My name is Brielle Woods; I'm a junior in high school. I've lived in the small town of Duluth, Virginia all my life. My mother and I stay in an apartment close to the ocean but you have to walk like half a block to get there.

I have one friend, Jonathan. He's the only person that I really care about being around next to my other friend Arabell. She's very strong minded, beautiful and smart too! She hangs out with me at lunch but during free period she's mainly with her band buddies. I pretty much love being secluded, to myself and ahead of my studies just so I can get out this God forsaken town when I graduate.

I'd love to move down south, I heard it's always warm and ever hardly rains, mainly Florida, that's my dream state. I've never been there but it's not between like us, well sort of between in Virginia.

I stared at my semi brown tone skin in the mirror before school. I was that typical light skinned girl. My parents were African American, somehow I inherited the lighter tone, it was slightly awkward but my mom was light skinned too. My dad was they typical stern man but he didn't live with us. Mom and he got a divorce just last year. She was the one being held back to take care of me and help take care of my dad too, he was just semi—lazy and wanted her to do everything.

Mom and I would go to church on Sunday to "maintain her sanity" as she described it during the week. We had to get my Aunt Vell, her sister, to come pick us up cause dad needed the car home he said just in case he had to go.

Mom would always roll her eyes when he said "go" and I guess she knew where he was going. That was before they split, before Mom found out he had loathes of women lined up at his bedroom door, actually their bed room was occupied and that's how she caught him.

A blazing red head with long legs and a mouth that had no filter on it, she was known to be the town's double deluxe bombshell and she just so happened to want my dad. After giving into her desire to have him, he started hanging out, drinking and coming home late. One night he brought her home and bam! That was when mom caught them in their bedroom.

The next morning when I got up Dad was outside along with all his stuff and the blazing red had gone back to her lavishing abode.

"Stupid decisions—…..stupid consequences!!" Mom muttered as she walked around the apartment picking up.

I had cleaned my own room and hers, we split the chores.

"Brielle!" She called making me rush to her without hesitation.

"Yes ma'am?" I stood watching her playing with the end of my braided side ponytail.

"You come right home after school girl, don't go sassing around that high school! You get on that bus and hurry home 'cause I have a new interview." She slammed her hand over the couch cushions patting them out.

"Yes ma'am," I told her rushing to get my book bag to walk to the bus.

I kissed mom and grabbed my $2.75 she laid out on the table for me before leaving, it was my lunch money.

Stuffing it in my pocket I realized I didn't give her a kiss and hug so I ran back inside to do just that.

"Thank you honey, don't you worry, things will get better," she smiled kissing my forehead.

I only nodded and took off out the door. I had to take the path, the one that you had to go through to get to the bus stop. I hated going that way because I had to go through the neighbor's yard; they had a really nice house as well. I tried rushing so that no one would ever see me but most of the time, I'd see the corner of the window go black when someone would pull the blinds down or peep from their perfect curtains.

Mom told me to never speak to anyone, just mind my business and don't make eye contact. She said that because she said people will start thinking you are up to something.

I felt a sigh of relief standing now at the bus stop. No one really waited for the school bus except me and another girl, she never really talked to me but she was in most of my classes at school. She stared at my clothes. She was already sizing me up so I stayed looking forward, focused on the groves of the side walk.

I mean what the hell was she staring at? All I had on was a pair of low cut converses which were blue and white, some white jeans and a blue shirt that was kind of off with the other blue but I didn't have it like that, this was all I had honestly, these were the only shoes that I had too, next to a pair of flats that were already overstaying their welcome outside the garbage can.

"I'm Jalene" she held her hand out to me.

I slightly turned and pulled a slight smile up on my lips. "Brielle," I took her offered hand and shook it.

"I see you go through my yard sometimes, you always look scared, is my house that scary?" she let out a slight chuckle.

"Oh—…that's your house?" I asked trying to figure out why she would be riding the bus if she was living so large.

I didn't' ask rather I turned back to the road. "I guess you're wondering why I ride the bus right?" she walked a little toward the road.

Her dark hair drooped low passed her shoulders. She was pretty—….pretty weird, I thought.

"Um—…maybe," I murmured.

"Oh, well my stupid ass brother could take me to school but he's afraid I might dampen his appearance when I get out the car, he's a total jerk!"

"I'm sorry. Have you told him…how that makes you feel or whatever?" I bit my nail, it was hanging.

"No one tells Zane anything, he's a freak!" she rolled her eye and I mentally gasped at who she said her brother was and what she said about him.

Zane Wesley was the hottest player in the school, he was athletic and smart as hell, he was in mostly all my classes but was never there. He'd come in late or not come at all but his grades were amazing, according to my friend Jonathan who knew all the business of the jocks being the team's mascot, he of course wanted that a secret but I knew.

"Well?!" she asked throwing me out of my fantasy of her brother.

"Well, what?" I asked feeling lost.

"I asked you did you know him, such an ass!" She spat and I could tell she was already mad.

"Zane's your brother, I thought he was the only child." I thought thinking of his nice muscular athletic frame and blue eyes to die for.

"No, you would think. Mom is a Nurse and my father works with the law firm in the city." She explained and I nodded.

"Hey, I really don't have many friends; you want to come over after school. I was thinking we could be friends," she said changing her whole tone and expression.

I didn't want to hurt her feelings but mom did say she had an interview and she was oober rich so I knew inviting her over would mean one less friend I would have if I decided to be hers.

"Sure," I smiled and my eyes widened making me snap my head up to the yellow bus now stopping in front of us.

"Cool!" She giggled caging her arm in mine.

"Its official then Brielle, and I'm calling you Elle, I really don't like say your whole name." she smirked.

"Okay then Jalene," I hoped I had remembered it well.

I wasn't that type of person that forgot much but when my nerves hit, I forgot my own name.

All day I thought of ways to break it Jalene that I couldn't come. I should have never told her that I could commit when I knew very well I couldn't.

I was the last three minutes till the bell rang to leave class. I stared at the huge metal clock sitting in my clothes I put back on from gym.