"Boo! You brat! Where's my $20?"
Boo looked up from her mitt towards her door. 'What did I do now?' she thought. The door flung open and hit her blue wall.
"Where. Is. My. Money." Max, her brother, spat at her.
"Why do always assume I took your money?"
Boo looked back down at her mitt, running her thumbs over the wore-out leather. She had it since she was 6, so it didn't fit. But, she liked to keep it around for memories.
Suddenly, it was ripped out of her hands and sent flying into her open closet.
"Max!" she yelled. Why did he do that?
"What did you do with my money?" He was inches from her face now, but Boo held her glare.
"I said I didn't do anything with your money. Why don't you ask mom and leave me alone?"
Max groaned angrily and stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind him. Boo got up from her bed to retrieve her baseball mitt. After minutes of searching, a quick tap on her door made her jump.
"Come in!" she called.
Her mom came in and sat on her bed.
"Bailey." She said, calling Boo by her real name.
Boo stood up and turned around to her mom. "Yeah?"
"We need to talk."
"'Bout what, mom?"
"We're moving." Boo's mom looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap.
Boo's eyes widened. "Wha-…Why? When?"
"I got a new job. We're leaving on August 22."
Boo clenched her fists in anger and sadness. On the verge of tears she blurted out. "But that's a week before school ends!"
"I know, sweetie, but we have to leave that week so I can start work."
Tears overflowing and racing down her cheeks, she opened her mouth to argue. Words were replaced by sobs. Why did she have to move? Move away from her friends. Her family. Her home.
Boo's mom stood and left the room. She turned back to look at her crying daughter before continuing down the hallway to break the news to Max.
~0~o~0~
Boo sighed as she packed up her clothes, pictures of her friends, and the few books she owned. 'Why was this happening to me?' she thought.
It was August 22. The day her life officially ended.
The day before she had said tearful goodbyes to her friends. Her rude teachers were nice to her. The raggedy old lady down the street yelled a 'goodbye' to her when she went to retrieve the last few pieces of mail at this house.
"Hey, Boo. You ready?" Max asked her. He was leaning against her doorway, a cardboard box marked 'Max's Room' in his hands.
"Yeah."
Boo grabbed two of her boxes and lugged them out to the U-Haul truck parked in their driveway. Max had to help her with the remaining boxes, but nonetheless, they finished and were in the car.
"What's the town name again?" Max asked their mom when she stepped into the car.
"San Fernando Valley."
