20

Aunt Blair and I switch from a side plank to a meditation position. Eyes closed, we just feel. The sound of the birds chirping in the trees fills my ears like soothing music. The humid air sticks to my cheeks and ruffles my hair back. For as long as I remember, Aunt and I have shared this moment of inner peace. The only difference is that I can’t focus right now. The confrontation I had with Aiden in the locker room yesterday keeps replaying in the back of my mind like a recurring nightmare. My skin prickles with unease. Or is it unease? My body didn’t forget how close he got. How he touched me like he had every right to. Since my return to school this year, everything has been spiralling out of control. The inner peace I’ve been doing my best to protect is being chipped, chewed, and thrown out. Or maybe it’s been crumbling for the past two years while I’ve been doing my best to be strong. Or the ten years before that. Damn Aiden to the darkest pits of hell. He’s stirring a part I’ve b