"Emery Marie Marshall!" my mom yelled. That's me…Emery Marie Marshall from Dupont, Pennsylvania. I could tell my mom was mad. But I didn't care. Not really anyway. I just laid on my bed texting my best friend, Jenna Thompson. I heard her come into my room. "Emery!" she yelled. She grabbed my phone right out of my hand. "Hey!" I yelled. I rolled over to look at her. "Don't hey me!" she yelled. I just looked at her and held my hand out. "No. You may not have this phone back until I am done talking to you." she said. I just put my hand back down on the bed. "I thought we talked about this." she said. "About what?" I asked, innocently. "Don't act like that." she said, "You know exactly what I am talking about." "No…I don't." I lied. "Your principal called. You got in a fight with another girl and got caught smoking in the bathroom?!" my mom yelled, "We've talked about this before and I told you. No more fighting or smoking! The principal wants to kick you out…wants to expel you! This was your third warning…third chance! This would be the second school you got kicked out of! And I can't keep moving and starting over. So I will try to talk to the principal tomorrow and see what I can do." my mom said. But I really didn't care. I hated school anyway. I just looked at my fingernails. My mom was staring at me. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked, irritated. "Yeah, can I have my phone back?" I asked. My mom threw her hands up in the air. "Unbelievable." she yelled. She turned and went to the door. She turned towards me. "No, you may not have your phone back. Until you can prove to me that you can behave and learn your lesson, I am holding onto your phone." she said. Then she walked out the door. I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it.

I laid on my bed for awhile and then headed downstairs. My mom was on the phone, so I quickly hid on the steps where she couldn't see me. "I don't know what to do with her? This is the third time, she's in trouble. She already got kicked out of her other school. This would be the second one!" my mom was telling whoever was on the phone. I could tell she was upset. "Maybe she should. Maybe she'd listen to you better." she said. I was trying to think who she was talking to. I headed back up to my room, so I didn't have to hear anymore. But decided I wanted to go for a walk, so I headed back downstairs. My mom was off the phone and in the kitchen making supper. "I'm going for a walk." I said. "Oh, no. You're not." my mom said. "Excuse me? No, I'm not?" I asked, angrily. "No. You're not. You're suspended on the verge of being expelled, so you're grounded." my mom answered, "So that means no TV, no phone, no computer, no friends over." She then went passed me and went up to my room and took my laptop. "You can't do that! I need that!" I yelled, following her. "What for? You're suspended, so you don't need it." she answered. "Yes, I do." I said, "I still have to do work." "Go to the library or the old fashion way…write." she said and took the laptop back downstairs. I screamed into my pillow again. I couldn't see why she was acting like this. I went back downstairs and said, "I'm going for a walk anyway." And with that I walked out the door. I headed down the sidewalk. I knew my mom was there at the door, but she didn't yell. She wouldn't make a scene with how close the neighbors were.

I walked down the rode and up to the convenient store. I wanted to buy some cigarettes, but I knew the employee wouldn't sell them to me, but I figured I'd try. "Pack of Salem Lights." I said. "ID?" the lady asked. "I'm eighteen. don't I look like it?" I asked. "No." she said, "So ID or no cigarettes." "I forgot it." I said. "Well, sorry. No cigarettes." she said, seriously. "Fine." I said and walked around the store. I picked out a bottle of Wild Cherry Pepsi and paid for that. Then I walked out and headed to the playground. I drank my soda and threw the bottle away. Then I headed up to the swing and started swinging.

"So are you expelled?" I heard a female voice ask. I looked up and saw it was Jenna. "I don't know. For right now, I am suspended. My mom said she'd talk to the principal tomorrow." I answered. "I hope not. I need my best friend at school with me." Jenna said. "Yeah." I said, "I know." Jenna was quiet. I knew she wanted to say something, but was afraid to. "What?" I asked, "You can go ahead and say it." I saw Jenna look down and bite her bottom lip. "Please don't get mad at me. But maybe you should stop…" she started, "Stop smoking and fighting." "Hey! I can smoke if I want to!" I yelled, getting all defensive. "Of course you can, but not on school grounds." she said. "And as for the fighting, that girl deserved it. Spreading rumors about me and stealing my man." I continued, "And where I smoke is no one's business but my own!" I then got up and headed home. "Emery! Em!" I heard Jenna yell, "I'm sorry." But I didn't care. I was too angry with her right now.

Supper was quiet that evening as my mom was still mad at me and didn't want to talk to me. After supper, I went back to my room and started to read my book. I then looked for my cigarettes, but couldn't find them. 'Damn!' I swore. My mom must have been in here while I was gone and took them. "Mom!" I yelled, going back downstairs, "Where are my cigarettes?!" "Gone. I don't want you smoking anymore." she answered. "They were mine! You had no right to throw them away!" I yelled. "Well, I told you. I don't want you to smoke!" she said. "It's my body! I can do what I want with it!" she said. "Well, that may be true…if you weren't living here. While you are under my roof, my house, my rules!" she yelled back. "You are so unfair!" I yelled and ran back to my room. I slammed the door hard and threw myself onto the bed.

The next morning, I woke up and headed downstairs. My mom was on the phone. "Yes, I understand. Thank you. But I made my choice, so if you could send the papers." she said. I didn't understand what she was talking about. She then hung up and turned and face me. "Did you get to talk to the principal?" I asked. "Yes, in fact that's who I just hung up with." she replied. "Ok." I said, slowly, "But you said something about sending papers?" "Yes." she said quietly. "What?" I asked, confused. My mom just stared out the kitchen window and wouldn't look at me. "Mom!" I yelled, angry, "What is going on?" She turned around and finally faced me.