Sasha?”

She whirled around at the tentative voice and came face to face with her mother. She drank in the tired eyes and beautiful face that looked so much like her own. Sasha had a fleeting second to acknowledge that she was going to look exactly like her mother in twenty years. Then the fear took over and the knot in her throat threatened to choke her. She clutched her backpack to her belly to keep from throwing herself in her mother’s arms. She wasn’t too certain of her welcome. Her mother might be glad that Sasha was alive but was probably not glad to see her. Evangeline might let her drop to the ground.

Evangeline’s eyes flickered to Sasha’s stomach. She winced visibly and then her eyes snapped back up. Defiance and anger etched across Sasha’s face, but her tight, white knuckled grasp on the ratty backpack gave away her agitation and uncertainty.

“The car is over here,” said Evangeline, gesturing with her right arm.

Sasha’s shoulders and she stifled a huge sigh of relief. They rode together in silence to her mother’s home.

“You been to the doctor?”

Sasha, almost grey with fatigue, nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You look tired,” said Evangeline, after they’d stood and looked at each other for an endless moment.

“You said you had some rules, mama.”

They stood for a long moment, engaged in stare down of the strongest will. Sasha defiant, Evangeline angry. Evangeline took a deep breath. Sasha braced for the blast of recriminations.

“Go lay down,” said her mother, awkward and unfriendly, but concerned. She reached out and patted her daughter on the shoulder.

Sasha stumbled to her old room. When she walked in, she didn’t notice anything but the bed. Dropping her book bag and coat on the floor she collapsed onto the bed and fell into the first real sleep she’d had in over two months.

Brielle

Brielle was admiring her birthday necklace in the mirror. She turned one way and then the other. She smoothed the charm into the hollow in her throat. It was a very delicate gold chain and the charm was half of a heart. Damon had the other half on a bigger gold chain that he wore around his neck. Damon had bought it with his own money, not money that he had gotten from his mother or father. That made the birthday gift even more special to Brielle, because Jada always teased Damon about being stingy.

“My mom calls him a stingy rascal,” Jada had said. “She said he was going to have the first dime he ever made in his pocket when he dies.”

Plus, he’d somehow prevailed upon Chauncey to issue a sheepish apology for his crass statement at the homecoming dance. In Brielle’s eyes he was taking on heroic proportions.

Damon met her after swim practice. He had to go to work after school but he’d text messaged her that he had something for her and to meet him outside the locker room doors before practice. When she arrived, somewhat breathless from rushing around so she wouldn’t be late to meet him, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss that stole her breath even further. Damon had handed her a small box wrapped in bright purple paper with a purple and silver bow on top.

“I want to give you this, Brielle,” he said. “For your birthday.”

“My birthday was in August,” she said, frowning at the box.

“I know,” he said. “But I wasn’t into you then. I didn’t really know you. But now, well, it’s a birthday gift anyway. Besides, my birthday is in two weeks. You have to get me something now.” Damon smiled down at her.

“Thank you,” she said softly. She stared at the package.

“Open it,” he said.

She opened it carefully so she wouldn’t tear the paper and lifted out the small red jewelry box. She flipped open the top and stared down at the half a heart nestled on the white satin of the box.

“It’s beautiful,” said Brielle and looked up and smiled.

He reached over and took the necklace out of the box.

“Turn around,” he said and she obediently turned around and lifted her braids so that he could fasten the clasp. He fumbled with it at first because his hands were so big, causing the hairs on Brielle’s neck to stand up with awareness, but he was patient and finally got it clasped.

His hands dropped onto her shoulders and he gently turned her to face him. He reached inside the neck of his shirt and pulled out a chain with the other half of the heart hanging on it.

“I want you to know that you have my heart,” he said. “Even if we don’t have sex.” Brielle’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?” she asked.

“Don’t act all stunned,” he said. “You know that you’re my baby.”

“You’ve got mine, too,” said Brielle.

“I know,” he said, and caressed her face gently with the back of one of his hands.

“How’d you know?” she asked, teasing. He had to know how much she was into him. She’d never been able to keep it a secret. He reached over and tugged gently on one of her braids.

“I can see it in your beautiful eyes,” he said. “They speak to me every time I look into them.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly. Brielle sighed when he broke the kiss.

“I’ve got to go to work,” he said and took a step back. “I’ll call you tonight if I don’t get off too late. Swim hard, boo-boo.”

“Okay,” said Brielle. He turned and walked away without looking back and she watched until he disappeared around the corner before she headed into the locker room for swim practice.

Brielle hadn’t shown it to her mother yet, because she wanted to keep it to herself just for a little while longer. She hoped that

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