⚠️ This is a dark, thrilling lesbian romance that explores survival, lust, and the blurred line between love and ruin.
Trigger Warnings: Substance abuse, graphic sexual content, emotional trauma, explicit language.
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I wake up, rub the sleep from my eyes and stare into the cracked mirror hanging crooked on my wall. My hair's a mess, shirtless except for the sports bra I fell asleep in. Clothes are scattered, but there's one clean shirt left folded on the chair I pull it on over my pants, tug it down. Nothing  to fuss about.

Downstairs, voices are already fighting. Mama's sitting on the couch, blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a shield. One of her boyfriends, Ray, is pacing, his jaw tight, eyes mean.

"You said he'd pay today," Ray snaps, slamming a fist on the table. "Where's my cut, huh?"

Mama just stares at her hands. "I told you, he's coming "

"You always got some excuse!" Ray steps closer, looming over her.

I come around the corner, eyes cold. "Leave her be. I'll pay you. You know he won't ,ain't your mess to clean up."

Ray whips his head at me. "You think you know how this works?"

"I've paid for her before. You tired of me paying, huh? She won't learn."

Ray's grin goes weird, slow and nasty. He leans in and says low, "You're pretty... you can pay in other ways."

Disgust floods me. I don't say another word. I turn and walk out.

Outside, the morning air hits hard. I keep my head down and walk off the block to the bus stop. The cold air stings my skin, but I don't care. I climb on the bus, find a window seat. Across from me, a couple laughs her head resting on his shoulder, sharing headphones. The moment twists something inside me, but I push it away.

The bus drops me off at the corner store. Inside, the smell hits first bleach and stale chips. I grab a granola bar and a protein shake, enough to get me through the day. The cashier, a tired man named Earl, barely looks up.

"That'll be $5.50," he mumbles.

I hand him my card. It beeps, red light.

"Declined," he says flat.

My face heats up. "Try again."
Same beep. "It ain't working."

I reach for the bag. "I'll pay. Don't worry I'll figure it out."

Earl shrugs, clearly annoyed. "You sure? You don't got enough."

I nod, grabbing my stuff. "I'll fix it."

Before he can say anything else, a voice behind me: "Put it on mine."

I turn  he's taller than me by a head, skin deep brown, low cut fade clean . Football jacket open, gold chain catching the light. His eyes are warm, smile easy.

"You sure?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says, flashing that grin. "You don't gotta be embarrassed. I got you."

Earl rings it up again. The boy hands me the bag, fingers brushing mine.

"I'm heading your way  need a ride?" he asks, teasing.

I hesitate. "I don't need  any handouts."

"It ain't a handout," he says, leaning closer. "Just... let me."

His voice is calm, easy. I nod.

His car's parked out front, black sedan, spotless inside. He smells like clean soap and something sweet.

"Name's Deon," he says as we pull off.

"Mia."

He glances at me, soft smile still there. "I know. Seen you around."

At school, we step out of the car. He opens the door like he's done it a thousand times.

"You good?" he asks, like he already knows I ain't.

"I'm straight," I say.

Inside, the hall's loud as ever Bri's voice cutting through, all sweet and venom. "Mia, you finally got a man to drive you?"

I ignore her, slipping through the crowd.

In class, I sit by the window, headphones on, head in my hand. Teacher drones on, but my mind's somewhere else thinking about home, about the fight, about Deon's fingers brushing mine.

After school, I see Serenity waiting by the gate, lip gloss poppin', smirking like she knows a secret.

"You seen that video? The one that got leaked?" she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Not yet," I say, my voice low.

"You gotta. Shit's wild."

I roll my eyes, half a smile creeping up.

Back home, Ray's gone. Mama's in the kitchen, eyes downcast.

"You okay?" she asks, like she can't believe I'm still here.

"I'm fine," I say, not meeting her eyes. "Don't worry about it."

I head to my room, shutting the door behind me. My little world pink and white covers, the scent of rose and that sweet lotion I stole from Serenity. I toss my bag down, climb onto the bed.

Phone buzzes. Serenity sent a video.

I open it. My breath hitches. "Omg—"