I walked home by myself. I really didn't want to see anyone, not even Tyson. So when I got home I headed straight for my room. I was almost there when my dad stopped me.

"Sophie!" he called from the bottom of the steps.

I turned around quickly "Yeah?"

"Do you remember that book that your mother and I wrote together?"

"The one from like three years ago?" I asked.

"That's the one. Well apparently it has attracted a lot of attention over the last couple years. The book store downtown wants your mom and I to do a book signing thing down there for all my fans." He smirked at me and I felt so sad. How could my mom do this to him?

"That's great Dad."

"Yeah so I thought we could all go out to dinner to celebrate as a family. Your mom keeps bugging me about us not spending enough time together so I figure it'll make her happy."

I sighed. "That sounds like a good idea but I think I'm going to have to rain check that one."

"Why? What's going on?" There was a pause. "Did you and Tyson have a fight or something? Cause if he hurt you I swear I'll…"

"No Dad. It's not Tyson. I'm just not in a very good mood today. I just kinda want to be alone."

He studied me for a minute. "Alright… maybe tomorrow then."

I turned and walked the rest of the way to my room. I locked the door behind me and then collapsed on my bed. I'm not sure how but I fell asleep.

I was awoken by a knock on my door.

"Sophie?" I heard my mom say from the other side. "Sophie we need to talk."

I was too tired and angry to answer. I heard her try to turn the knob. Thank god I locked it. I really didn't want to talk to my mother ever again. I hated her for this and I didn't think I could ever forgive her.

The next morning I got up early after a sleepless night. I got ready for school slowly and then headed downstairs. My mother was waiting for me.

"Sophie. We need to talk." She said "I'm really sorry about what you saw yesterday."

I wanted to ignore her and walk out the door but she was standing in my way.

I sighed irritated. "I have to go to school." I said sharply.

"Fine, I'll drive you and we can talk on the way."

"No. I'll walk."

"Sophie you hate to walk to school just let me…"

"No. I'm fine."

"Ok we can talk after school."

"Sure." I said brushing past her. And then I left before she could say anything else.

I walked to school and was still early enough to stop at the Dot and get my morning coffee.

When I got to Degrassi I sat at a picnic table across from the school by myself. I needed to keep my mind busy so I pulled out my math homework that I had neglected to do over the weekend. I hadn't even started the first problem when someone sat down across from me.

I looked up expecting Tyson or Scarlett but instead saw Angelina. As if this day hadn't already been bad enough…

I looked back down at my homework. She was one of the last people I needed to see right now.

Angelina cleared her throat. I looked back up at her.

"Yes?" I said my temper flaring.

"Look Sophie I think we need to talk."

Why do people keep saying that to me?

"I mean I might have been a little harsh about Tyson and I'm sorry." Angelina said. I glared at her and she squirmed uncomfortably. Admitting she was wrong wasn't something Angelina did very often but I was so angry I didn't really think about that.

"Oh you're sorry are you?"

Angelina nodded nervously.

"Well that's real nice. Except saying sorry doesn't magically fix everything! Saying sorry doesn't take away the pain you caused, or make everything ok. Because it happened and you can never take it back. Not with sorry. Because sorry is just a word you don't have to mean it. In fact half the people who say they're sorry aren't." All the words just came out and I wasn't exactly sure if they all made sense.

Angelina was just looking back at me with wide eyes looking confused. So I shoved my books back into my backpack, got up, and walked away.

I started towards the school at first. I had 10 minutes until the first bell so I could just go to the library or something. Then I saw Tyson, he was standing next to his truck, his eyes searching for something, or someone. I stopped quickly. Finally his eyes found me. He started walking towards me but I turned and walked in the opposite direction. I decided that school wasn't the best thing today. So I walked all the way home.

My dad was supposed to be over at Adam's today but apparently instead Adam came to our house.

I tried to get in without making a sound, but my dad was in the kitchen and heard me. He walked out of the kitchen and walked towards me.

"Sophie? What are you doing here?"
"I'm sick. I had to come home from school…"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just a stomach ache. I'm just going to go upstairs and lay down."

"Alright, if you need anything just call for me." He looked into my eyes and I looked down immediately. He knew I was keeping something from him.

"Thanks dad."

I walked upstairs and lay down. I kept the door open.

I felt really bad about lying to my dad but I couldn't exactly tell him what was going on. That would be the end of my parent's relationship. My dad wasn't the most forgiving person.

I sighed and closed my eyes wishing sleep would come but it was so far away. I just wanted to wake up and this to be a bad dream.

At lunch time I went downstairs for lunch to find Adam gone and my dad in his office.

I went to ask him if he wanted me to make him anything when I heard a conversation. He was apparently on the phone with my mother.

"I'm just worried about her Clare; she's been acting weird lately."

It was quiet as my mother answered.

"I can't calm down this could be something serious." Pause. "And what's been going on with you lately? Working late every night, avoiding me every chance you get, and now you don't even care that there's something wrong with Sophie." Pause. "Well I'm not the happiest either Clare but I'm trying. Do you want to do what your parents did to you to Sophie." Pause. "I didn't think so." Pause. "Right well you should get back to work I'm going to check on Sophie." Pause. "Yeah bye."

I turned and ran quietly into the living room. I sat down on the couch. So that must be why she cheated. They're both unhappy. They're only together for me. So many things hit me in that moment. Things that I hadn't realized before suddenly made a lot of sense. The way my mother had been working until 11 or 12 at night, eating her dinner at the office while she worked. I should have known something was going on. The way my dad didn't kiss her before she left anymore, and the way they never said I love you before they hung up the phone. I had been so busy I hadn't noticed until it was staring me right in the face.

I looked around the room at all the familiar things, my eyes landed on the family picture of us on the mantle. It was taken when I was 8. I'm missing my two front teeth and have braided pigtails. We all have huge smiles. It was so much easier then.

Before I could stop myself tears were spilling down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away but they just kept coming. It doesn't rain, it pours. I started to sob.

"Sophie are you in here?" My dad walked in and saw me. I tried to cover my face I didn't want him to see me being so weak.

My dad sat down beside me and took me in his arms. I stopped trying to cover my face and instead buried it into his chest.

"I'm so sorry Dad." I said between sobs.

"It's ok baby, everything's all right."

My dad made me lunch and we ate together. He acted like nothing happened and I was grateful. He didn't ask me what was going on, and I was grateful for that too. Then 5 o'clock came and so did my mother. Nice day to come home early Mom.

She walked into the living room where my dad and I were watching a crime show peacefully.

"Sophie can I talk to you alone please?"

I glared at her not willing to answer.

"I'll just take a drive or something." My dad said getting up and walking out.

"Sophie I know you are angry with me but I just need you to listen."
"Listen to what Mom? You were sleeping with my boyfriend's dad!"

"Sophie! We were kissing it doesn't mean that we were sleeping together!"

"But you were weren't you?"

"That's none of your business."

"Fine Mom, you're right it's none of my business. This doesn't affect me in the slightest."

"Sophie. I know what I did was wrong but it's over now and it's not going to happen again. That's why I was at the garage, to tell him that."

"That's sure not what it looked like."

"It was a mistake Sophie and I feel horrible about it. I know I can't take it back. All I can do is say I'm sorry and promise you that It'll never happen again."

I was silent.

"What about Dad?"

"What about him?"

"I am not going to keep this from him, I can't. I respect him too much."

"I'll talk to him."

"You know what mom," I started calmly. "I don't care. I don't believe you and I certainly don't forgive you. This family is so freaking dysfunctional and I'm so TIRED OF IT!"
"Sophie please try to calm down."
"NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I am so tired of you and Dad being unhappy. You were only giving Tyson a second chance because you were having a thing with his dad! How am I ever supposed to have a good relationship with my boyfriend if my parents hate each other! You know what no. I don't care what you have to say I'm out."

I rushed out of the room, and out the door slamming the door behind me.

I went to the Dot. I had been there for about 20 minutes when Tyson Guthrie walked in.

When he saw me his eyes lit up a little. He walked over and sat across from me. Then he really looked at me.

"Sophie what happened?"

I wiped a couple tears from my eyes. "I kind of blew up on my mom and ran away."

"Tell me what happened."
For some reason I told him the whole story. Starting from when I left the auto shop. He listened quietly. He didn't speak until I was finished.

"Well I hate to tell you this Sophie but you have to go back."
"What why?"

"Because running away is never the answer."

"But don't you want to just get away from everything? Just me and you together, somewhere far away from here. We could live on the beach where it's warm and quiet and no one would ever find us."

Tyson studied me for a long time with an understanding look on his face. "You have no idea how much I want that. But we can't just run away because then nothing gets solved. I have family here that relies on me, not only my mom, but my grandmother and even my dad. And I have school. I have to finish and go to college so I can have a family of my own someday. And Sophie you have so much going for you. I know you don't see it but you do. You have your dad, and your mom. You are so smart and beautiful and talented. And someday maybe we will run away together but now isn't the time."

I rolled my eyes. "You always have the right thing to say don't you?"

"It's a gift." He said with a laugh. He took my hands in his. "Sophie, no matter how bad things at home get remember you always have me. But if you run away you won't have me anymore."
I was a bit shocked by this. So if I ran away from home Tyson was going to break up with me? That wasn't like him at all. But I guess his big thing with that was that his dad had run away from Tyson and his mom when they needed him most. And I guess he just didn't want me to do the same thing to my parents.

"Alright, I'll go back… do you mind giving me a ride?"

Tyson dropped me off at my house at about 10. When I opened the door I found my house quiet. I guessed both my parents had gone to bed so I headed to my room. I got to the top of the steps when I heard footsteps down below me. I turned just in time to see my dad closing the front door.

"Dad?"

My dad looked up at me, a solemn look on his face. I quickly ran down the steps to him.

"What's going on?"

"You're mom and I... we just need some time apart."

"What?"

"She's staying in a hotel tonight. But she'll be back… she'll be back."

He looked so miserable and hopeless. It made me feel miserable too.

He pulled me into his arms once again and whispered "She'll be back baby, she'll be back I know it."

AN: I hope you like it! More to come! :)