KOURTNEY

Tessa came bouncing down the stairs like she hadn't just been unconscious for the better part of the afternoon.

She looked fresh, her skin glowing, and she had this wide, innocent grin that made the guilt in my chest feel like it was trying to crush me.

I forced a smile, tucking a stray hair behind my ear, trying to look like a girl who hadn't just been tasting her friend’s father’s mouth two minutes ago.

"Look who finally decided to join the land of the living," I said, my voice only cracking a tiny bit.

I tried for a teasing tone. "I was starting to think you were...