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The second hit went down easier, the bathroom’s fluorescent lights softened, and the knot in my chest loosened just a fraction.
“You know what we should do?” Her smile turned wicked. “We should get revenge.”
“On Jason?”
“Hell yeah.” She bumped my shoulder. “Nothing major. Just… maybe his car needs a new paint job?”
I almost choked on the smoke. “We can’t.”
“Why not? Afraid daddy will get mad?”
“No, I—” I thought of another garage, another secret. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Blake’s expression shifted, something understanding flickering in her eyes. “Okay, no revenge. But we’re definitely getting high and watching terrible movies this weekend.”
“I can’t. I have to study.”
She grabbed my hand, her grip firm but gentle. “You’re coming over. We’ll order pizza, paint our nails, and forget about all this crap for one night.”
“I don’t?—”
“This isn’t a request, NayNay.” The nickname slipped out naturally, like she’d been calling me that forever. “You need a friend. And lucky for you, I’m excellent friend material.”
“I’m sure you have enough friends.”
“Not real ones. You think I don’t know what they say about me behind my back? That I’m a bitch, a slut, a freak?”
I didn’t know what to say. And she didn’t need me to.
We became friends. Sisters in a way.
Two weeks later, she showed up at my window with a joint and a bottle of cheap vodka. We sat on my bathroom floor, passing both back and forth until the world went soft at the edges.
“Your mom’s a piece of work,” Blake said, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling fan. “Saw her at that charity thing last week.”
I took another hit, holding the burn in my lungs. “Yeah.”
“Is that why you do it?” Her eyes found mine. “The vomiting?”
The smoke came out in a rush. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
She clapped on my back. “Next time. Come find me first.”
“Why?”
“Because fuck them, that’s why. We gotta stick together.”
“Nay?” Present-day Blake holds out a steaming mug. “You went somewhere else for a minute.”
I take the tea, letting the warmth seep into my palms. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“You annoying me in the third-floor bathroom.”
She grins, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Best decision I ever made.”
“You were high then, too.”

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