Disclaimer: I don't own anything…that about covers it right?

I had a pretty decent life. I had a mom who loved me and would do anything for me. I had a dad who constantly provided me with everything I needed and most of what I wanted. I had a brother who was quite possibly the coolest person ever. I had a best friend who would stand up for me in any situation and never think less of me for any decision that I made. And I had no real responsibility to speak of.

So why, you ask, am I using the past tense? No, it's not that my family died in a horrific car accident or anything else tragic like that. No. I left. I gave up my simple, overly easy existence. I left my family and friends. I packed my things (or rather, neglected to unpack certain bags), emptied what was left of my savings account, and headed out into that daunting place otherwise known as, "the real world".

I didn't tell anyone in my family that I was going.

It was especially hard not to tell my mom, was my best friend; is my best friend. She was my rock, the one who could make everything better. She is the one person I admire most in the world.

My dad fixed everything from my broken toys to my heart each time a relationship ended. Plus he provided Mom and me with the most amazing elixir of life!

My brother; he's an amazing kid. Well, not kid really, he's bigger than I am despite being four years younger than me. He always seemed to understand me. And he never had to vocalize this, he just did. It was this unspoken thing between the two of us. We could vent at each other, to each other or any other way possible and still, if one of us needed the other, we'd be there in a heart beat. He got me through a lot; and I doubt he ever knew it.

Then there's Lane. My best friend and surrogate sister. I didn't tell her either. I was afraid of what she would say as well. She was the person who I told things to and never had to worry about her judging me, she just listened. It helped that she too was experiencing a very similar situations most of the time. Perhaps that's what bonded us forever. Whatever the reason, I never have to worry about Lane judging me. At least I didn't, until I made up my mind to leave.

I did however tell two people that I was going. First, I told my roommate from my second semester at college, Paris and second, my best friend from college, Maggie. I'd known both of these girls less than a year and yet, they knew everything there was to know about me. I never kept secrets from these two. I simply couldn't. I knew that while they may not agree with what I was doing, they wouldn't love me any less. Unlike Mom and Lane, these two hadn't known me for very long and yet they still chose to let me in to their lives. Maybe that's it. Maybe I trusted them because, while I loved them both dearly, if they "disowned me" I wouldn't be losing people who had been there for substantial amounts of time. Don't misunderstand me though; I love Paris and Maggie very much.

That brings us to the few weeks before I left; when I decided to "get the heck outta Dodge." I don't remember how exactly I brought the subject up to Maggie and Paris, but neither of them thought it was a smart idea for me to drain the little (just a little over $600) amount left in my savings account, hop on a greyhound bus and head off to some unknown destination. However, despite their attempts to reason with me, I planned my course of action.

Those next few weeks were extremely hard for me. I had to talk to my Mom and Lane on the phone and act as if nothing was wrong, act as if I wasn't about to leave them without even so much as a goodbye. I talked to several friends made various plans with them for the summer, all the while knowing that I would not be following through with those plans.

I'm aware that this is selfish, but it was hard for me to plan to leave everyone and everything that I loved so dearly. I constantly wondered how my family would react. Would they hate me? Would they ever understand? Would they ever let me join them for holiday celebrations again? And then there were the other aspects to consider. What would they tell everyone when they asked where I was? What would the other people who knew me think of me? Would I ever be able to face any of these people again? But that was the chance I had to take. I was perfectly aware that all of these people had more than enough right to resent me for the rest of time and I would have no recourse what-so-ever.

But I had to do this. I had to get out on my own. I had to earn my own way in the world. I could no longer rely on the help of my parents for everything that I wanted. I had to learn how to provide for myself. And the only way I could do that, truly support myself, was to remove all temptation of falling back on my parents. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I planned my greyhound bus trip. And I ran.

A/N: So, tell me what you thought and if you all like it…or the general idea, I'll keep going… 'K thanks!