Free Broken Survivor by Jennifer Labelle

this be a nightmare. Wake up, wake up!
    She abruptly stood up and held out her hand. “Mr. Yates, it’s been a pleasure, but, um—but I need to go. Schedule anything you want, and Chrystal will give me the information.” She ran out the door before anyone could respond and continued through the hallways looking for a bathroom for some privacy. Tears streamed down her face as the flashbacks began again.
     
    The matted long, blonde hair turned red from the pool of blood surrounding her head like a halo of death, eyes wide open with shock and unseeing, fingers missing, and blood splattered on the walls and on her still, lifeless body.
     
    The memories where coming through all at once. For the love of God, make it stop. Please make it stop.
    Holly crashed through the doors, finally found what she sought, and rushed into an empty stall. Slamming and locking the door, she slid down to the filthy floor and spent the first and second period of her very first day at a new school crying out some of her innermost turmoil and pain.
     
    ***
     
    Despite her skepticism, meeting Jace turned out to be a good thing. He nipped being called Mr. Yates in the bud at the get-go, and she couldn’t help but feel comfortable with the laid-back atmosphere he surrounded her with. He asked questions and got her to open up a bit but didn’t push her to give what she wasn’t ready to. He was the first man she actually learned to trust. That in itself felt like a huge step for her.
    School was a different story. A lot of people treated her as if she had the plague once they found out how screwed up her life was, especially anyone in her classes who she tried to befriend. It was as though they weren’t sure what to say or how to act, and she hated seeing the pity on their faces whenever they looked at her, as though it was her fault or something. Puh-leease! So she either kept to herself or hung out and fit in with the older crowd who seemed to understand her better.
    The drunken hazes and experimentation came to a halt for the most part. They didn’t make her feel free as they once had, and Christian wasn’t around to encourage them. But just as things began to look up, fate seemed to decide she needed another fall.
    “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Holly was running late coming home because she’d missed the bus, and the crowd that awaited her arrival was ridiculous. Her heart raced as she took in the people sitting in the living room, which included Darla, Chrystal, and one of Emma’s friends, Charlotte.
    “Everything is going to be fine, but we need to have a talk.” Darla patted the cushion beside her.
    Nothing good comes from ‘we need to talk.’ Deep breaths, Holly. Big, deep breaths...
    “Okay.” She dropped her bag at the entrance and slowly moved toward them.
    Once she was seated, Darla held both of her hands, and like ripping off a Band-Aid real quick, just got to the point. “Holly, we love you, I hope you know that, but we can’t financially afford to keep you both.”
    “What?” Her heart hit the bottom of her stomach, and dread filled her. “Where will we go? How long do we have to get out?” She looked toward her sister for answers, but Chrystal turned her face away, and again she kept getting looks of pity from the others. What the hell!
    “I think you’re misunderstanding, honey.” Charlotte moved closer. “Chrystal is still going to be staying with Darla, Nadia, and Janet, and you’ll be coming to live with me and Sierra.” Sierra was Charlotte’s only daughter and Holly’s former best friend, but her true colors had shone through when she’d given Holly the cold shoulder after Emma died, when Holly needed her the most. Living with her was definitely going to be interesting. But to be separated from Chrystal? That was her only close family left.
    “Please, I won’t be too much trouble, and I don’t need much,” she pleaded and began to cry. “Don’t send me away.”
    “I’m so sorry,