Page 3 of The Road to Ruined

I wait between the woman and a security guard until Sebastian meets me at the doorway.

"Who is it?" I ask as he leads me to the front deck.

"I don't know," he says. "Some blonde girl. I didn't ask."

A blonde girl?

My heart pounds in my chest as I pick up my pace, almost running now as we make our way down the hall.

"Slow down, Teagan," he says.

But I don't listen. I push through the doors and begin scanning the area.

My heart drops when my eyes meet Blakely's. She smiles, giving me a small wave.

I turn to Sebastian with tears in my eyes. "You said she was blonde."

"She is blonde."

"She has four fucking highlights. That's not blonde." I blink, sending the tears rolling down my cheeks. "Fuck you. I fucking hate your ass."

I turn and walk to the table, sitting opposite my sister with my arms crossed in front of me.

"I take it you're not happy to see me," Blakely says.

"Not really," I tell her.

"Mom's here, too," she says. "She's just grabbing some coffee. Um, how have you been? Are you doing better?"

"Better than what?" I ask.

She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out.

"Since when do you care? I've been here for three months, Blake. Where have you been?"

"I've been…waiting for you to get better. And from what I understand, youhavegotten better—enough that they're going to send you home. I want to have you in my life, Teagan. Just…not the way you were."

"That took a lot longer than I anticipated," my mom says, setting a coffee in front of Blakely before taking her seat. "I told you it was beautiful out here, Blakely. Isn't it beautiful?"

Rancho San Flores is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Anas. The views are nice enough and the facility clean enough to convince family members that they're sending their loved ones—or tolerated ones, in my case—on peaceful little vacations to get their minds straight. But we need escorts to walk the halls and some of the residents are kept so medicated they barely blink. That was me in the early days.

Of course, out here on the wraparound porch sipping coffee and lemonade, you don't see any of that.

"It really is," Blakely says. "I'm impressed; I might want to book a weekend here."

Mom laughs. "Are you sure you want to come home, Teagan?"

"There's an electric fence over ten feet high," I say, unamused. "It's Jurassic fucking Park, Mom."

"Teagan," my mom says, shaking her head. "Would it kill you to be a little more positive?"

"I am positively ready to get the fuck out of here," I tell her. "Does that count?"

She sighs. "This is a fresh start for all of us, and I want you to treat it that way, Teagan. Not everyone gets those, you know."

I think of Brady and Rhett, and my chest tightens. I know. I know all too well.

"Yeah, fine. I'll treat it that way."

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