Page 6 of Forbidden Knots

As she drew closer, I noticed healed cuts on her wrists. I could only imagine the times she'd contemplated, the struggles she'd faced. But somehow, I knew Sophie would become my friend, and even though I thought I was the dark one, I would try to be the light.Maybe if I saved her, I could save myself too.

We reached the rocks and climbed back up. As we reached the top, I offered her my hand, pulling her up, and we walked silently back to our spot.

"I was fourteen," she said, continuing, "when I first thought about dying."

I sat down on my towel, my eyes on her. "My mom had the same thoughts after divorcing my father," I confessed. "He wasn't perfect, and they never got along. I thought she would be happy after he left, but all she did was lay in bed for days. Then one day, I found her on the bathroom floor, unresponsive."

A tear slipped from my eye, and I wiped it away quickly, but she took my hand.

"Don't do that to anyone, Sophie," I whispered. "My mom survived, but she can't look me in the eyes. Sometimes I feel she can't forgive me for not letting her go, and sometimes I feel she's embarrassed I found her in that state."

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes now looking at the horizon. "I never thought..."

I interrupted, "You may think it's the way out, but I know firsthand it's a trap. If you love your brother, you won't do that to him. My mom broke me. I saw darkness, and I can't sleep at night anymore."

She whispered, "I am so sorry," tears falling down her cheeks.

"Don't ever think about it, okay?" My voice grew a tone louder as I wrapped my arms around the strange girl in front of me.

She nodded silently, and we both faced the cliffs, looking at the horizon. As I heard some people approaching, I turned to her, "Let's keep this a secret and pretend."

She smiled. "That's what I do best."

We turned back and lay on the towels next to each other, and then in front of us, a few shadows appeared.

"You two are at our spot," one of the girls said with an Italian accent.

"And you are blocking the sun," I said, staring up at her.

She was short, chubby, and pretty, an Italian brunette with a sharp tongue, like most of them around here. I knew thisbecause my mom used to be like that, and sometimes I hated myself for not being more like her.

The girl turned her back and walked towards the other two girls, commenting in Italian before all of them started laughing.

Sophie sat up and whispered, "Maybe we should go."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said to her. "This is a public spot, and we have just as much right to be here as they do."

Sophie placed her chin on top of her knees, staring at me. "I'm not comfortable."

I rolled my eyes, standing up. "Fine."

I started to pack my bag, and just as I was about to fold my towel, the three girls approached and pushed us aside before laying their towels on the rocks.

"Are you serious?" I shouted. "We didn't even leave yet."

"Arrivederci," one of them said, waving her thin fingers.

Just as I was about to lift my hand to slap her, Sophie caught my hand. "It's not worth it, trust me."

I clenched my fist as we walked away, their laughter fading into the distance. The path was steep and filled with rocks, but that cliff was famous around here. Deep down, I knew this would happen, but I had hoped it wouldn't happen so soon. I enjoyed Sophie's company, but now I wanted to be alone. I walked in front of her, each step filled with fury, mumbling,"How dare they..."under my breath. My fists were still clenched as I held my bag, which barely hung from my shoulder.

Above us was a road lined with pine trees. As we got closer, I could hear the cars. I lifted my gaze and saw him—the neighbor was watching us from the shadows above.

His dark curls fellacross his forehead as he looked toward us. He wore a sleeveless hoodie, revealing his muscular arms adorned with tattoos. He was smoking, each breath he took sending my heart racing as I approached closer. My eyes were on him, only on him.

"Watch out," Sophie shouted, just before I slipped. My knees and hands hit the ground, my bag slamming into my back.

"Fuck," I shouted, hearing those mean girls laughing even harder.

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