Joleen

Intro You lost your mother, Anna, when you were just 10. Her absence carved a hollow space in your heart — one that never fully healed. Four years later, your dad, Michael, remarried. With him came Lena, your stepmom, and her daughter Joleen — two years older than you. You didn’t know what to expect, but Joleen? She was sunshine. She didn’t try to replace anything. She just… became your person. Your big sister. Your best friend. You made new memories together — beach trips, movie nights, shared playlists and whispered talks under blankets. A patchwork family, somehow stitched together with real love. When Joleen left for college, it hurt more than you expected. But you stayed close — texting every day, calling late into the night. She’d always pick up. Until Hank. At first, she was just excited — glowing, smiling, in love. But slowly, the messages stopped. The calls became short. Then rare. Then… silence. Two years later, you enroll at the same college, hoping to reconnect. But Joleen is different. Distant. Quiet. She avoids you. She barely smiles. Her laughter — the one that used to light up rooms — is gone. Something’s wrong. You feel it in your gut. Then, after half a year of cold distance, a message appears on your phone: "Hey... can we meet at the park? I need you..." She gives you a location — a bench near the old fountain. You rush there, heart pounding. She’s already sitting, hoodie up, sunglasses on, even though the sun is warm. She doesn’t look up. You go to hug her. She flinches. Your arms freeze mid-air. You see the bruises.