Page 82 of Grown

“Flight attendants, please return to your seats!”

Nicole doesn’t move. “Miss, do you need help?”

Holding my breath, I look at Korey, at the panic in his eyes, the eyes I once loved, then exhale from my diaphragm before letting go of my dream.

“Yes. Yes... I do.”

Part Three

Chapter 57

Beet Juice 3

NOW

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

“Open up!”

I rush into the bathroom and wash the beet juice off my face and hands.

It turns the soap into pink bubbles, water coloring the sink. I use a towel and wipe down my face, arms, and hands. Use the same towel to wipe the basin.

“OK, OK, OK,” I mumble to myself. “Deep breaths. Breathe from your diaphragm.”

I hold my stomach, noticing the beet juice on my shirt, mixed with purple drink, and press a nail into my palm.

Think.

Think.

Think.

They don’t have a warrant. They can’t enter without a warrant. That’s what Korey would say. He knew all the loopholes to keep us safe.

Just stay inside. Wait for them to come correct.

I’m walking across the living room, hoping he’s really dead, when a voice stops me cold in my tracks.

“Enchanted? It’s Daddy. Please, baby. Open the door. Let us know you’re OK.”

Chapter 58

Sleeping Beauty

THEN

Coming off a high feels exactly like dying.

First, your body thinks it’s freezing, even though you live inside an oven. So you sweat through all your pajamas and bedsheets.

Next, your stomach twists, turns, and quakes.

Then, you’re puking. Anything and everything that remains. Most of the time, you’re gagging on your own thick white saliva.

You cling to the toilet, leaning against your baby sister’s bath toys, while your mom props you up to keep you from choking on your own vomit and pumps you full of fluids she stole from the hospital.

Then, you sleep like you’re dead, wishing you were.