I stared blankly at my new room. The walls were white and completely stripped of any personality. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that we just moved in.

Sealed boxes laid scattered around my room. I didn't even know where to begin. I made my way towards the only box that could actually help me-my art box. In my mom's frilly handwriting it read, "Max!" because there's no other way to describe it. Art is me.

I ripped it open, longing to smell the comforting smell of paint, charcoal, and every other art supply known to man. It hit me like a slap in the face-a good slap in the face-and all at once I was reminded of home. My real home in California, not any of this Ohio crap. Our small house with sand instead of grass. The soft pitter patter of rain. Louis Armstrong blasting from my dad's crappy speakers. The smell of breaded squash-my moms only recipe that actually turned out good-wafting from the kitchen. Me and my dad sitting in front of our canvases, bouncing ideas back and forth. And lastly; our laughter. So much laughter.

I got the sudden urge to cry, but slapped down the idea, along with the lid to the box. It was just too soon.

My dad disappeared. One moment he was here and the next he wasn't. The police got on the case right away. They found next to nothing, but from what they could gather they assumed he was killed.

When the police told us this my mom broke down. And just like my dad, she never came back. Literally she never left, but figuratively speaking, she was just as gone as my dad. I missed her. The way she joined all the woman's league soccer teams and painted stick figures next to me and my dad's masterpieces. The way she joked all the time, and sang off key around the house. Her "Glamour" magazines that might as well be called "Glaur" because you could never see the "m" or the "o". I missed all the details that made her special.

Sighing, I sulked to her room. My new mom was as unrecognizable as this house. She had no time for sports or stupid jokes. She no longer sang, and magazines no longer interested her. Magazines portrayed other people's lives and love lives. My mom no longer wanted to read the magazine; she wanted to be in it. Or so I had concluded, based on her new collection of boyfriends and teenage getup. You knew it was sad when you caught your mom wearing your clothes. It was even worse when she looked better in them than you did.

Unlike my room, her's was mostly unpacked. "We'll isn't this exciting?" She asked with genuine excitement. "I get to do whatever I want with my room! Heck, I can even paint it pink if I want to!" She beamed down at me, smiling her cheeky smile.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, of course my mom would want a pink room. She began to put in her earnings, drawing my attention to her outfit and made up face. It was pretty obvious she was going out, as she was doing a lot lately, because who wore short dresses and heavily applied mascara to the store? I crossed my arms and tapped my foot in a disapproving manner. "So...who's the lucky guy today?"

My mom blushed, and swatted away my question with a flick of her hand. "Oh it's nothing, just a little get together with a friend I met at work."

"Friend?" I said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Yes, friend! Sheesh! You make it seem like a bad thing." She lightly hit my head with her pocketbook and returned to applying more lipstick. She smacked her lips a few times and smiled at me. "So, how do I look?" She twirled around, displaying her appearance from all angles.

"Perfect" I sighed because she really did look amazing "Any guy would be crazy not to like you." She rolled her eyes but I could tell by the twitch of her lips that she was loving every second it. Complements were her thing; that was one thing that hadn't changed one bit.

She slipped on a pair of shiny red heals and gracefully walked out her bedroom door just as a honk sounded from outside. What a gentleman, not even coming to the door. My mom quickly turned to give me a hug and said, "Don't burn down the house, lock the door behind me and...ooh! No neighbors!" I stared at her questionably, we only had one neighbor who was close enough to even be considered a neighbor, and I didn't even know them yet. She just winked at me and yelled down the stairs, "You'll know what I'm talking about once you see them! And I have my cell if you need me!" Before I could even utter a goodbye the door slammed shut behind her, leaving me in complete silence.

I walked to the window and almost puked. Yup they looked like good friends all right. I tore my eyes away from their sloppy kiss- if you considered gnawing off each others faces a kiss-and completely lost my appetite. I shook my head, feeling like the overprotective parent in this scenario. She could just be so irresponsible when she wanted to be. I went to my room, found my iPod among one of the many disorganized boxes, changed into a pair of shorts and a sports bra, and went outside. Usually I would never run in just a sports bra when in public, but you could hardly consider this "public". Besides my one lonely neighbor, I was completely isolated.

Running, besides art, was the next best thing. It got my mind off things and made me feel...free. It was a feeling that I didn't usually get, but when I was running I could pretend that all my problems were momentarily flushed down the toilet. I put on my shoes and threw open my door. It was a perfect day for running, not too hot, but at the same time, not too cold. It was unheard of in California (where you only got hot), but in Ohio I guess it was quite normal. That was one thing I could manage to get used to.

Setting my iPod to one of my favorite songs, I raced down my driveway. So lost in the music, I ran full speed into a brick wall. Only, unlike most brick walls, this one had a mouth. "Fuck! What was that for?" I scrambled away in utter shock, sizing up my new guest. It turns out a brick wall could be very, very hot. He was tall, taller than me, and that was saying something. He had black hair that swiftly fell into his eyes, making them hard to see. From what I could tell, his eyes were a midnight blue, outlined by a garden of lashes. His lips were full, perfect, and looked incapable of saying such a vulgar word. My eyes selfishly swept down his body, lingering on the muscles that popped out of his black tee-shirt. I think I might have drooled.

Smirking, my new eye candy ruined his angle like appearance with his words. "Starstruck? I know I would be if I happened upon this face." He pointed at his face and snickered at my dumbfounded stare. I quickly snapped out of it, my lust turning to anger.

"Actually, no. I was wondering what such a creep was doing in my drive way. Care to inform?" His eyes turned menacing, flashing me with a glare.

"For your information, I was dropping of some cookies for our new neighbors. A thanks would be appreciated." Wow. I felt like a jerk.

"Oh" I mumbled, surprise colored my words, "I didn't know." He rolls his eyes, making me regret my thanks.

"Yeah, we'll don't thank me, I had nothing to do with this. Thank my sister. She practically forced me out the door. Unfortunately she couldn't deliver them herself, or else she would have." He forcefully pushed the plate of cookies into my hands.

"And why couldn't your sister save you the trip?" I spat, resisting the urge to smack his pretty little face. Hard. "It would of helped us both."

Suddenly he was all up in my face, snarling at me like a rabid dog. A cute one, but whatever. "None of your business. Now take the damn cookies before I do something that Nudge would make me regret. Got it?"

"Yeah, but first" I picked up a warm cookie and smashed it into his cocky face "I needed to do that." He looked at me in pure shock and I smirked at him. Oh how the tables have turned. "Oops" I said licking my finger "it slipped."

He slowly shook his head in a way that read; "You so shouldn't have done that", but I couldn't say I regretted it. His expression was worth a million bucks. His eyes slowly raked down my body and then back up again. I instantly regretted my choice of wearing only a sports bra and shorts. What was I thinking? He licked his lips in a seducing manner and leaned towards me. I sucked in a breath, and for a split second I thought he was going to kiss me. The worst part? I wanted him to. Then, inches away from my watering mouth he whispered, "Gottchya". And before I could even comprehend what he was doing there was a cookie splattered across my face.

At first I was shocked, but then, quickly over it, I began to radiate pure anger. Never had I ever felt so humiliated in my life. "Jerk!" I yelled as he walked away, but it was waisted on his uncontrollable laughter. Giving him the finger, it only ignited his laughter.

I quickly stomped inside, having long forgotten about my run.