She was more stubborn than a herd of mules. Might as well accept my fate, I huffed out a sharp sigh.

The only certainty in our lives was that we never stayed anywhere for long. It was on the horizon, the next town merely a tap to the heels away.

I stared outside at the long stretch of moss-green hills and towering spruce. My stomach soured. Soon summer would be over and my last year of school would be at hand. I dreaded it. Only a couple of weeks away to the main event, a new school, new faces, new fights and the vicious cycle of fitting in once again. Kill me!

Making new friends struck a chord with me. Fitting in was like the flip of a coin. In some schools I managed to stay under the radar and in others, I fought.

Sweetwater High was dope! I’d actually made a place for myself there with Laurie and Becky, the best friends ever! It had been a nice change to have the camaraderie of friends rather than being a wallflower.

Reckoned I should accept my lot in life that I’d be changing schools as often as I changed underwear. Maybe not quite that often but it seemed as so. I wondered what mischief this little town offered, any dark secrets to discover. Since I hadn’t seen a soul stir, this place felt like a ghost town.

I exhaled a depressing sigh and shut the door harder than intended. I preferred putting my foot through it. Sara denying me my birthday party was one thing but moving me to the freaking sticks had me reeling. I padded back to my bed and slipped under the covers, burrowing myself between the sheets. I wanted to hide for the rest of my life under this stupid blanket.

 

 

***

The sky had grayed by the time Sara burst through the door. Her flushed face beamed with liquored-up mirth. The second she shut the door, I could smell the cheer on her breath. She stumbled over to my bed and pounced on the edge. I was playing possum. I’d seen headlights pulling up and her getting out of the car.

Sara leaned over my bunched up body, shaking my shoulder and pulling my cover off my head. “Guess what?” she announced, too perky. Slowly my eyes drifted open as her shit-eating grin came into focus.

“What?” I was still in a snit, “you found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?” My sarcasm felt liberating even though it might spark a hard slap in the face.