Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

I raise my eyes to the mirror again, the excitement I want to feel for the
ball or the prom or anything coming out as nothing but a hard beat in my
chest that makes me sick instead. And it’s almost like she knows that. Like
she knows something’s wrong.
Liv Jaeger has been a bloody nuisance since the day I met her, but
sometimes I’m not even sure what bugs me so much about her. She stays in
her lane, doesn’t she?
But I love pushing her. I love it like nothing else.
Tearing off the undergarments and kicking them to the side, I dig in my
bag for the Valium and tap out two pills into my hand. Throwing my head
back, I pop them into my mouth and dry swallow before quickly dressing.
I have to get out of here.
Pulling my gray hoodie out of my bag, I slip it on and take my gear,
creeping out to the lobby. My mom stands out front on the sidewalk,
conversing rather robustly on the phone still. Someone must not be down
with the whole crêpe idea, I guess.
I sneak out through the back, pushing through the alley door and don’t
see Lavinia or Liv as I make my escape.
Pulling out my Evian bottle, I finish off the rest of the vodka, tossing it
into a dumpster as I pass.
I hate her. The ball will be special. I’ll have fun. This is who I am.
I’m lucky.
I inhale, filling my lungs as I pull my hood up and put my head down,
moving through the dark streets. I turn off my phone, so my mom can’t track
me, and tuck my hands in my center pocket.
I cross Bainbridge Park, spotting a couple of guys loitering by the
bathrooms. The skateboarder who sells smack nods to me, and I nod back,
passing him. I head down the hill to Edward Street.
Stopping in front of the large, cream-colored stucco house decorated like
a cottage, I look around and see the empty, dim street, lit only by lamplight.
No cars drive through the neighborhood. All the families inside their homes.
Pulling my hood lower, I sneak around the side of the house, see the
basement light on, and squat down, pushing open one of the windows,
slipping inside before I’m spotted.
I step down, the freezers cooling the room, making chills break out across
my legs, and my nostrils instantly sting at the scent of the cleaning liquids
used in here regularly.