I was laying down in my bedroom working on my algebra homework. I heard the rain drops pelting on my window. I set my pencil down and took a deep breath. I decided I was hungry, so I got up and went downstairs. My mom was in the living room and reading the newspaper. She had her dark rimmed glasses on. She looked so sophisticated. I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, as always, there was nothing in there.

"What are you looking for?" My mom said glaring at me.

"I'm looking for food, but we obviously don't have any so never mind…"I said and then continued "Hey, where's dad? Isn't he supposed to be home by now?"

"Uh, yeah, he called… he has to finish something up at work. You know how that goes." My mom said. She said it as if she had doubt. She said it as if she thought he was really somewhere else.

"So, is there anything going on between you guys?" I asked.

"Like what? We are completely fine." She said.

"Whatever," I said as the phone started ringing.

"I'm going to be in my room." I said again.

"Hello?" I heard my mom say off in the distance. "Yea, one second."

"Annie, the phone is for you!" She yelled.

"Alright, coming." I said.

I put my jacket on and walked down the stairs. I grabbed the phone from my mom's hands as she gave me a glaring look.

"Hello?" I said in the phone.

"Uh, hey, this is Adam."

"Oh, hey" I said as I stepped outside to get some privacy. The air was crisp and the rain was pouring down.

"Um, Yea, this is probably going to sound really stupid, but do you want to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" He said with a hopeful voice.

"Oh, well, I don't know. My brother is in the hospital and I promise I would keep him company" I said to him.

"I see, well how about I drop you back off at the hospital when dinner is over." He said.

"Oh… um, alright, that sounds great." I said, as I realized that I accepted to go out to dinner with him.

"Awesome!" He said excitingly.

"Yeah, well, I am going to go now." I said to him.

"Alright, bye." He said.

"Bye." I said as I walked back into my house and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" My mom asked.

"This kid, He is in my math class." I said to her and then continued "We're going to go out to dinner tomorrow night and then he is going to drop me back off at the hospital so I can see Kyle"

"That's great hunny, you need a man." She said to me.

"Yeah, and you need one that comes home to his family" I said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said to me.

"Nothing," I said walking up the stairs.

"Yeah, it better mean nothing." She yelled to me.

I walked into my room and plopped down on my bed. I put my headphones in my ears and then turned my iPod up really loud. I just wanted to escape and go off to some place. Music abducted me from reality. As if it I wasn't me and my problems will just vanish.

All of a sudden I found myself waking up to my alarm clock. I went into the bathroom and turned the shower on and looked at myself in the mirror. Ugly. I thought. Real ugly. I shrugged it off. Then got into the shower and washed up. I walked the downstairs after getting ready. My mom was in the kitchen.

"Hey hunny, do you want some pancakes?" She asked.

"Sure?" I said. She never makes breakfast for me. Ever.

"Look, about last night. Don't worry about it." She said.

"Worry about what?" I asked.

"Everything, you know, you're whole dad thing." She said.

"He didn't come home last night, did he?" I said.

"No, but he called and said he was just going to sleep over at work. He said there was a lot of work to do" My mom said to me as she was flipping a pancake over.

"Doesn't he work in an office?" I said.

"Well, Yeah, But they have that one room with the hammock. You know that." My mom said to me as she handed me a plate with two pancakes on it.

"Right," I said to her as I bit into a pancake.

"What now?" She asked.

"Nothing, I just think it is funny how dad comes home late if he even comes home at all. And he smells like girls perfume when he walks in. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was having an affair." I said to her bluntly.

"Listen, He is not having an affair. He is just doing some work at the office. With out his work, how are we going to have a home? I don't work, and your brother is in the hospital. He needs to his work. Just let him do it!" My mom screamed at me rationally.

"Fine" I said as I took a last bite of my pancake and grabbed my stuff."Just remember, you're dating a man who makes you cry yourself to sleep at night because he is off with some other girl and you know it. You're just trying to avid the truth. You're just trying to avoid reality. My advice to you mom, is don't. Stand up and be strong. Don't waste your love and time on a man who doesn't feel the same." I said again and then slammed the front door behind me.

I got into Emilie's car and then got to school. It wasn't until math when I saw Adam. He was kind of cute in a way. He looked at me as if I was a big part in his life. But I wasn't. Was I?