A/N: For Logan and Anna, because they can always dampen the flames.
Ella felt a bit like Harry Potter, watching the minutes tick by until her eighteenth birthday. Her bags were packed and her storage unit was filled to the brim with all her things that she had purchased. The room at her mother's house would still be furnished, but without Ella's personal touches it was a very sterile and almost hostile shade of ecru. Everything she was taking with her belonged to Ella and Ella alone. She was paying for her gas, credit cards, car note, phone bill, and even most of her own food. Did her mother even notice that her car had magically gone missing in the past week? She already knew that answer. The clock ticked down and Ella counted along with it, closing her eyes and making a wish, a wish for something truly spectacular to happen to her. Her phone rang loudly as soon as the clock hit midnight and Ella knew exactly who it was.
"Hello."
"Ella! Ella! It's Mitchie! I've had four cups of coffee and some drink with a weird logo on it!" She heard a few muffled scraps before the phone switched hands.
"Hey glitz, it's Cait. - Mitchie calm down, we're supposed to be quiet! You ready to go?"
Ella pulled down on of her blinds to see Caitlyn's Jeep Wrangler parked on the curb. "Yeah, I'll be out there in a minute." She gathered her bags and silently made her way down the stairs. She stopped in the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator, taking out the birthday cupcake she bought herself from the fancy gourmet bakery; because she knew her mother wouldn't take the time to even buy a Wal-Mart cupcake. Ella took the door knob in her hand and paused.
If she did this, she could never look back.
Her mother would never forgive her for leaving, even if she was of legal age. Barrett, her brother, had at least waited until graduation. But his dreams were more in line with what their mother wanted and Ella felt like she was at her breaking point. She twisted the handle, and left.
It took 23 seconds of outrageous courage to leave everything she knew behind and open herself up to the future.
She had nothing to tether her to Florida anyway. She had requested an early graduation, and had been approved. Her reputation didn't mean anything to her, just her mother, and leaving also meant that she could go to camp early and actually help Dee and Brown have an actual plan.
The only thing that Ella wasn't looking forward to were her living arrangements, and while the Grey's had all insisted that she wasn't a burden, she still felt like a bum.
Dear Amelia,
Today is my birthday, and instead of doing things that normal 18 year olds would be doing, I'm moving across the country. See, when you get older you eventually move out of your parents house. For me, I wanted to get out as soon as possible. So that's exactly what I did. I worked, paid for my own things, boxed up all my things and moved out on the stroke of midnight. Yeah, I'm going to have to live on my friend's couches for a little while, but the end will more than totally justify a few cricks in my neck.
I feel so independent right now, with the wind whipping through my hair and knowing that I'll never have to look back. It might seem ridiculous to take a chance like this, but isn't that what life is about? At the end of your story, don't you want to look back at all the amazing things you've done and be proud of yourself? Or do you want to look at the empty pages of what could have been?
Yeah, I'm eighteen now, big whoop. I'll have time for partying, smoking, and lotto tickets later. Right now, I'm declaring my independence, and that Mia, is worth more than any Chanel purse.
Love,
Your future mom.
Mia took a deep breath as she landed face down in her pillows, it had been a long day of school, practice for debate, volleyball, and home work. So of course she put it off to read a letter. After reading her mom's e-mails, it was hard not to see her in a different light. Her polite, courteous, and docile mother had moved out on her own. She had bummed off of people's couches, worked crummy jobs, and had to work tooth and nail for everything she owned. Yet, she wasn't bitter, had made great grades in school, and just seemed to make everything look easy.
"You okay, Aims?" She felt her bed sink and she looked over at her father.
"How did she do it?" She mumbled into her pillows as he moved a strand off the side of her face.
"Who did what?" Her father had an understanding look, but was asking for confirmation.
"Mom." He gave a small smile and the crow's feet around his eyes became more evident.
"Well, she had a lot of drive and determination. Not to mention, something to prove." He kicked her foot with her own and she gave a small smile of her own. Never one to mince words, her father just jumped straight to the point. He'd been blessed with musical talent, sure, but his social skills didn't develop until much later.
Amelia's favorite story to hear was how her mom had rejected every musical form of "asking her out" and made him swallow his pride and just ask. No melodies, guitars, or violins; just him stuttering over a simple phrase.
"It just makes it so hard to feel bad for myself." She pouted, propping her head up on her elbow.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Her father rolled his eyes and gave a short laugh. "Well, I have to go meet up with your Aunt Tess."
"You mean my favorite Aunt Tess?" She gave a laugh.
"Don't inflate her ego like that, she's almost as bad as Uncle Shane."
"He would be offended if he heard that, daddy." She gave a smirk that she had inherited from him and he scoffed.
"Of course he would." He got up and crossed the room. "I love you, Aims. And, just because your life wasn't as hard as mom's doesn't mean it's not hard." She scrambled off the bed and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thanks daddy."