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Back Scars Like Wings Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. Acknowledgments
  54. About the Author
  55. What’s next onyour reading list?

no

flock.

A

child

who

didn't

belong

anywhere

to

anyone.

Until now.

32

Kenzie has mastered the art of the sour-faced silent treatment. She aggressively ignores me at rehearsal for a few days; then one afternoon when Tony’s gone, she calls everyone up on the stage for an announcement.

I brace for the worst.

“As you all know, Ava and I have had our differences.” She looks from face to face as she speaks, finally landing on mine. “But I want to end all this ugliness. I’m glad Ava is part of our cast, and as a show of friendship, I would like to give her these two Wicked tickets.”

Whispers rocket through the circle as she offers the tickets to me. I’m too blindsided to do anything until Asad nudges me with his elbow, and I stand up to claim the peace offering. Everyone claps slowly, like they’re waiting for the punch line.

As I’m about to make my escape from the center of the circle, Kenzie grabs my sleeve. “While you’re here,” she says, “and since so many of you clearly feel strongly about Ava, let’s do an extra trust circle today.”

Kenzie snakes her arm through mine. “You don’t usually come to the circle, do you?” she says, knowing good and well I do not. “We all close our eyes and say one thing about our MVP. It can be good or bad, something they’ve done, a personality trait or a physical one.”

Kenzie holds my right hand, and I don’t even try to offer my toe-hand to anyone.

Asad scoops it up anyway.

“I’ll go first,” he says, closing his eyes so quickly that Kenzie can’t argue. I close mine, too, but peek at the circle. Kenzie has her eyes closed. If she thinks this is going to break me, she’s dead wrong.

I’ve fought worse things than Kenzie King.

I squeeze my eyes tight.

“Ava was burned,” Asad begins. “In a house fire. She has scars on her face, I think mostly on the left side? There’s something weird about her ear but I can’t remember which one. Oh, and she has this really cool scar halfway down her neck that looks like a shooting star.”

Sage goes next.

“Ava is not a very good dancer,” she starts with a giggle. “But she is always nice.”

A boy next to her says I learned my lines quickly. Someone says I have a pretty voice.

The boy who plays the Tin Man says I have a weird hand. “I think maybe it’s her toe?”

The Wicked Witch says she likes my colorful bandanas. Another says I’ve made drama more interesting. I smile a lot. I’m sarcastic, in a funny way.

When it gets to Kenzie, I hold my breath.