Free Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi Page B

whispers.
    “Yes, what ?”
    “Yes, sir,” he says, staring at the ground now.
    I’m breathing so hard my chest is heaving. “Never again,” I say quietly now. “We are
     never having this conversation. Not ever again.”
    “Okay, Addie.”
    I swallow hard.
    “I’m sorry, Addie.”
    “Get your shoes on.” I stare at the wall. “It’s time for breakfast.”

TWO
    “Hi.”
    Juliette is standing next to my table, staring at me like she might be nervous. Like
     we’ve never done this before.
    “Hey,” I say.
    Just seeing her face still makes my chest ache, but the truth is, I have no idea what’s
     going on between us anymore. I promised her I would find a way through this—and I’ve
     been training like hell, I really have—but after last night, I’m not gonna lie: I’m
     a little freaked out. Touching her is more serious than I ever thought it was.
    She could’ve killed Kenji. I’m still not sure she hasn’t.
    But even after all this, I still want a future with her. I want to know that one day
     we’ll be able to settle somewhere safe and be together in peace. I’m not ready to
     give up on that dream yet. I’m not ready to give up on us.
    I nod at an empty seat. “You want to sit down?”
    She does.
    We sit in silence a little while, her poking at her food, me at mine. We usually eat
     the same thing every morning: a spoonful of rice, a bowl of vegetable broth, a chunk
     of rock-hard bread, and, on good days, a little cup of pudding. It’s not amazing,
     but it gets the job done, and we’re usually grateful for it. But today neither one
     of us seems to have an appetite.
    Or a voice.
    I sigh and look away. I don’t know why it’s so hard to talk to her this morning—maybe
     it’s the lack of Kenji—but things feel different between us lately. I want to be with
     her so badly, but being with her has never felt more dangerous than it does now. Every
     day we feel further apart. And sometimes I think the harder I try to hold on, the
     more she tries to break away.
    I wish James would hurry up and grab his breakfast. Having him here might make this
     easier. I sit up and look around the room, only to spot him talking with a group of
     his friends. I try to wave him over, but he’s laughing at something and doesn’t even
     notice me. The kid is kind of amazing. He’s such a social guy—and so popular around
     here—that sometimes I wonder where he got it from. In many ways he’s the exact opposite
     of me. He likes to let a lot of people in; I like to keep most people out.
    Juliette’s the only real exception to that rule.
    I look back at her and notice the red rims around her eyes as they dart across the
     dining hall. She looks both wide awake and crazy tired and she can’t seem to sit still;
     her foot is tapping fast under the table and her hands are trembling a little.
    “Hey are you okay?” I ask.
    “Yes, absolutely,” she says too quickly. But she’s shaking her head.
    “Did you, um, get enough sleep last night?”
    “Yes,” she says, repeating the word a few times. She does that occasionally—repeats
     the same word over and over again. I’m not sure she’s even aware of it.
    “Did you sleep well?” she asks. Her fingers drum against the table, then against her
     arms. She keeps glancing around the room. She doesn’t even wait for me to respond
     before she says, “Have you heard anything about Kenji yet?”
    That’s when I understand.
    Of course she’s not okay. Of course she didn’t get any sleep last night. Last night
     she almost killed one of her closest friends. She’d just started trusting herself
     and not being afraid of herself; now she’s back to where she started. Shit. I’m already
     sorry I even brought it up.
    “No, not yet.” I cringe. “But,” I say, hoping to change the subject, “I have heard
     that people are pretty pissed at Castle about what happened with Warner.” I clear
     my throat. “Did you hear about him breaking out of