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A few hours later Mom came into my "room." "Kelly," She said, closing the door behind her, "You really hurt your dad with what you said."

I shrugged, not looking up from the skating magazine I was flipping through. "Now he knows how I feel." I told her simply.

Mom sighed and sat down on my bed. "Your father has done nothing but love and care about you your entire life." She said.

"Well, he sure does have a fucked way of showing it, doesn't he?" I questioned, finally looking up.

"Hey, watch it, Kel." Mom told me. I just rolled my eyes. "This day has been bad enough without you adding to it."

"Fine, sorry." I said, giving in. I hated to see my mom upset. "So what did he say?" I asked. I was ever so eager to hear yet another rejection. Yeah...right.

But surprisingly, Mom smiled. "He said yes. He says you can stay with him as long as you need." She told me excitedly.

I, on the other hand, was not excited. "How much convincing did you have to give him?" I asked.

Mom shook her head and said, "Not much at all." She smiled at me and continued, "After you came in and started to yell at him, he practically jumped at the chance."

"Ah," I said, finally getting it, "It was the ever popular guilt trip that convinced him."

Mom shrugged. "Maybe a little." She said, "But he really just wants you to love him again."

"Again?" I laughed, "I never loved him in the first place."

"Yes you did, Kelly. I know you did." Mom told me.

I shook my head. "I just loved the idea of him." I told her, getting off of my bed, "Never the actual person."

I grabbed my big black jacket off of my doorknob and began to put it on.

"Where are you going?" Mom asked me.

"A walk." I told her, opening and walking out of my door.

"But it's late. It's not safe." Mom told me.

I turned to face her. "I'm a big girl," I assured her, "I can defend myself."

I walked through the small apartment and opened the front door. Stepping out into the half-fresh air was a bit refreshing. As I walked down the street, it almost took my mind off of my problems.

Once I had gotten a little ways down the street, a guy on a skateboard came up behind me and slapped my ass before speeding off again.

"Hey!" I yelled, "Jackass!" That's what I get for walking in the ghetto part of Las Vegas at night...

The guy on the board stopped, but I wasn't scared. I knew I could take him. He kicked his board up before turning to face me. I knew who it was immediately.

"Jared!" I yelled, laughing. I ran to catch up with him. Jared Knowles. My best friend since the third grade, when he came to Vegas from LA. We him it off immediately. He was the only one who knew my little "secret" about my dad.

"Hey, what are you doing out here so late?" He asked me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I told him.

Jared shrugged. "I had to get away from my parents for a while. They were pissing me off."

We began to walk down the street. "Me too. In fact it was both my parents this time." I told him.

"Why? Is your dad finally visiting you?" Jared asked, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"No," I told him, resting my head on his shoulder, "The other way around."


You're going to visit him? That's cool." Jared said.

"Sort of." I said. How could I tell my best friend that I'm moving? We're like, all each others got! (Well, he's also got his board...But you know what I mean.)

"What's going on?" Jared asked me.

I sighed heavily. "I have to go live with my dad." I muttered.

"What?!" Jared exclaimed, stopping us both in the middle of the sidewalk. "You're moving?"

I nodded miserably. "Only until my mom can get a new job and move out of Casey's." I told him.

"You can move in with me. I'll hide you in my closet and give you food every night." Jared said, "You don't mind my mom's cooking do you? It kind of sucks."

I laughed. "Your mom's cooking is great, but I don't think it will work." I told him.

"Yeah. You're right.." Jared said, He began to walk again and I walked beside him. "What am I gonna do without you, Kelly?"

"I have no idea. You'll probably die or something." I told him with a laugh.

"Yeah, I will. Now there's no one to go to the skatepark with, no one to make fun of the new sixth graders with, no one to throw ice on the basketball courts and laugh when the players fall with. It'll suck without you." Jared told me.

"Stop it, J. You're gonna make me cry." I told him. It was true, too. I'm gonna miss him so much when I leave.

Jared smiled. "Sorry." He said, "Do you want me to take you home?"

I shook my head. "No. No no no no no. I can not face my mom tonight. I don't want to hear any more about going with my dad." I told him, "Do you mind if I crash at your place? Just for tonight?"

Jared shrugged. "Yeah, sure you can."

"You sure your mom won't mind?" I asked him.

"Nope. So many kids at our house anyway it won't really make much of a difference." Jared told me. He has 5 brothers and sisters and they live in a two bedroom apartment. He has to share a room with his older and younger brother. They were really cramped!

"Okay, great." I said, "Let's go."

Jared and I walked the rest of the way to his apartment. We didn't say much. It was a good thing, too. I didn't want to talk about going to Florida. I felt bad enough about it already.