Another Name

***Hazel***

I jerk away so fast it’s as if Victor’s words have burned me, my hand tangling in my hair, tugging at it like the pain might ground me.

“That’s not true!” My voice comes out too shrill, too fake. I try again, but softer, rehearsed, the way I’ve defended Piper my whole life. “Piper’s a yoga instructor. A ballet teacher. She gets flown to LA constantly because of the clients she trains,