A party in the orange grove. The pain on Linden's face is immediate. I am unwavering. He has cost me more pain than I will ever be able to repay.

Maybe it is desperation. Maybe we can't let things fall apart without trying. We can't let go of the people we love.

She’s a commodity in a sea of broken girls.

But instead of tears, when I press my face against the pillow, a horrible, primal scream comes out of me. It's unlike anything I thought myself capable of. Rage, unlike anything I've ever known.

I liked just being with you. I liked the way you breathed when you were asleep. I liked when you took the champagne glass from my hand. I liked how your fingers were always too long for your gloves.

Tell freedom I said hello.

There are so many of us, so many girls. The world wants us for our wombs or our bodies, or it doesn't want us at all.