Chapter 15 - The New Rules
Laya wiped her cheek with the sleeve of her parka, taking a shaky, uneven breath. "I started community college classes last month. Accounting. I'm working forty hours a week at the store, paying my own rent, and buying my own groceries."
I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Accounting?"
"Yeah," she offered a weak, self-deprecating smile. "Turns out when you have to balance your own checkbook, understanding where every dollar goes is kind of important. Who knew?"
"It's a good start," I conceded.
"I don't expect you to forgive me, Amelia," Laya said, turning her hand toward the doorknob. "And I certainly don't expect us to be best friends. I just... I wanted you to know that I finally understand what you were trying to teach me all those years."
"What was that?"
"That nobody is ever coming to save you," she whispered. "You have to save yourself."
May you like
She pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway, her footsteps fading away down the carpeted corridor.
I sat at my desk for a long time after she left, listening to the hum of the city outside, realizing that some wounds don't heal overnight—but sometimes, they finally stop bleeding.
