Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas

He falls into me, our weight snapping the small wooden
beam, and I fall backward, crying out and grappling for
anything.
“Ah, oh, my God!” I hear my mother scream from below.
I catch the edge of the floor, losing my grip and spilling
over, but a hand catches me, and I suck in air, bile rising up
my throat as my legs dangle.
I look up, tears filling my eyes as Damon lies on his
stomach, struggling to keep hold of me, but I feel so heavy, like
I’m being pulled down. My father comes down and grabs for
me, but Damon and I can’t hold, and I flail, slipping out of his
fingers. His eyes meet mine, time freezes for a split second as
we stare at each other, knowing I’m gone.
I slip, scream, and fall, his face the last thing I see before I
see nothing at all.
I blinked my eyes awake, sweat coating my brow as
warmth spilled through my bedroom window. The memory—
the panic—still raced through my body as if I went over that
treehouse edge yesterday.
That was the first time I recalled so many details my eightyear-old
mind had buried away. He was so different. Rika was
right.
I sat up in bed, wiping my eyes but still tired.
Tired of worry and hate and anger.
But also tired of feeling like I always lost.
That was my dilemma with Damon. That accident wasn’t
his fault. I knew now that my father wasn’t upset with me or
Damon that day. He’d discovered my mother and Mr. Torrance
together and lost his temper.
Everything got out of hand, and Damon got scared. We
were just kids. He didn’t mean to push me over. I knew that
now.
But still…