I couldn't lean into the couch I was seated on, cause I couldn't trust it. What if there was a scorpion in it? It was made of an old, soft cotton, looking quite wretched. Rae's mom grinned at me, sitting on the couch opposite me. I knew she was trying to observe whether or not I was comfortable, so I was trying as much as possible to seem fine.

"Do you mind drinking tea?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Oh, okay." She grinned even more.

Leaning my elbows on my knees, I intertwined my fingers in each other, scrolling my eyes around the...