"Are you ok, Clare?" Darcy asked me. The lights were out in our room and the TV was on some reality show that Darcy was watching. I think it was Jersey Shore, which I never really got into.

"I won't be until you turn this crap off!" I say slamming a pillow on my ears.

She sighs and proceeds to turn off the TV and flicks on the lamp set by her bed. "There. Now are you ok?"

I nod. "I'll be fine Darcy. I just want to know if you're ok."

She shakes her head. "I kind of regret going to Kenya. I should've been here while all this was going on."

"Don't feel sorry for yourself Darcy."

"But I do! I just wish I would've been here to help with everything." She shakes a grin on her face. "Enough about the depressing stuff, now I want to know about you." She crosses her legs and sits up to hear all the details. "So, what has been going on with you lately?"

I laugh. Leave it to Darcy.

I sit up also and do the same that she did and proceed to tell her everything from what happened with KC, to now with Eli. "Wow," She says and reaches over to nudge my shoulder. "Little Clare Bear's growing up."

"Yeah," I say starting to feel a little bummed out now. "And it's getting old." I lay my head back on my bed and grab my laptop off my desk and open it. I open the internet browser and log in to Facerange with Darcy still expecting to talk to me.

"So," she starts again. "Tell me about Eli." A few seconds after she says that an IM pops up from Eli. Speak of the devil.

Eli-golds82: What are you doing up so late, you should be in bed. ;)

I smile and look at the clock. Already 11:00? "He's cool." I say more focused on sending Eli an IM back.

Clare-e123: ohhh, I should be saying the same to you Goldsworthy. :)

"Just cool?" Darcy asks basically choking it out of me. "I knew that, otherwise you wouldn't be going out with him, now would you?" She chuckled and so did I. I wasn't paying attention much after that.

Eli-golds82: What are you my mom? ;)

"Clare!" I hear and see hands fly back and forth in front of the screen. "Are you even listening to me?"

I chuckle. "Sorry Darcy," I say and say that I have to go to Eli and shut my laptop and look at her. She gives me a weird look. "What?" I ask, confused.

"Are you going to answer my question?" She asks me. I look at her with a look that's basically asking 'what's the question again?' She rolls her eyes. "I asked you what Eli's like." I open my mouth to say something but she interrupts me. "And don't just say he's cool."

I laugh. "He's very mysterious. He has that cocky grin and he's very sarcastic. But he's really sweet."

Darcy laughs. "He sounds like a good one." She says giving one last grin. "I'm going to bed now. You should too little miss 'I'm gonna stay up late and have mysterious IM conversations with Eli all night.'"

I laugh. She was on to me, I could tell. I slip under my covers and fall to sleep easily.

I trail down the stairs quickly to see my dad holding my mom against the wall. "Ronald, stop it!"

"Dad, please!" I say and run over to him. I try with all my might to pull him off, but it was all useless.

He looks over to me standing there, petrified. "Dad, please." I barely said between my tears.

He then let go and dashes out the door a little too fast.

My eyes swing open to the sound of my alarm. I find my chest hurting, and my breath falling short. I look around and see the light gleam through my window and realize, phew, it was just a dream just then, but it did actually happen, which was the scary part.I see Darcy still sleeping like a rock. Good thing I didn't wake her with my hyperventilating.

That was probably the scariest experience in my life! I've never felt so hopeless at that moment. I put my hand on my head and notice I was sweating. I need a shower…