"Max, please just calm down!"

"Calm down?! How the hell am I meant to calm down when you're shipping me off to some prissy all girls boarding school where you have to be someone's bitch to fit in!"

"Max! Don't you dare try to pin this on your father and I. You have left us no choice. Did you really expect to be sneaking out constantly without there being any consequences?!"

"What do you expect?! When I'm not trying to keep my grades up, I'm volunteering at the animal shelter and when I'm not there I'm babysitting for the friggin' neighbours! Which by the way was not my idea! And I'm not even getting payed for it! I just need time on my own, alright?!"

"No Max. It's not alright! You could get killed being by yourself wondering these streets at night!"

"Err, Mom? Have you seen the streets in this neighbourhood?"

"Yes. And they're too dangerous for you."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes.

"That's the kind of tone that's going to get you grounded Max!"

I let out an 'ugh' and headed towards the staircase. "Go to hell." I bit my lip half hoping she wouldn't hear me, but the other half almost wanted her to hear.

"Excuse Me?" I stopped halfway up the stairway.

"You heard me. Go-To-Hell!" I quickly ran to my room.

I heard her yell. "YOU'RE GROUNDED!" I slammed my door.

I took a few short breaths trying to calm myself down. I walked to the centre of the room and looked at the ceiling. "God." I said in my everyday voice. "If you're really there, please explain why you put me with the wrong family?"

Nothing. "Ugh"

I grabbed my iPod and cranked up some old school All American Rejects. I opened my window and climbed out onto the roof, which is my normal escape route every night, just a short drop to the ground, nothing I can't handle.

The block I live on kind of reminds me of those neighbourhoods on those movies, where everything seems perfect until someone realizes they're living with a serial killer. Anyway, It has the whole street lined with trees arcing over the road, kids toys lying out in front of houses, an old oak tree with a tire swing opposite our house and occasionally some local kids have a game of street hockey outside our house. It's got the whole Seventh Heaven meets Disturbia feel to it.

I look down to see both my parents hopping into the car. I pull one of the earplugs out of my ear.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" My dad looks up and covers his eyes with one hand, blocking the sun out of his eyes. "SHOPS!" He yelled back.

I watched as our black land cruiser exit our driveway. My phone buzzed nearly simultaneously to when the car was out of my view. YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE FROM: MOM. I opened it.

BEHAVE! I rolled my eyes.

Well Max, I thought to myself. You're sixteen, easily corrupted and unsupervised. What should you do? Before my thought ended I was already going through my contacts list in my phone searching for some people to invite over. Shopping, that will take maybe two hours, tops? Ok so a party is out of the question.

Half an hour later I'm sitting on my roof sipping on a nice cold coke talking to the two girls who actually get me, Ella and Tamara. Ella and I have been friends since we were littleys. But Tamara only moved here last month but shes cool.

We were having an argument about the best way to sneak a stink bomb into the auditorium, ok so, not the average conversation you would expect from three teenage girls, but then again, we aren't what you call normal I guess. When most girls are talking about how they hide their pantie lines, we're discussing which wall we should massacre with spray paint next.

Hours later I checked my watch. "Shit, you guys got to go. My 'rents will be here any minute!"

I climbed back through my window. "Cya Max!" They both waved as the jumped off the guttering of the roof. I slammed the window shut.

The best thing about having your roof as a hangout is that you can just throw all your rubbish off it, and blame it on the racoons.

I went downstairs and flicked through the channels on the T.V. "News, news, more news, Aha, movies!"

It took me awhile to realize that I had just watched the whole of 300 and my parents weren't back yet. I could hear my phone ring, I immediately reached in my pocket, but it must have fallen out of my pocket when I climbed in the window. "Whatever, I'll see who it was later."

The opening credits begin for A walk to Remember. "Ick. Not in my house!" I quickly switch the channel to a news station. I walk into the kitchen to make myself some lunch.

My phone rings again. "Ugh, fine! I'm coming, I'm coming!" I sprint up the stairs and grab my phone just in the nick of time.

"Hello?"
"-I hope not."
"Hello? Tamara is that you?"
"Max?!"
"Yeah?"
"Thank God you're ok! Are you hurt or something?" She sincerely sounded worried.
"What are you talking about? Why would I be hurt?"
"Well my Dad was watching the local news and there was just like, this major car accident downtown."
"Uhh, yeah so?" What was she playing at?
"Well they said it was a black land cruiser-"
"What? It, It can't be, are you sure?"
"Yeah, Are your pare-" I dropped the phone.

I ran as fast as I could downstairs, gliding across the steps. I fumbled for the remote.

"And back to you Kelly." "Thanks Rob, Now, If you didn't hear before, we have breaking news, St Louis Street has been blocked off due to a severe car crash between A Semi trailer, A Honda accord and a black Land Cruiser.-" "No, no, no please God No." I said to myself. "-We have Jenny McGraw live at the scene." "Hi Kelly, I'm coming live to you from the corner of St Louis street and Fairway Boulevard, where a devastating crash has taken place not twenty..."

Her voice fades out as I'm trying desperately to see any part of the vehicle in the background that might prove it's not ours-

KAB-529. I sink to my knees with the image of the crumpled number plate locked in my mind. I mute the T.V and just kneel there, "KAB-529" I mumble to myself. I remember when we got the car that my dad made a joke saying KAB stands for Ken & Barbie, so he would refer to mom as barbie all the time.

I don't know how long I must have been sitting there just staring at the screen, I don't even remember blinking.

The home phone rang. I stood to my unstable feet and slowly walked to the phone trying to keep my body from shaking.

"Hi. I-" I stopped talking.
"Max? It's your Aunty Val. Are you ok?"
"I-I." I tried to inhale but I made I high pitched gulp which sounded as If I was holding back tears.
"I can't talk right now."
"I'm comi-" I hung up.

I walked upstairs to my room and grabbed my phone. Then walked into my parent's room praying that this is all a dream and they will be there sound asleep in their bed.

But, no. The bed is empty and made up. I rip the Doona off the sheets and wrapped it around myself.

I had the sudden feeling of- I ran to their ensuite and vomited in the basin. I wash my face with water and look up into the mirror, and watch myself being to cry. I ran back into their room and hid myself in there closet. I looked at my phone.

YOU HAVE ONE NEW VOICE MESSAGE FROM: MOM I nearly drop the phone trying to press ok.

"Max. Oh, Max, I love you.-" She takes in a jiggered breath. "-No matter what happens your father and I will always love you, and always be proud of you.-" My lip begins to quiver trying to hold back the tears so I can hear her. Her voice is crackly and she sounds so tired, but she starts to sing very faintly. "-Somewhere..over the rainbow-" I can hear her start to cry, I can also hear sirens approaching in the background of the message. "-Skies are..blue, and the dreams-" she coughs. "-that you dare to dream really do come true."

I remember when I was 7 years old I came crying to her because I had a toothache, so she picked me up and cradled me like a baby and sung that to me, And once when my Grandfather died, I found her in her room crying singing that to herself.

"I love you Max." END OF MESSAGES.

A/N: Ok, sorry people reading Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. I felt like I really needed to write this one. And yes I know it's kind of depressing, this chapter anyway, that will change soon enough.
I'm trying desperately to finish my other story, it feels like I'm cheating on it. xD If you didn't understand Aunt Val, it's Dr. Valenica Martinez(: Spent awhile on this one guys, lemme know whatcha think, mmkay? please & thankk youh.