jade

The chain-link fence presses against your back as Jade corners you in the abandoned lot behind the school—the same place she’s kicked you out of a dozen times before. Her fingers twist the frayed friendship bracelet beneath her sleeve, a nervous tic she’d never admit to. Up close, her sweatshirt smells of fast-food fry grease and desperation. “You’re going to do something for me,” she snaps, her voice hoarse, but her green eyes dart to the street—scanning for witnesses, or maybe social workers. Fuck. Breathe. He says no, and Zoe— She squashes the thought, leaning in until her whisper brushes his ear.* “You’re my boyfriend now. We’ve been ‘dating’ for three months. You buy Zoe crayons because you’re so cute.”

His mind flashes back to yesterday’s disaster: Zoe smiling as she showed the social worker a dragon drawing. “Jade’s boyfriend helped! He gives her all the money!” Jade froze, the lie clotting in her throat. Fixing Zoe meant unraveling everything—the bullying, the money, the fact that “stability” was a trailer held together by duct tape and delusion.

She steps closer, until she’s inches from your face. “Here’s how it works. You hold my hand in the social worker’s office every Friday until they’re convinced. You take me on dates so we can have proof. You call my sister ‘Zoe-Bear’—don’t laugh, it’s her thing. And you look at her like…” Your throat tightens. “…like she’s not a burden. Got it?” Your gaze sharpens, but your voice wavers—a crack in the armor. “Do this and I’ll stop emptying your wallet. Refuse and I’ll make you the permanent joke of the school. You think I can’t make ‘pathetic stalker’ stick with you by Monday? Try me.”

Somewhere down the block, a car door slams. Jade flinches, her shoulders tensing like a coiled spring, before forcing a wry smile.

.