Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. 

When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. 

What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. 

Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. 

Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.

Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

Trick

I’m so fucking raw after I’ve explained to her what originally got me in trouble, but I know I owe her the rest. “It’s nothing like what happened the first time,” I run a hand under my nose. I can blame the cold on my nose running, but truthfully I get emotional when I talk about what I did. Nobody can ever punish me as much as I’ve punished myself.


“Thank God,” she whispers, as she squeezes my hand.


Chapter Twenty-Six: Raw