So, what school are you going to this year?" Michael asked with a mouthful of ramen meshing some words together.

"Classy, Mikey." I sneered, turning the TV volume down right as a giant shark devoured a screaming person . to tell him about school. "I think I'm going to Wayzata."

He gave me a concerned look. "Changing again?" I've changed schools every year and decided that I might as well spend my last year in high school at one of the top schools in the state.

"What's wrong with it? You went there..." I trailed off and he shrugged, turning up the volume again.

--


"Ally? Is that you?" I heard my dad holler from the kitchen when I walked in the door.

"Yeah, it is." I walked into the kitchen to him sitting on a counter stool reading a paper.

"I was thinking we could visit your cousin in South Carolina this Christmas." He suddenly said, not looking up from he paper.

I stopped in my tracks because I think he forgot that we're supposed to be dreading Christmas, because my cousins are stupid and hate me, and because I couldn't think of anything worse than that day.

"No." I stated firmly.

"What do you mean?" He looked up from the paper.

"I'm not going." My throat blocked up and the words came out kind of funny, like I had a rock in my throat or something.

His brow creased like it was the worst thing that I said no to his command. It's not the worst thing I've done, dad, I wanted to say. He just looked at me for a little while and I pursed my lips.

"Ally--"

"Did you forget or something?" I yelled before turning around and walking proudly to my room. Proud wasn't exactly the perfect word to describe it, but it's what I felt.

I heard a tap on my door thirty minutes after I'd let myself fall to the floor and curled against the side of my bead, my knees tucked up by my chest and my arm running up and down my calves fo some comfort.

"What?!" I snapped.

My dad stepped in with his half grey hair and soft face. "I want you to go to Providence this year." He said quietly before closing the door behind him.

"So I don't even have a choice in that?!" I screamed at the door, grabbing a pillow and tossing it as hard as I could without much effect.

I tried to sleep that night without much success, tossing and turning, trying not to keep my eyes open. At around two Soph called me talking about how she needed something that will make her stop wanting to fix something, with that I knew she meant alcohol but she hated saying the word because she thought it sounded funny. I searched through my closet, finding a sweatshirt and athletic shorts to wear.

Within ten minutes I walked silently out the door and started my car, going slowly out of my driveway then driving on my way to Sophia's.