Shiver

“Who are you dating?” My brothers cornered me one afternoon. “We want to know.”

“None of your business.”

The two of them look at each other quickly, their faces identical masks of triumpf, “So you admit it!”

I just roll my eyes and try to walk around the two of them but they pull me back, “I’m not telling you who it is.”

“Why not?!” They give pouts, as if that will persuade me to tell them who it is. “We won’t tell.”

“Because it’s fun to tortchure you.” That was a lie. Really I was just scared of the rejection. I don’t think I could handle it if they hated me. I’d just gotten back on track.

The fog was gone.

I’d started eating.

And I’d started to love myself again. I wasn’t taking any chances this time. It didn’t matter how many times Malorie and her friends cornered me, or called me names, or threw paper at me.

I had Cameron. And right now, that was all that mattered.