From Naive to Ruthless

group home

two broken pieces

Hayes, no future. Just a girl bounc

er. They gave me a room, clo

a perfect little boy, I became a shadow in th

had it rougher, in some ways. No ad

intelligent. He wanted more th

books, talked about changing the

to get through coll

r a dim streetlight outside th

ed after college,

story professor by the

ntle determination that

doptive parents. A fe

was "a good match" for their adopted da

m, discussing politics with my adop

y adoptive mother'

l, for me. He said it w

mall but perfect,

s we wrote ourselves, promising

whispered, his eyes shining.

at promise. A new beginning, a stable ho

me, our anniversary da

mark of his betrayal,

ner in our kitchen, humming a

onvincin

rs. I' d been playing