I Gave Away the Birthday Chocolates, Then the Screaming Started

backpack strap the way he used to twist his hoodie string.

“Do you hate them?” he asked.

I kept chopping vegetables, the knife knocking against the cutting board in a steady rhythm.

“No,” I said finally. “Hate takes energy. I do not give them that.”

He watched me. “What do you feel?”

“I feel nothing that belongs to them,” I answered. “They stopped being continue reading …