She Can Fight (completed)

Abandoned, guarded, and fiercely independent, Lexi has bounced from foster home to jail, her only solace found in the brutal art of street fighting and the melancholic strokes of a paintbrush. But when her newest foster mother, Callie, offers a surprising canvas for her pain and an unexpected connection to the enigmatic Zach emerges, Lexi finds herself in a precarious dance between her hardened past and a future she never dared to imagine. Will she finally find a place to belong, or is she destined to keep running from the ghosts that haunt her?

She Can Fight (completed)

Abandoned, guarded, and fiercely independent, Lexi has bounced from foster home to jail, her only solace found in the brutal art of street fighting and the melancholic strokes of a paintbrush. But when her newest foster mother, Callie, offers a surprising canvas for her pain and an unexpected connection to the enigmatic Zach emerges, Lexi finds herself in a precarious dance between her hardened past and a future she never dared to imagine. Will she finally find a place to belong, or is she destined to keep running from the ghosts that haunt her?

The smell of stale cigarettes and fresh dirt clung to me as I stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut with a defiant thud. Callie, my newest foster parent, watched me with that familiar hopeful gaze that always withered into disappointment. Another house. Another temporary stop. My eyes scanned the unfamiliar farm, already mentally ticking off the days until I'd be gone.

Inside, the peach walls and white furniture of my new room screamed 'girly,' a stark contrast to the black and white sheets on the bed. It didn't matter. Nothing ever did. "So I heard you like to paint," Callie offered, her voice soft, trying too hard to connect. I just nodded, already lost in the familiar hum of my own thoughts, the phantom ache of a loss too deep to ever truly heal. She left, sighing in defeat, and I sat on the bed, the weight of California's country air heavy around me. I knew what I needed to do. I grabbed the paints she’d left, ready to once again pour my grief onto a canvas that couldn't abandon me.

But when I stepped back, the image that stared back at me wasn't a comfort. It was him. Dylan. The only boy I'd ever loved. The door creaked open, and I tensed, ready for a fight, only to relax when I saw it was just Callie. She gasped, her eyes fixed on the painting, her voice filled with astonishment. "Lexi, this is amazing." I just shrugged, turning away. She didn't know me. She couldn't. "Anyways," she said, trying again, "I thought maybe you would want to look around the town." I looked at her blankly. "Sure."