Malory and Kyle must participate in the annual April Fest production as the leading co-stars. If they can cooperate by the end of the production, their long records of uncivilized behaviour towards each other will be forgotten. 
Malory and Kyle attempt to cooperate, grabbing the opportunity to make a positive impact on their own future. In the process, they become entangled in the chaos of the other’s personal life. Malory learns of Kyle’s disturbing reality, and Kyle learns of Malory’s scarring past. Can these two brilliant but messy teens learn to rely on each other in the face of their silent battles?

Between The Lines

 I’m sitting in the middle of my Monday evening book club meeting, but I can’t concentrate. Whatever the rest of the group members are saying sounds like muffled tones to me. A flashback crosses my mind of Kyle’s pained expression as I kicked him away from me –the day he pushed me against the lockers. There was genuine pain in his eyes. He was suffering. I had made the pain so much worse with one kick. 


 I feel my heartbeat speed up and tears welling up in my eyes. I feel nauseous. 


The thought that he endures that kind of mistreatment from someone else regularly crosses my mind and I get the chills imagining his face –frightened eyes, frantic breathing, a silent plea to stop... stop... stop... I somehow find myself feeling the pain on my own skin. 


 I can’t bear the thought of seeing Kyle helpless. I’ve never seen Kyle Davidson genuinely helpless or afraid. I never thought I would want to or have to. I remember how he had shaken me aggressively, begging me to listen, begging me to leave. He was afraid of something; of someone, of... his uncle? 


 I inhale deeply and exhale in one sharp breath. 


 “Mal?” says Leslie, the leader of the group. 


 I snap out of my thoughts. “Yea?” I reply, a little too suddenly. 


 “Are you feeling okay?” She asks. 


 Is my anxiety starting to show? That can’t be good. 


 I look around and notice that the rest of the group is staring at me. 


 “You look a little pale. Would you be okay for the rest of the meeting?” Leslie asks. 


 What am I doing? I should be focusing! Like always! 


 “I... Yea. Yea I’ll be okay,” I say, forcing the words to be true. I shuffle through my bag and grab my bottle of water to help take everyone’s attention off of me. Everything goes back to normal after I take a few sips.


A Silent Scream [4]