Page 1 of Stay Toxic

To the man that owns my heart. I love you despite the fact that you can’t find a fucking trashcan to save your life. I love you even though when you shave your beard, all of your hair lands in the freakin’ sink and you don’t clean it up. I love you even though you’re the messiest cooker on the planet.

I love you because you give me anything I want. A hug when I’m in the worst mood. A sweatshirt because you know I’m cold. A lift down out of the back of the truck when I could just as easily jump down. A batch of cookies even though you didn’t want to make them. A complicated coffee drink even though ordering it takes you a whole thirty-nine seconds to tell the barista what I want.

I love you because you’re the dad to our children my own father never was.

I love you because you’re you.

And this book, like so many others before, is for you.

Boys. Ew.

—Brecken’s secret thoughts

BRECKEN

Eight months ago

“Hey.”

I looked up at the hesitant voice and smiled at the school librarian.

“Hey there, Viveka!” I chirped. “How’s that book going?”

Viveka, the quiet book nerd who had a dirty side a mile long, smiled at me. “Doing okay.”

That smile didn’t reach her eyes, though, and I wondered if it was her husband again.

Her husband had come up to the school multiple times over the few years that she’d been working at West Dallas High with me, and I hated him more each time he came in.

I could tell he was abusive just by the way that Viveka cringed every time he came near her.

And now she was pregnant, though she hadn’t shared with anyone that she was. I only knew that she was because I’dwalked in on her in the staff bathroom stuffing a pregnancy test in her pocket.

When I’d asked about it, she’d shared and told me how scared she was.

That was a few weeks ago, and each time I saw her, I wondered if she’d shared with her husband yet or not.

“It’s a pretty good one,” she said as she sat down.

My best friend, Jolessa, came into the break room, her lunch tote under her arm.

She sat at the table and smiled. “Hello, ladies.”

“Hey, Jolessa.” Viveka smiled at her, though it wasn’t as sincere as the one she’d just given me. “How are you today?”

“Fantastic,” she answered. “I found a new boy-toy.”

“Boy-toy?” I snorted. “Who?”

“No one you’d know,” she said evasively before she turned toward Viveka. “What book are you reading today?”

The quick change of subject made me curious, but I decided to give her the out…for now.

“A new one about dragons,” she said. “You’d like this one.”

“What’s the story about?” I asked. “Other than dragons, of course.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “It’s about this woman that’s in an abusive situation. She gets pregnant and she runs.”

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