Love and Chaos

light spilled ov

n town nestled on the edge

, school buses hummed in t

d of rain from t

Almira Washington

ipping lukewarm cocoa from

odest-two bedrooms, a crea

tle too overgrown-but it w

e she was a baby. Despite

love, and dreams bigg

typical teenager.

tried. It was effortless.

r eyes were intelligent

speaking truths people di

bold, the kind of girl

helped kids with

here was S

they were just s

house next door from Chi

ace, and always smelled l

then, weird turned into fu

became the heart

ng together-rode

overs with pillows betwee

d of his dad's old Chevy.

dr

ften does, doesn'

fore it chang

iet fights in the

served on a Monday mornin

getting a divorce. It di

ohni didn't come

ke that, ever

noon, Almira stoo

ded the final boxes into h

duffel bag and looking li

, and suddenly, nothing a

ummer wind, not the

th my dad," h

ked, her voice bar

oen

ne punched her in

es away. She couldn't bik

her wa

back?" she asked,

ard and handed her

in from around his neck-

d it gently i

d things out... w

he said. "I promise. And

a. Just wa

speak, his dad ca

opened the doo

like

ight away. She just

the dog tag like it was a

ing a golden glow across

e same-but everyt

a navy-blue sky

ter. It was short.

d the tag to her

vow to

, Sohni. No matter