The Break Up

Kenna James sobs alone. The sheets still carry Penny’s perfume, and every breath tastes like the girl who walked out. With nothing left to lose, she drags her candle bundle and the incense from the back of the closet. The match flares; the room fills with smoke. In the crystal she watches Penny wrap her arms around Lyra Law and feels the old jealousy snap into place like a trap. She drives through red lights and hammers a crooked spell into the lock. The latch gives. Lyra appears at the top of the stairs wearing only an open shirt; Kenna’s grin stretches sharp. They hug. Lyra stiffens. Kenna steals her face with one murmured syllable, then drops her where she stands. Upstairs, she slides beneath Penny’s covers, skin mimicking Lyra’s own, nipples tightening against the cool cotton. Penny senses wrongness, hesitates, pulls away. Downstairs, the real Lyra claws back to consciousness, bolts upstairs, and bursts in. Two identical bodies sit at the headboard; Penny’s mouth falls open. The truth burns through. Kenna shucks Lyra’s mask and stands naked in her own freckled skin, spitting jealousy, heart rattling. When Penny swears they were only friends, Kenna’s shoulders melt. Penny studies her like a precious, dangerous thing and offers a deal: stop the tricks, meet Lyra halfway, earn a second chance. The word yes is still on Kenna’s tongue when three mouths meet, tongues slick, hands roaming, and the room smells again of candle smoke and sex.