When a house catches on fire, the adults all call each other to gossip about it-another of the 4,724 reasons I want to escape this town.

“We parked in an unkept gravel driveway of a worn-down old farm house. The overgrown trees and bushes hid Winston’s truck from view of the nearby gravel road. After he exited, I slid toward the driver’s door and he lowered me from his truck seat. His hands tightened possessively on my hips, I darted my tongue out to lick my lips in ...