The car was silent. The only sound was the tick-tick-tick of the engine cooling in the school parking lot. It’s just armor, and it looks heavy. Paige’s words weren't an echo. They were truth. Halley didn't drive home. Not right away. She drove to Mira's. It was an instinct. A pull, a "force" that had… Continue reading Halley: The Re-Direction
Author's Note Halley started as a mirror of my best friend, but she evolved into her own person. I think in some ways all three of these women I've written about are pieces of me. Mira represents my consciousness. My felt experience. The parts of me that I am aware of and actively healing. Mira's Story is the part of my identity that I identify with the most. Halley, she is my armor. She is outgoing with a bad picker that she uses to prevent getting hurt. Her 'force' and the 'performance' is the persona she deploys to keep the vulnerable, conscious self safe. And Paige. Paige is my shadow. She is the over analytical part that always needs a 'why' for everything. She's a perfectionist who tries to manage and control feelings by analyzing them. It's only been recently that I've become more aware of this shadow aspect of myself. So, while Halley, here, started as my best friend... she evolved into another part of me. A note on this chapter, "The Run": This is what Halley's armor looks like in action. It's the 'force' and 'performance' at its loudest, most desperate. It's her 'bad picker' pattern not as a flaw, but as a function. After being 'seen' by someone 'steady' (Theo), her entire system registers threat. The 'Halley' armor deploys to protect the vulnerable 'Mira' consciousness. 'The Run' is a pre-emptive strike—a flight away from the terrifying vulnerability of a 'foundation' and a dive into the familiar, 'shiny' chaos of a 'disco ball.' It’s a hollow, neon-lit performance to prove she's still 'free.' This is the part of the story where the armor 'works'… and in doing so, fails her completely.
Halley knew the after. The after-party. The after-image. The aftermath. She was the one who brought the snacks. The one who called you out. The one who held your hand in the trenches and never, ever left. Her life was a monument to the 'after,' to surviving. Her apartment was the physical proof: thrifted art,… Continue reading Halley: The Echo
This is Mira’s story—part fiction, part reflection, wholly honest.(Each chapter will end with a note from her writing, signed as your trusted friend.) Mira's Story: The BreachEven when you’ve done the work, the old stories can still echo. That doesn’t mean there's something wrong with you. It means you’re human. It didn’t start with a… Continue reading Chapter Thirty-Three: The Breach
This is Mira’s story—part fiction, part reflection, wholly honest.(Each chapter will end with a note from her writing, signed as your trusted friend.) Mira's Story: Call It What It IsWhen everything gets spoken out loud. The house was quieter than it had been all day, but not silent. Dishes clinked softly in the sink. Music… Continue reading Chapter Thirty-Two: Call It What It Is
"A steady, intuitive man who speaks less than most—but when he does, it matters." Who He Is Theo is the quiet one, until he isn’t. He is a therapist, a podcast co-host, and one of Rowan’s oldest friends. He has the kind of presence that makes people exhale. Calm, steady, perceptive. The kind of man… Continue reading Theo
“She doesn’t believe in sugarcoating anything—unless it’s the rim of a cocktail glass.” Who She Is Halley is Mira’s best friend. The blunt one. The loyal one. The one who will fight someone in the comments section and bring snacks to your breakup. She has a sharp tongue, a loud laugh, and a heart bigger… Continue reading Halley
“She’s not trying to be difficult. She just wants the truth—before someone else decides how to spin it.” Who She Is Ellie is Rowan’s daughter. Seventeen. Sharp, loyal, and a little impatient with people who say one thing and do another. She has a strong sense of right and wrong, especially when it comes to… Continue reading Ellie
“He doesn’t say much. But he’s always listening.” Who He Is Cal is Rowan’s youngest—quiet, thoughtful, deeply intuitive. He’s the kind of kid who hangs back during the chaos and catches the joke no one else heard. He doesn’t need to be the loudest voice in the room. He’s more interested in watching the room.… Continue reading Caleb (Cal)
“She doesn’t need things sugarcoated. She needs them real. That’s how her mother raised her.” Who She Is Pepper is Mira’s daughter, but she’s also her mirror.Blunt, brilliant, and emotionally attuned beyond her years, Pepper has always seen things clearly, even when it hurt. She’s the kind of kid who listens harder than she lets… Continue reading Pepper
