𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍.ᐟ 𝗴𝘂𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄, heart suckers

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prologue: heart suckers

{a/n: ahh i am so excited for this book!! i hope you all enjoy as much as i do writing it.

commenting and voting are greatly appreciated!

enjoy :) }

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𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 14𝘵𝘩, 1986

"AND MY TWO HELPERS today are...," Mrs, Jacobsen pulls two popsicle sticks from the mason jar. All children in the room were on the edge of their seats, awaiting eagerly for the most important announcement of the day.

"Nailah and Kristopher! Would you two come help me pass these out?"

A number of groans fell through the room as Claire's two classmates jumped out of their seats and raced to the foot of the room. Huge, proud smiles were plastered on their lips as they each take a small box out of the teacher's hands.

Clarice slumps back into her seat and crosses her arms.

This wasn't fair.

It's been weeks since she was last chosen to be the classroom helper. The only time she ever gets picked is to answer some lame math question, and she usually ends up embarrassing herself with the wrong answer. (She doesn't pay attention.)

Today, she had extra hope that she'd be chosen.

It was Valentine's day -- not only that, but it was her birthday as well. Maybe she'd thought that Mrs. Jacobsen would ask her as a present. That's normally what she'd do when it was someone's special day, so why not Claire's?

Her best friend Nailah sets a heart-shaped sucker from the box onto her desk.

"This one is the most perfect one, I checked." she whispers, the corners of her lips peeling back to reveal a toothless smile.

Claire didn't respond to the kind gesture, but her friend knew she definitely appreciated it. She picked up the candy as she walked away, and notices it was the same kind they had at the doctor's office: sticky and cheery red that tastes kind of like medicine... her favorite.

The wrapper was torn off in one go, but she's pulled way to hard as the stick went flying out of her hand. Her eyes were wide as time seemed to slow down, watching as the candy drops down to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

What a devastating heartbreak for a second grader.

This was turning out to be the worst birthday ever.

Claire takes a glance around the room, seeing everyone enjoying their perfectly intact lollipops. That's when her eyes start to sting and blinding tears begin to well up. She crosses her arms on the surface of her desk and rests her head on them, hoping no one would see that she was about to cry.

But just seconds later, she heard a chair scoot closer to her, then that familiar, horrible sound of something smashing on the ground. She picks her head up, sniffling as she glances to her right.