Glass Hearts Novel – The Devil’s Party Ash’s POV If I had said no that night, maybe I wouldn’t have blood on my hands. And maybe none of this would’ve happened. The blood. The rooftop. The body. The humiliation. But that night, I chose money over instincts. And now someone’s dead. But saying no isn’t really an option when your mom can’t breathe without help, and your little sister still believes you’re the kind of person who can fix anything. The coughing started around sunset.
Dry broken coughs from the other room. I rushed in with a cup of lukewarm peppermint tea and sat beside her on the worn couch, rubbing her back as she doubled over. She hadn’t eaten all day. Again. I pressed a damp cloth to my mom’s forehead. She was burning up. Her skin felt paper-thin. “Mom, you need to let the doctor come,” I whispered, adjusting the oxygen tank we’d refilled a week ago with borrowed money. She shook her head, too tired to argue out loud. The apartment smelled like menthol. We’d tried to air it out, but nothing really hides poverty. “Ash,” came a small voice.
“Is she okay?” My sister, Alia, stood barefoot in her pajamas, clutching the stuffed panda I got her last Christmas and a popsicle stick on her other arm. She was eight but talked and thought like she was older. Like if she said the wrong thing, the world might break. “She’s okay,” I lied, brushing her curls from her forehead. Then my phone buzzed. Boss-6:55 Job tonight. Mansion gig. High pay. Need you. One of the servers bailed. URGENT. I stared at the screen, then sighed. I had already told him I wasn’t working tonight. “Are you leaving again?” Alia whispered. “I wasn’t planning to,” I said, honestly.
“I’m staying home tonight.” That was the plan…until my phone buzzed again. Third time in ten minutes. Boss – 7:04PM: “Ash, come on. Please. One of the guys bailed. I’m begging you.” Boss – 7:05PM: “Good money tonight. Fancy crowd. Just pour drinks and keep your head down.” June peeked her head into the living room,her glasses was foggy from the kitchen steam. “You should go.” Juney, My best friend since middle school.
The only reason I ever get through days like this. “I can’t,” I muttered. “Not tonight. Not like this.” “You’re behind on rent,” she said, pulling off her apron and setting down the tray of soup she made. “I can take care of them,” she said, adjusting her broken glasses in her nose. “She’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. Go get that paycheck, Ash.
You can be back by midnight, right?” “June….” She raised her hand. “Go, Ash.” Alia looked up at me with her teary puppy eyes and grabbed my hands. “No. Please don’t go. Ash please stay.” That almost broke me. But the fridge was empty. The heating bill was overdue. Mom’s meds weren’t cheap, and my other best friend, Marcus, already covered lunch for all three of us this week.
Again. I kissed Alia’s forehead and smiled. “I’ll be back before you fall asleep. I promise.” I grabbed my black shirt and made my way out. The party was at a house that looked like it had its own timezone. Honestly, this wasn’t a house.It was literally a damn palace. Three stories of