Valentina Anderson tried to end her life on the same day as Hannah Baker, but survived to face a world unraveling with secrets. She never imagined her life would be defined by loss. First, it was Jeff Atkins, the love of her life, tragically taken i...
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I sat at the dining table, picking at the home-cooked meal Mom had prepared. The clinking of forks against plates filled the quiet space until Mom started her usual attempt at conversation.
“So, Julian, how did the painting competition go?” she asked, her voice full of that familiar parental warmth.
Julian perked up. “It was good. I got selected for the next level.”
Mom beamed with pride. “Oh, good! Congratulations, my boy.”
I smiled at Julian too, happy for him, even if teasing him was too tempting to resist. “Don't tell me you drew Gwen's face again.”
“Gwen?” Mom asked, her brow lifting.
“Yeah, the one from *Ben 10*. He’s got a crush on her,” I explained, grinning as Mom chuckled.
Julian shot me a playful glare. “Real mature, Tina,” he muttered, and I stuck my tongue out at him.
Mom glanced at me, her tone suddenly softening. “I’m happy to see you this relaxed.”
Uh oh, here it comes—the beginning of her little lectures. I could already feel the weight of it settling in.
“Yeah, me too,” I replied quickly, hoping to cut her off before she dove deeper into that rabbit hole. But no, she wasn’t going to let me off so easily.
“So, how have you been sleeping?” Mom continued, her eyes studying me closely. “If you’re sleeping fine, maybe we can stop the pills.”
“No, no!” I blurted out almost too quickly, my heart racing. If I stopped the pills, I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly. And if I didn’t sleep, I wouldn’t see Jeff. I needed those dreams. They were all I had left of him.
Mom frowned slightly, her concern etched into every line on her face. “Are you sure? You’re having good sleep, right?”
“Yeah,” I lied, trying to sound casual. “But I still need them. I don’t think I’d sleep well without them.”
She only nodded, though I could feel her still analyzing my every word. Thankfully, Julian came to my rescue.
“Tina’s sleeping fine, Mom. She’s even having some good dreams. Right, Tina?” Julian piped up, completely oblivious to the danger he just threw me into.
I internally cringed. If I told Mom the truth—that Jeff visited me in my dreams—she’d ship me off to therapy every day and give me endless lectures about “moving on.” I had to think fast.
“Uh, yeah! Great dreams… about… a puppy,” I stammered, forcing a smile.
Mom raised an eyebrow. “A puppy?”
“Yeah, a rainbow-colored puppy,” I said, leaning into the absurdity, hoping to steer the conversation away from anything real.
Julian tilted his head, clearly confused. “Is there even a puppy in that color?”
