Glass - 02
Page 1
Praise for Ellen Hopkins’s
New York Times bestselling books
Crank
“Powerful and unsettling.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The poems are masterpieces of word, shape, and pacing . . . a stunning portrayal of a teen’s loss of direction.” —School Library Journal
Burned
“Troubling but beautifully written.” —Booklist
“Sharp and heartbreaking.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Once again the author of Crank has masterfully used verse to re-create the yearnings and emotions of a teenage girl trapped in tragic circumstances.” —School Library Journal
An ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominee
Impulse
“A fast, jagged, hypnotic read.” —Kirkus Reviews
“By book’s end, readers may well feel the effects of each protagonist’s final choice.” —Publishers Weekly
“Mature fans of the verse format will devour this hefty problem novel.” —School Library Journal
Glass
“Spare and intense free verse.” —VOYA
“Glass is even more terrifying than Crank in its utter hopelessness.” —SLJ
“Hypnotically sad, with a realistic lack of closure.” —Kirkus Reviews
Also by Ellen Hopkins
Crank
Burned
Impulse
Identical
Tricks
Coming soon
Fallout
MARGARET K. McELDERRY BOOKS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2007 by Ellen Hopkins
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
MARGARET K. MCELDERRY BOOKS is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at
1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Also available in a hardcover edition.
Book design by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Trade Gothic Condensed.
Manufactured in the United States of America
First paperback edition April 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Hopkins, Ellen.
Glass / Ellen Hopkins.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Eighteen-year-old Kristina is determined to manage her crystal meth addiction in order to take care of her newborn son, but when the pull of the drug becomes too strong, her greatest fears are quickly realized.
ISBN 978-1-4169-4090-6 (hc)
[1. Methamphetamine—Fiction. 2. Drug abuse—Fiction. 3. Teenagers—Fiction. 4. Novels in verse. 5. Babies—Fiction. 6. Family problems—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.5.H67 Gla 2007
[Fic]—dc22
2007299868
ISBN 978-1-4169-4091-3 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4391-0652-5 (eBook)
Glass is dedicated to Orion, Jade, Heaven, and Clyde, whose lives, through no fault of their own, have been forever marked by the monster.
I would also like to acknowledge my husband, John, whose love has kept me upright.
Contents
Walking with the Monster
You Know My Story
It Wasn’t a Long Process
Not the Kind of Trouble
Before I Continue
The Funny Thing Was
My Mom and Stepfather
T for Today
I Was a Junior
So Maybe It Will Come
I Know
But Suddenly
You Have to Remember
I Call Trent
Stung
Not Only That
She Sounds
Let’s Find Out
But First
I’m Out of Practice
It’s a Doozer
I Will Invite Him Too
Tonight
Maybe That’s Why
Now You Might Think
So Where to Find
She Makes It So Easy
But Playing the Odds
Several Miles Farther West
Either Way
Stockton
I Locate Robyn’s Apartment
I Watch Him
Robyn Greets Trey
Robyn Is Making
That Idea
Why Not?
What I Don’t Really Get
I Meant to Pick Up a Stash
I Purposely
Robyn Decides
I Start to Leave
He Wants Me
It Is a Clear
Halfway Home I Stop
I’m Totally in the Wrong
I Get Home
All the Way to Stockton
I Tiptoe Through the Door
But It’s Saturday
Mom Leaves for the Gym
Scott Takes Off to Play Golf
That Feeling
My Dad
I Expect Her to Say
Mom Is Still Ranting
Mom Goes to Change Hunter
It’s Been Almost a Week
The Garage Calls
My First Inclination
She Opened the Door
We Leave It There for Now
On the Way Home
As We Pass the Counter
Like I Care
So Why
I Tuck That Away
I Pull into Our Driveway
Luckily
Mom and Jake Leave
Eventually
Leigh Has Put On a Few Pounds
Truth Is
Instinct
Leprechauns
Then It Dawns on Me
Oh Yeah, That Bites
For the Next Few Hours
Dinner Tonight
I Won’t Even Try
But I Have
It Is Late Friday Afternoon
Jake Jumps to His Feet
I Have to Admit
Okay, That’s Bad
Except for the Kiss Thing
Linda Sue
Dad and Pal
Okay, Two Ways
Dad Carries Hunter out the Door
Dad Drives Off
Saturday Morning
The Hallway Conversation
First I’ve Got To
But I Can’t Puke
I Had Hoped
The Worst Thing Is
Dad Finally Calls
Still, Leigh Agreed to Watch Hunter
All Spiffy
I Love Him, Too
In Reno
Dad Chooses the “Big Three”
Dad Really Is Lucky
See, It’s Hard to Tell
I Don’t Think
Party Time
None of That
Three Weeks and Four Days
The Question Is Answered
I Can Hardly
I Do
I Grab a Few Dollars
He Cruises Slowly
He Finds a Secluded Parking Place
I Stop
Twenty Minutes Later
Not a Wink
I’m Glad
We Leave It at That
The Rest of the Day
She’ll Want to Know
I Don’t Care
We Merge onto the Freeway
A Little Girl
We Make the Deal
After We’re Through
We Drift for a While
All Evidence of Our Tryst
Always, in the Past
At Least Kevin Won’t Be in Today
It Being a Holiday
Livid Doesn’t Cover It
She May Be Right
The Freeway Is Deserted
We Drift Toward Sleep
I Must Have Dozed Off
By the Time
Mom May Be Worried
They Know I’m Using
It’s Late Saturday Afternoon
I’ve Got a Good Idea
Not Exactly Forgiven
November Empties
Today I’m Coming Down
Help
It’s Dark
No More Sleep for Me
Brad Is Home When I Call
I Finish My Shift
On the Way to Red Rock
Life at Brad’s
December Twenty-First
I Cash My Check
Layaway Picked Up
It’s Almost Eight
One Shower
It Was a Definite Party
I’m Crawling Home
Okay, Not Good
I Sit by the French Doors
After a While
Brad Takes Off
But What About Trey?
I Guess I Should Call Mom
I Sit at the Kitchen Table
By the Time Brad Stomps In
After Breakfast
Monday Morning
Santa Is Coming
Around Four P.M.
Snippy?
Voices
Halfway to the Door
We Spend Christmas Eve
Brad Is Generous
Especially as He Gently Peels
Before It’s Possibly Possible
I Have To
My First Reaction
By the Time
I Keep Waiting
Chapter Twelve Thirty-Five
I Do Call Home
What Is Wrong with Me?
Turns Out
When They Finally
Smoke
Highlights of the Last Two Weeks
Every High
I Haven’t Mentioned the Possibility
But Lying Here
In the White Shadow of Morning
The Door Closes
A Kiss Falls Softly
I Still Haven’t Left
Alone
One Good Thing
Brad Is a Little Late Tonight
The Downside
Wearing Nothing
He Doesn’t Answer
The Problem with Sex
The Problem with Meth
Relax
Part of My Snappish Behavior
I Know Exactly Two People
I’ve Tried to Get Over
We Set Up a Tentative Meet
Have You Ever Tried
Sooner Than Later, Brad Follows Through
He Drops It
The Roads Are Dry
That’s What’s on My Mind
Being Here
I Leave Without Seeing Mom
Perfect
He Wants a Sample
Too Close for Comfort
At Least He Didn’t Try
Wired (Weird) Out of My Tree
Finally, There’s a Knock
Long About the Time
Two Guys, One Bed
Brad Stirs
Where Am I?
His Face
Brad Has Vacated the Room
But of Course
Over a Week
It’s About Noon
If You’ve Never
Unlike Her Apartment
I Leave
Easter Sunday
It’s Gray
Knocking
Standing There
It’s a Short Conversation
Four Cigarettes
Just Like That
All Alone
No Word from Trey
We Talk for Half an Hour
Buzzed
What Do I Do Now?
I Sit for a While
Bright and Early
Brad Picks Me Up
Brad Drops Me Off
I Left My Cell
Why Am I Not More Excited
By the Time Trey Knocks
Waiting for Digestion
We Seal the Deal
Clean, Maintenance-Buzzed
Mom Greets Us
Surprises Await
While the Guys Talk
Halfway Back
It All Sounded So Easy
May I Just Say
The Scariest Thing
Ultimately, She Agrees
Baby Makes Three
Trey Is Gone
For a Few Days
Trey Rolls Off Me
They Say a Picture
I Am Still by the Window
Afterward
I Still Love Trey
Alive and Throbbing
The Plan Has Flaws
Plan B
One Thing’s for Sure
The Guy Lives
Now All I Have to Do
Who Knew Burglary
Mom Can’t Have a Clue
I Locate the Ladies’ Room
Trey Is Waiting
Guilty
Trey Counsels
I Consider That in the Shower
If I Want to Fight Them
When Trey Gets Back
We Live an Endless
On a Whim
First Things First
But This Time
Homeless
Tap-Tap-Tap
A Second Patrol Car
Cuffed
Jail Regulars Will Tell You
The Officers on Duty
I Don’t See Trey
One Option
Back in Nevada
Yeah, Yeah
author’s note
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This ebook is best read at the smallest font setting on your device.
Walking with the Monster
Life
was radical
right after I met
the monster.
Later, life
became
harder,
complicated.
Ultimately,
a living
hell,
like swimming
against a riptide,