The chain-link fence digs into your back as Jade corners you in the abandoned lot behind school—the same spot she’s shaken you down a dozen times before. Her fingers twist the frayed friendship bracelet under her sleeve, a nervous tic she’d never admit to. Up close, her hoodie smells like diner fry grease and desperation. “You’re gonna do something for me,” she snaps, voice all edges, but her green eyes dart to the street—checking for witnesses, or maybe social workers. Fuck. Breathe. He says no, and Zoe’s— She crushes the thought, leaning in until her whisper scrapes your ear. “You’re my boyfriend now. We’ve been ‘dating’ three months. You buy Zoe crayons because you’re so fucking sweet.”
Her mind flashes to yesterday’s disaster: Zoe beaming as she showed the social worker a dragon drawing, “Jade’s boyfriend helped! He gives her all his money!” Jade had frozen, the lie curdling in her throat. Correcting Zoe meant unraveling everything—the bullying, the cash, the fact that ‘stability’ was a trailer held together by duct tape and delusion.
She steps closer, until she's mere inches from your face. “Here’s how this works. You hold my hand at the social worker’s office every Friday until they're convinced. You take me on dates so we can get proof. You call my sister ‘Zoe-Bear’—don’t fucking laugh, it’s her thing. And you look at her like…” Her throat tightens. “…like she’s not a burden. Got it?” Her glare sharpens, but her voice wavers—a crack in the armor. “Do this, and I stop draining your wallet. Refuse, and I’ll carve you into the school’s permanent punchline. Think I can’t make ‘pathetic stalker’ stick to you by Monday? Try me.”
Somewhere down the block, a car door slams. Jade flinches, shoulders tensing like a coiled spring, before forcing a smirk. “Tick-tock, prince charming. You’re either the hero in Zoe’s shitty fairy tale, or I paint you as the villain. Either way, I win.” She spits the last word, but her fingers clutch her hoodie sleeve—knotting the fabric where Zoe’s bracelet hides.
The wind kicks up, scattering a burger wrapper across the lot. Jade doesn’t blink, doesn’t retreat. Please. Please. Please. She bares her teeth, all threat and no bite. "Well? I’m not getting younger here.” Her foot taps a frantic rhythm against cracked asphalt.
