Morning hit. I dragged myself off the balcony floor and limped out. Before school, I had to haul cement at a construction site just to make some cash.

A whole morning of that got me, what, ten bucks.

My busted leg slowed me down. The wooden stick jammed into my thigh. Every step with a cement sack felt like knives.

By the time I made it to class, I reeked. Sweat stuck to me, sour and thick. Kids clustered up, whispering.

"What is that smell? Talia, you that broke you can't even shower?"

"It's not just that—she hasn't changed either. Last gym class, her socks had holes everywhere."

Nina stood in the middle, all sweet and fake. "Guys, stop. Even if Talia spent the summer working like a dog, we shouldn't laugh at her."

The second she said it, the room blew up.

"No way—Talia got shipped off to Nyamara? What, she sold a kidney?"

"I knew it. She smells worse every day. Bet she got forced into that kinda work, haha."

I tuned it out and kept my head down, flipping through my notes.

I promised Grandpa I'd study hard. I was getting into college.

Nina wasn't done. She tapped my shoulder. "Talia, why are you ignoring me? I asked if this is yours."

I turned. Grandpa's photo was clenched in her hand.

My eyes snapped wide. I pushed up and lunged. "How'd you get that? Give it back!"

I barely touched her, but Nina screamed and dropped. Her forehead smacked the desk corner. Blood seeped out.

She looked at me like she'd won. Then her eyes dipped. Her voice went small. "Talia, if you need money, I can give you some. Just... don't steal, okay?"

Between her sobs, Dad, Mom, and Ms. Anderson rushed in.

Dad grabbed my hair and yanked me up. "You disgusting brat! I knew you wouldn't change! You even stole the class money?!"

Mom apologized to Ms. Anderson. "I'm so sorry. Our kid caused trouble."

Ms. Anderson stepped in front of Dad. "Don't hit her yet. What if this is a misunderstanding?"

Nina spoke up, all sweet. "Yeah. Talia only took five hundred from Mom and Dad. That doesn't mean she took the class money. It's probably a misunderstanding."

Ms. Anderson's voice softened. "Even if she messed up, you can't hit her like this."

Dad didn't listen. His fist slammed into my face. "Ungrateful girl! You'll steal anything! If I don't fix you now, you'll get worse!"

Everything went black. I hit the floor.

Then hands yanked me up. Another hit came.

The class went quiet for a second. Then the whispers started.

"Her parents really came here to beat her. That's so embarrassing."

"Talia's so pathetic. If I got caught stealing at school, I couldn't show my face."

Every word hit hard. I felt small. I felt ashamed.

Right before everything went dark, I heard Nina lean in close.

"Talia, sorry you had to take it. I already spent the class money."

When I woke up, something warm touched my hand.

I forced my eyes open. Outside the balcony bars, Rusty was licking my hand where it hung down.

He kept licking, like he knew I was burning up.

I reached over and touched his head. My voice came out rough. "Rusty... did you come to take me home?"

He barked.

Grandpa didn't leave much.

Just me. And Rusty.

He was a mutt from back home. My only friend.

I didn't know how he found me here, but I knew why he came. To take me home.

Footsteps came. I rushed him off.

Dad stormed in, face twisted. He yanked me up. "You're awake? Then get up. You've got the nerve to steal, don't play dead!"

He stood there, hands on his hips, and told me to go work. I had to earn double the class money back.

My throat burned. "I didn't take it. Nina did."

He froze for a second, then dragged me to the door. "You still lying? Talia Tayler, you know how disappointed I am?"

I grabbed the doorframe and held on. He slapped me hard.

My ears rang. I heard Nina's voice. "Talia, why is there a hole in the back of your uniform?"

Mom looked and screamed. "Talia, you're going out like that?"

I stumbled to the mirror. The back of my uniform was ripped open from hauling cement.

Nina spoke soft. "Talia, be careful. Ms. Anderson already warned us. They're cracking down on cut uniforms. I heard girls who do that mess around with guys outside school... some even get pregnant."

Dad shoved me down. "Shameless girl! No wonder you've been acting up. So that's what you're thinking about."

He kicked me.

Nina stepped in, acting nice. "Dad, don't hit her anymore. Just let her change."

Maybe it was my swollen face. He backed off and let me go.

My "closet" was just a ripped plastic bag. The clothes inside were even worse.

Nina smiled. "You can borrow my jacket."

Mom hesitated. "But it's almost a hundred degrees. She'll overheat."

Dad cut her off. "Good. Maybe she'll learn."

He wrapped me up like a cotton ball and sent me out to the burning construction site.

People stared at me like I'd lost it.

After they left, a worker leaned in and told me I could take the jacket off.

I shook my head, dizzy. "I can't. My dad might come back. If he sees, he'll beat me to death."

The sun felt like it was melting me. The cement sacks crushed my shoulders. Pain stabbed through my thigh.

My leg kept getting worse. I tasted blood in my throat.

On break, I pulled out Grandpa's wrinkled photo. Tears blurred everything. "Grandpa, I'll see you soon. Wait for me."

After a long day, I almost passed out at the front door.

Before I could go in, Mom came out. That never happened.

She smiled and handed me a bowl of soup. "You must be tired. I just made this. Hurry and drink it, Talia."

It smelled really rich. Like meat.

A cold feeling ran through me.

They always said we were too poor for meat. Said it would spoil me. We never had any when I was around.

I frowned. "What kind of soup is this?"

She held the bowl, still chewing, with a little piece of meat stuck in her teeth. "That mutt wouldn't leave, so your dad had me cook it. It tastes pretty good."

It felt like something exploded in my head.

I dropped to the floor.

I couldn't feel anything.

Rusty was dead.

My Rusty.

He came to take me home. Now he wasn't coming back.

Dad looked happy. "See? You only think about that dog. At your age, what future do you have playing with a dog all day?"

Something blew up inside me.

I ran over and flipped the table.

The soup was still boiling, but I didn't care. I shoved my hands in and tried to find Rusty's bones.

I cried so loud. "Rusty, Rusty, I couldn't protect you!"

My hands started blistering right away. Mom screamed and tried to pull me back.

I couldn't hold on.

I fell to the floor and threw up blood.

I just lay there.

Everything got darker.

Only one thought stayed.

'I'm finally gonna be free.'

***

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room.

Outside, Dad was yelling at a doctor. "That's impossible. Talia's always been healthy. How can she only have a few days left?"

The doctor's voice turned cold. "I have nothing to say to parents like you. Her broken leg is badly infected. It smells. When we cleaned it, there were maggots. Didn't you know? In this heat, she came in wearing a thick coat, covered in injuries. Do you have any idea how much pain she's been in?"

Mom couldn't take it. She dropped to her knees and cried.

"I don't believe it!" Dad shouted. "We have money. We can treat her! Dr. Seymour, use the best medicine. We have money!"

His voice echoed down the hall. The nurses started whispering.

"Did you see what she had on under that jacket? It's all ripped. She looks poor. What money do they have for the best medicine?"

"She came here alone a few days ago. When we asked her to pick a prosthetic, she said she couldn't afford one."

"I saw her grab a tree branch outside and tie it to her leg. No rich kid lives like that."

...

Another doctor spoke real quiet. "Stop. They're the richest family in Northport. When they showed up, even the hospital director came out. I heard they bought their adopted daughter a super expensive necklace. Who knew they were hurting their real daughter?"

"What kind of parents are they?"

The nurses crowded by the door. They looked angry on my behalf.

Dad still didn't believe Dr. Seymour. He rushed in and yanked my blanket back.

Below my left thigh, there was nothing. Just bad flesh and blood.

Mom screamed and dropped next to my bed. She couldn't stop crying.

Dad grabbed my hand. It was shaking. "Talia, it's okay. We'll fix it. We'll go to the best hospital."

I let out a small, bitter laugh. "Aren't we poor? Do we have money for that?"

Tears ran down his face. "Don't worry. We're rich. The richest family in Northport."

I laughed again. It felt cold, and my chest hurt.

"I know, Mr. Tayler. The day you gave Nina that necklace, I saw it. I was digging through the trash behind the hotel for food."