My brother’s been home from detox for one day and he’s telling me he needs some kind of pill. It’s fine, he says. Just something he would rather die with than live without. I'm driving him to the side of town with fewer street lights, and I’m going to buy him what he says he needs. I can do it. The bakery pays me well, and he’s my older brother, a lifelong ally. I am sixteen without a clue, but when he tells me to keep the keys in the ignition, I think I’m beginning to understand what this is.
Amanda Lee is a writer and nonprofit manager from Dayton, Ohio. She enjoys being in the great outdoors with her two rescue dogs. Instagram: @amandajlw