Chapter 6

Evelyn

The memories from my last two years haunted me like ghosts, coming uninvited in my dreams and waking hours. It often awakened me in the middle of the night, gasping for air, my sheets drenched in sweat. The faces of my former best friend, Carrie, and my ex-boyfriend, Eric, were etched in my mind; their cruel laughter echoed in my ears, their taunts still ringing in my ears.

I lay there in the darkness, feeling their presence like a weight on my chest, and I longed to outrun the pain, the humiliation. I wanted to be free of them and their smoke-filled laughter, and I tried to tell myself to just forget it, but I could never forget. The memories were too vivid, too real. They were like a fog that followed me around, clouding my judgment and holding me back. As if I was still in the nightmare, and there was no escape.

It happened all over again last night, but I found solace in something. One of the fluffiest pillows on planet earth embraced me. The scent was a mix of cocoa and ja