No One Ever Said Life Was Easy!

"I... it...he..." I stuttered, mentally searching through my vocabulary for the right words.

"Take your time," Shey giggled after stopping at a red light.

I took a deep breathe, slowly closing and opening my eyes. "My dad got a job offer here, and he took it." The ease of my lie surprised me. I could see Austin nodding out of the corner of my eye, and I smiled a little in return.

"Where do you live?" Shey's voice boomed from the front of the car.

"Uh, Henrytown Avenue... I think." I answered, unsure.

The car was silent for a moment. "Oh! I know where that is. We're only a few streets away. I'll get you there, don't worry, hun."

I shivered at the word 'hun', memories flooding in my mind from the past. Austin noticed, and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," my voice squeaked. I wrapped my hands around my waist, hugging my body closely as I tried to keep back the tears. It was obvious that my change in my mood had confused Austin. I don't blame him.

The rest of the car ride was silence. Not out of tension, but out of lack of discussion. After five minutes of driving, a felt a poke at my side and I turned around to find Shey poking my shoulder. "We're here," she smiled, motioning around her. "You didn't tell me which house is yours, but this is the start of the street, so..." her voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes and gave a slight chuckle.

"Oh!" I gasped, quickly unbuckling my seat belt and grabbing my messenger back from beside me. "Dropping me off right here is fine. Thanks for the ride. I guess I'll see you-"

"Tomorrow," Austin finished, his grin unfolding on his face. I smiled timidly before opening the door and stepping out of the flashy red convertible. "Thanks again," I mumbled, slamming the door.

Shey smiled at me, and drove away, the gas from her car leaving a cloud of smoke behind her. I sighed, and started to walk to my house.

My hell.