------------------------------------- This work within its first few lines contains language or other material which some readers may find offensive. In consideration, Stories Space has hidden the preview of this selection. By choosing to view the piece in its entirety, you agree that you are 18 or older and do not object to such content. ------------------------------------- You don’t look at me the way you used to. You...

It's my fault that it got in me. This is my punishment for being so damn weak. So damn selfish. So incredibly stupid. I lay in a pool of regret-tainted sweat, struggling to catch my breath, sharp pains shooting up and down my spine. My stomach rolls. A wave of nausea flows through me, propelling me upright. I lurch from my sister's bed, out of the arms of my sister's husband, empty the contents of my stomach into my siste...

He thinks he's being funny. The sound gradually increases on the iPod deck, the rhythmic bass of Steeler's Wheel echo off the bare walls. My brother turns to me and grins. He's got two left feet and a spastic hip, completely off-beat. I feel a chill. It settles deep within my bones as my flesh and blood, my brother, my twin, my best friend, awkwardly dances towards me with a knife clenched tightly in his hand. I'm not as...