Mexican Border, My Parents Abandoned Me

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During summer break, my sister's boyfriend convinced her to drag the whole family on a trip to the cartel-controlled borderlands of Northern Mexico.

I fought against it with everything I had. I told them those areas were lawless death traps where people disappeared every day.

But my mother didn't listen. She just slapped me hard across the face, screaming that I was a jinx and a total buzzkill.

Despite my warnings, the family headed south. On the very day we crossed the border, we were int