Pretty Poisoned Novel by Elle Mitchell

“Bye, Teagan,” Hazel says. “Bye.” Holding my breath, I turn the knob and walk out the door, closing it softly behind me. The girl I hoped I could be again—the one who never cried—loses as I walk around the side of the house and retrieve my phone from the gravel under the window. She loses…

I push my way through the crowd, getting as close to center stage as possible. I keep my sunglasses on like I’m Elton John and just kind of wait with my hands in my pockets. An hour later, when nothing has happened, I get that sinking feeling again. Maybe I’m wrong—maybe they aren’t coming. Maybe…

“No! No, I’m not going to have her be a spectacle at my wedding. She’s made enough of a spectacle out of us already. It’s my day, so, no…sorry, Teagan. And you need to put that out, Mom.” Blake leaves the dressing room, and my mom locks the door behind her. “You made her do…

I think I’m having a panic attack. They finally finish singing and leave the table, and I go for my drink again, but my airway is so closed up at this point that I choke on it and end up spitting it back onto the table. I drop my face into my hands and try…

“She had a more difficult time in foster care than I did,” she explains. “She doesn’t do well with yelling; she hates violence. And even after all she went through, she was still a very optimistic, trusting person. I blame myself, honestly. I blame myself for what happened. It was because of me that we…

But there’s something else unwelcome in the room now—a bowl of kiwi where the flowers used to be. “Fuck!” I scream, stomping across the room. One by one, I hurl them against the wall, watching them splatter before dropping to the ground. Gritting my teeth, I try, once again, to regain control over my breathing….

“Am I allowed to miss him?” I ask. “Sure,” she says. “Your feelings are your own. It’s okay to miss what you thought was real as long as you know the difference now and remain rooted in reality.” I shake my head. “I miss Luca. He loved me. He was the first person who ever…

“The 5 was a nightmare,” Blakely agrees. “But I wanted to talk to you about some of the boundaries we’ve set for you coming home,” Mom says. “And we’ve talked to Dr. Miller about this, too—she agrees that these are good rules to have to help you readjust.” “Okay…” “Well, first, you’ll have to start…

“Um, I think I’d rather just go back to my room,” I reply. “Tomorrow is going to be a big change for me, and I could use the quiet. I have a lot to think about.” “I understand. I’ll let them know anyway…in case you change your mind. Oh, one more thing, Teagan…” “What’s that?”…

“Teagan…” she scolds, shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about Rancho San Flores. That’s fair, right?” “I think that’s fair, Jennifer,” my dad says. “Thank you.” I brush my long, dark hair behind my shoulders before I begin shoveling food into my mouth. “My god, Teagan,” my dad says, repulsion evident in his…