“Why do you do it?” Lena asked, turning the vape over in her fingers. “The sneaking. The attitude. The constant… war.”
“No. You didn’t. Because I didn’t want you to. I wanted to be the mean one. The one you hate. Because hate is easier than grief.” Lena set the vape pen between them on the step. “So go ahead. Take it back. Tell me to confiscate this. And I will. But I’ll also sit here until dawn, because I’m not losing you to a cloud of smoke.” PervMom.21.05.16.Bianka.Blue.Confiscate.This.XX...
“Hand it over,” Lena said, her voice low, calm, and sharp as a scalpel. “Why do you do it
“Good. Because I’m not hiding it anymore.” Bianka stepped forward, pressing the pen into Lena’s palm. “There. Confiscated. Happy?” The constant… war
Slowly, Bianka picked up the vape. She held it for a long moment.
Outside, the storm began to pass. And for the first time in months, neither of them moved to break the silence.
Lena stared at the device. Then at the girl. The defiance was still there, but underneath—a tremor. A crack.