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I carried the last box to the car, shutting the trunk after myself. I walked around to the driver side of the car, and leaned my head in.

"That the last of it?" My dad asked.

"Yup," I said. There was a long pause. "I'm going to miss you, Dad," I said, trying not to cry.

"Me too, kiddo. Me too." he said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Why can't I go with you?" I asked.

"You'll be fine, pumpkin. Don't give your mom too hard of a time, okay?"

"So, I guess that means I shouldn't talk to her about getting my own appartment with my older boyfriend and tell her about the loads of premarital sex we will be having?" I flashed a wide grin.

Dad swatted my arm, and laughed. "I love you, kiddo,"

"Me too, daddy," I leaned over and kissed his cheek. I pulled away from the window as my dad pulled away, waving until he was just a tiny speck in the distance.

-

One year later

I was sitting at my computer desk, studying for my final exams. One more week and I was through grade eleven. I was interrupted by my mom's scream. I ran down to the stairs to hear,

"Oh Dan! Of course!" I walked into the kitchen and saw mom and Dan hugging.

Dan is my mom's boyfriend. They started dating two months after Dad left. I was unsure if I liked him. Mom always acted like such a teenager around him; giggling, blushing, making out with him. It made me sick.

"Look honey!" mom said, rushing over to me with her outstretched left hand. "Dan proposed! We're getting married!"

My eyes popped out of my head, before they returned to normal and a smirk played about my face. "That was quick."

"Young lady!" my mom said, pulling me out of Dan's earshot. "I am your mother. And I am not to be spoken to like that!" I rolled my eyes, and walked up to my room.

A few hours later, I went down to the kitchen for a snack. I entered the kitchen only to see Dan sitting at the breakfast bar, reading the newspaper.

"Still here, I see," I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?" Dan asked, looking up from his newspaper, leering at me from over the lenses of his glasses.

I smiled. "I said congratulations... on the engagement, I mean,"

"Oh yes," he said. "You know, I do love your mother very much."

"Of course, of course," I went on.

"I have a son about your age," he went on.

"Oh? I think mother has mentioned him a few times,"

"You two should meet,"

"Oh of course," I said, opening the refrigerator door, only to roll my eyes and gag when he couldn't see me. "I'd love to."

I stood there, peering at Dan, taking in everything about him.

"Anyways," I said, giving a sugary smile. "I should get going. A girl needs her beauty rest, you know,"

"Of course you do," he said. "Goodnight.

"'Night," I said, walking up the stairs, rolling my eyes the whole way.