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so upset. He’s the one who spit on me!”
    “Before or after?”
    She frowns and it’s all the answer I need.
    Tonight she has her therapy appointment, so I wait outside the room for forty-five minutes while Dr. Kingston tries to teach her ways of dealing with her feelings by using a healthier outlet. Six months of therapy later, and we’re still trying to help her manage the way she acts out.
    Not that I can really blame her, though.
    Once her session is over, we drive home, and I start browsing in the kitchen for something to make for dinner.
    “Shit, I forgot to go grocery shopping,” I mumble as I stare at the half-empty orange juice container and Chinese takeout boxes in the fridge.
    “You shouldn’t swear.”
    I slam the door shut, not realizing she was behind me. “You shouldn’t creep up on people,” I tease, spinning around to her sitting by the breakfast bar.
    “Grandma says swearing is the devil’s voice.”
    “Well, you should ask Grandma what whiskey is then.”
    “I already did,” she responds matter-of-factly. “She says it’s the Lord’s blood.”
    I snort. “Grandma’s a liar.” I begin opening cupboards and digging through boxes of food.
    “I know.” She grins. “So what are you making? Or should I say… burning ?”
    “You know…for an eleven-year-old—”
    “I’m almost twelve,” she interrupts.
    “Whatever. For an almost twelve-year-old, you have quite the smart-mouth.”
    “I prefer gifted.”
    “I prefer it shut.”
    She narrows her eyes at me and sticks her tongue out.
    I opt for pizza delivery instead of cooking until I get to the grocery store again. And even then, I’ll probably grab frozen pizzas and boxes of mac ’n cheese.
    Back in Ohio, there was this small family-owned deli and sushi bar that I always stopped at on my way home from work. But now that I have Natalia with me, I actually have to remind myself to hit the store.
    Either that or I’m going to go broke from ordering in seven days a week.
     

CHAPTER THREE
    ASPEN
     
    I arrive at my night class early Thursday, knowing the room will be empty beforehand. I can paint in my apartment, but there’s just something about the atmosphere and being in a room filled with other paintings. I grab an easel and settle in with my ear buds while I paint.
    Most recently, See You Again by Wiz Khalifa has hit home for me. I’ve had it on repeat for several days and every time I draw or paint, I’m able to tune everything out when I listen to it and think happy thoughts about her.
    The lyrics inspire me to paint an abstract of her face. I use the entire canvas to lightly outline her features—her heart-shaped face, almond-sized eyes, and the strong bridge of her nose.
    Once I finish, I lightly draw a line down the middle of her face to emphasize her different layers—happy on the outside, depressed on the inside.
    I grab a tube of red paint and squeeze it out onto the palette. I swirl a round brush into the paint before outlining the lines and angles of the face.
    I focus on one side at a time. Warm colors with light shading reflect her outside personality the best, so I add in some yellow with a blending brush over her cheeks and jawline. I add in some white to create the lighter shading around her eye and slant of her nose. Once I’m finished with that, I add some teal paint and use my fan brush to accent the cheekbones with the yellow underneath it to create a lighter allusion.
    I finish up the left side with my pointed round brush and paint in the eye blue. Once that’s complete, I smooth everything together with a flat brush and wait for it to dry. I stand back and study it for a moment before deciding I’m satisfied with it for now. It feels like her—happy and energetic—the teals and yellows of my past life.
    I begin the other side with a base coat of purple and then layer a light shade of blue on top. This side of the face is meant to be dark and oppressed—her inner personality—so I add in the