"What are you doing home, and what are you wearing?" Aunt Debbie shuffled into the kitchen, removing the last pink curler from her hair.

I was hoping she was already at work, but I wasn't that lucky today. Her face was covered with way too much makeup. I know this sounds mean, but sometimes she kinda looked like a clown with her thick blue eyeshadow and bright red lipstick.

"I have a migraine and terrible cramps, Aunt Debbie." I sat down at the breakfast bar and did my best to act pitiful. I leaned my bruised jaw into my palm, so she didn't ask questions.

"Oh, dear. I know how bad they can get, but you need to go to the nurse next time. You can't just come home without talking to the school staff. Who brought you home?" She rubbed my back. "Is your sweatshirt inside out?"

"Yeah. I spilled something on it." I said. "And nobody brought me. I jogged."

"You ran all the way here?" Aunt Debbie's eyebrows shot up. "That's a long way from school. I thought you had cramps."

"I do, but jogging helps me forget about them." I groaned, pressing my hand to my belly.

"I'll call the school and let them know you'll be back tomorrow, but next time you need to handle this in a mature manner and let the nurse know. Why don't you go get some rest?" Aunt Debbie picked up her phone and began dialing.

I nodded and pathetically made my way upstairs to the guest room that was supposedly mine. It was a tiny room with one window and a full-sized bed with flowery bedding. The floral crap didn't stop there. It covered the frilly drapery and the floor to ceiling wallpaper.

I couldn't tell Aunt Debbie, but flower decor made me want to vomit. Eventually, I planned to ask her if I could paint it black.

Face planting on the bed, I groaned into the mattress. What a horrible first day. I hadn't even made it to one class.

Missy had been worse than ever. What the hell was her issue with me? When we were young, she'd been mean, but she was taking it to a whole new level. I never deserved the way she treated me.

When we were little, Missy always did her best to exclude me. She'd break my things constantly, and that's when she wasn't making fun of me or hitting me. I had hoped she'd grown out of it, but I'd been wishing for something that would never happen. Missy was going to be a problem.

And what the hell was up with the weird reaction that I had when I touched Tyler and Justin? It seemed like they could've experienced something too, but neither of them said anything. Not to mention, all three guys had eyes that could somehow glow, but why was I the only one that could see it?

And then there was Tyler's pervy uncle. That was the most disturbing encounter I'd ever experienced.

I rolled to my back, rubbing a hand over my face. What the hell was happening to me?

I should've swept it all under the rug, chalking it up to nerves, anxiety, my overwhelming sensitivity, or static electricity, but it was all too strange to just forget. Even though I wasn't right in the head, something was happening that was way out of the ordinary.

After taking my pill, I pulled out my phone and noticed I had over twenty missed messages from Missy and some random numbers.

Who was randomly texting me? Scrolling through, I read them without responding.

: Where r u?

: Tyler said u went home. Omfg ur so stupid. It's ur first day.

: WTF!! Why is everyone asking about u?

: Answer me!

: Don't ignore me, or I'll put Nair in your shampoo.

: Jenny said she's still gonna kick ur ass.

: And I'm gonna help her.

Exhaling angrily, I didn't read the rest before deleting all of her messages. What a bitch. Missy never once asked how I was doing or if I was okay. How were we supposed to live under the same roof for our entire senior year?

I thumbed through the unidentified sender texts.

:

: Hope it's ok I stole ur number from Missy.

: This is Lucas.

: Heard u left

: R u ok?

:

: Got ur info from Lucas. This is Tyler.

: Why'd u leave like that?

: There's no bet.

:

: Hey, this is Justin.

: If Tyler did something, tell me, and I'll kick his ass.

: He's a dick sometimes.

: Let me know.

I shook my head in confusion. Why the hell did these guys give a fuck about me? They were obviously the most popular guys in school. Just the fact that Missy and Jenny hated my guts would normally discourage any average person, but not them. I had to do my best to stay away from all of them.

After texting Josh about my terrible morning, he messaged back, asking me to call him later, which made me feel a little better. Then, I called my mom.

"Ember?"

"Yeah, it's me, Mom." I tried to sound sick.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Mom was barely paying attention to me.

I groaned in pain. "I'm sick."

"Oh. Well, make it quick. My seminar starts in less than an hour, and I'm still preparing." Papers shuffled in the background. "The show is sold out."

Trying to use my saddest voice, I asked. "Can I please do the rest of my classes online?"

Mom sighed. "You can take online classes for college credit, but you have to attend school. Your transcripts need to display social development and community participation. We've discussed this already."

I made myself sound sad as I brought fake tears to my eyes. "Then, can I come stay with you? Please, Mom. I miss you. I hate it here. Please? I'll stay out of the way. I'll even help whenever you need me."

"Ember, enough!" Something slammed in the background. "We've been through this! You know just as well as I do, that's not possible. I'm traveling, and my plate is full. I'm sorry you're not feeling well today, but you're staying there for your senior year, and that's final. Do you understand me, young lady? I do not want to discuss this again."

"Fine!" I screamed into the phone.

"Watch your tone!" Mom yelled.

"I don't even know why I called you. You don't care about me. You never listen to me. Why did you even have a kid, Mom? Maybe I should just run away. You'll be happier when I'm not around to bother you anymore."

"That's enough! I'm doing my best, Ember. Juilliard isn't cheap. You know that. Having a great senior year is crucial to your chances of getting in. You will go to school and get involved, but first and foremost, get your butt on that stage and shine. I pulled some strings and made sure they designed all your classes to keep you on the performance track. And I don't care if you are sick today, young lady, you will not miss dance tonight. Every day after school and Saturdays. That's what we discussed. Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah." I picked at a loose thread on the sickening floral bedspread.

Mom sighed. "Good. I'm sorry you're having a bad day. Get some rest, and you'll feel better tomorrow. I love you, honey. Talk later, okay?"

I hung up without saying another word. Screw her. She knew I hated being here, and she still expected me to stay here and keep up the charade of going after her dreams.

After what happened with Dad, I told her I didn't want to sing, act, or dance anymore, but she refused to listen. I was sick and tired of doing everything she wanted me to do.

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