"Never," Ashley thought to herself, as she walked home. The nurse had called her mom, and she got permission to go home. Since her mom or Jeff couldn't pick her up, she said she'd walk home. She reassured the nurse it was only a few blocks, and she'd be fine.

When she got home, Ashley tried to watch a little TV, but that only lasted a few hours. Ashley knew there was only one thing she wanted to do. She hadn't been able to really pay attention to the TV; all she could think of was cutting herself. It was an addiction now. Her mom walked in just as she was about to switch off the TV.

"Ash, are you feeling any better?" her mom asked.

"Oh yeah, much better. I slept for a few hours. I had the beginnings of a cold, and an awful headache. But the nap really helped a lot," Ashley reassured her, just wanting to get upstairs.

"Good. At least its Friday; you'll have plenty of time to catch up. Hey, are you up for some homework? I picked it up on my way home from work. But if you aren't up to it, that's fine."

"No, I'll do it upstairs. I don't want to get behind."

"Alright. If you need any help, let me know."

"Ok, thanks mom."