From "Songbird" by Angela Fristoe

I was six when Jace died. He took me to the park while babysitting me. He always did things like that. At sixteen, he was my superhero. It didn't matter we only went there so he could make out with his girlfriend, Kayla. What mattered was he took me.

Mom and Dad never bothered. Dad was always too busy working or drinking, and Mom...well, Mom couldn't leave the house, or people might have questioned the bruises lining her jaw.

That last day at the park, I felt like a beautiful bird. I sat on the swing with Jace behind me, pushing me higher until I soared toward the sky, the air pushing through my hair. I gripped the chains harder and let go at the highest point, gliding down to the ground. I landed on my feet, and with a laugh, I let myself crumble onto the prickly grass before rolling over.

“Dani Blair Mays, I'm gonna get you!”

Before I could scamper away, he pounced on me, tickling me to death. I giggled uncontrollably, until finally he let me up. I hugged him around his waist. There wasn't anyone I loved more than Jace.