Member-only story
Three’s a Crowd
Tally had always known it was going to be Jax and Sarah.
Love wasn’t supposed to be a tragedy, but with Tally the cards always seemed to be dealt out of her favor.
“You live under an unlucky star,” her mother told her one day over tarot cards. “I’m sorry, my love, but you’re doomed to fall in love and never hold that person close — no matter if it’s a boy or a girl.”
Tally wanted to protest — her heartbeat screamed inside her chest as it beat rapidly, nearly bounding out of her — but numbness overcame her as she accepted the truth of her mother’s words. Why would her mother lie to her? What kind of mother would feed her daughter spoonfuls of despair?
“That makes sense, I guess,” Tally said, her voice falling quiet. “No one’s ever told me they love me besides you.”
Her mother’s eyes sparked alive. “Yes, well, mothers love their children. There’s no greater love in the universe.”
Tally couldn’t take the pain searing through her body, so she decided to duck out of the room. She ended up sobbing in the bathroom for almost an hour, the pain relentless as she fought not to have a panic attack.
The memories eventually faded until she could barely recall them through a fog. But she went on like normal. What else was there to do?
