1

I sat, splayed out on my bed, my head buried in my pillow. My head ached and I wanted nothing to do with the world, but that would be too much to ask. My phone beeped.

"Shut up Kenna!" my groan was muffled by the pillow.

I pulled the comforter over my head and sighed. My phone beeped again. I reached out from under my cave and switched it off. She's going to have to do more than that if she really wants to talk to me. My phone began to buzz, and I screamed under the covers, I must have pushed the volume button again. This was a new phone and I had no idea how to work it. I shoved the covers off and pushed the center button, lighting up the screen. I read the texts.

I have something to tell u.

God sleeping beauty, wake up!

Missed Call: Kenna3

I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up.

"What do you want?" I groaned

I heard a crackling on the other side of the phone. She must have been eating Twix.

"It's about time." she muttered over a bite of Twix. "Carson…"

She trailed off as she swallowed the sticky nougat.

"Would you get to the point?" I snapped, irritated at her stalling

"Carson asked me out." she finished her sentence, satisfied at making me angry.

"You woke me up for that?" I demanded, my head throbbing

"Chill out, you haven't heard the rest." her tone echoed in my head. "Has your mom—you know—said anything?"

"No." I said hollowly.

I was still going to have to leave. I blinked away the tears in my eyes and punched the end button, watching as Kenna's picture disappeared into my home page. Josh Hutcherson's face filled the screen, this put me out of my misery for a fraction of a second, but I was then thrown back into reality.

I yanked open a drawer and pulled out a bag of skittles, dumping them into my hand and picking out the green ones. After all, green was my least favorite color. My purple laptop sat underneath my bed and I picked it up and flipped open the top. I then realized I was not in the mood for e- mailing dad in England.

The tears were stinging behind my eyes and I felt the anger towards my mom building up inside me. Here she was humming in the kitchen, while I faced the terror of my life, having to leave my friends, my house, and Cin, my dog. All of this for some elite boarding school in England, where I would be a complete stranger. I chewed up the last skittle and hopped out of bed, grabbing my phone on my way out. I stopped by the closet and took out my red converse, the ones I had had since I was 12, and slid them on over my grimy, zebra print socks.

"Cin!" I called down the stairs, as her massive golden body bounded towards my voice. "Who's a good girl?"

Her thick, rapid bark answered my question. I reached down to pet her behind the ears as I made my way towards my little sister's room to get my hoodie.

"Open up!" I shouted through the door.

I paused, listening for her footsteps through the loud music

"Jess, open the freaking door!" my voice carried down stairs, sparking a reply from my mom.

"Rachel." my mom's voice was stern, and to me, pure evil. "Come down to the kitchen."

I rolled my eyes and sauntered over to the stairs. I didn't want to face my mom right now. In fact, I didn't ever want to face her again. I clunked down the stairs, Cin following closely behind me, as I made my way to the kitchen.

"Rachel." she started firmly. "You know better than to talk like that."

"Yes." I replied stiffly.

"You need to learn to speak properly, now that you are going to study in England."

I whipped around and ran for the door, wanting to yell so many things, but allowing no sound to come out. Outside would be my refuge, the only place that wouldn't judge me.

I punched Kenna's number into the keypad, and listened to the phone ring once, before it went directly to her voicemail.

"Hi, you've reached McKenna Wills. Leave me a message. *beep*

"Answer your phone." I said into the speaker and pressed end.

I shoved my phone into my purple pajama bottoms and pulled my arms into my long sleeve tee. The new semester would be starting in three weeks, and by next Saturday, I would be leaving for England. A land where everyone talks in goofy, formal accents…

"And people put their pinkies up while sipping their tea." I mimicked a British accent.

It was really funny, but there was no one else here to laugh with. I sighed and picked at a hangnail that was sure to bleed. This was a habit that my mom always nagged me about, even though she knew I wouldn't listen. This whole situation I was stuck in was sucky, and what bothered me most, I that mom didn't care. My phone began to buzz in my pocket.

"I yanked it out and saw Kenna's face, smiling like an idiot, in the center of the screen.

"Hey." my voice was filled with self-pity as I said a simple greeting.

"Not feeling so good?" she asked, taking on her sympathetic tone. "Is everything all right?"

"Not so much." I whimpered. "My mom is such a witch; everything she says makes it worse."

"Would she be O.K. if I dropped by for a while?" I could see her face through the phone, filled with a lopsided grin of sympathy

"Sure—yeah thanks." I brightened at her offer.

"Cool beans!" she squealed, as she rustled some papers. "See you then chica."

"Bye." I echoed the thought of losing her becoming more prominent.

The days after Kenna's last visit passed by quickly, all of them spent clearing out my room and packing up, I swear, all of my stuff into my numerous black suitcases, even Binky, my guilty pleasure, a tiny powder pink teddy bear that I have had since I was born. I spent about an hour rapping up family photos of mom, dad, Cin, and yes, even Jess, in thick layers of bubble wrap.