I woke up thinking about her smile.
Ten seconds later, I was staring at a stranger in the mirror.
Red sores, yellow crusts, burning patches across my forehead — like my skin had melted overnight. Panic hit first, then shame, then a crushing fear: What did she give me? What was happening to my bo… Continues…
I stood there, gripping the sink, replaying every second of the previous night. Her laugh. Her kiss on my forehead. The warmth I’d felt falling asleep. I went from Googling “chemical burn” to “STDs on face” to “skin-eating bacteria,” each result worse than the last. By the time I called the doctor, I was shaking, convinced my life had just split into “before” and “after.”
