The next week flew by quickly. An English test and soccer practice helped keep my mind off of what Iris hadsaid. Why not meet him? Find out what happened with him. That's all.

Iris had made perfect sense, and that's what pissed me off. Where did she get off, being right when it was my call?

My mom sensed my stress. She never said anything, but she did little things to help, like making my favorite meals. This made me feel even worse about keeping the letters from her.

I started smoking again, too. When I was a freshmen, I smoked because I thought it would make me look tough. All it did was make me smell bad. Now, they provided me some stress relief. The buss I got from thsucking these montholated sticks of death did a good job of distracting me. Of course, this just added to the list of things I was keeping from my mom.

Just the thought of Eric made me so angry! If it wasn't for him, I thought, none of this would have ever happened.

If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't even exist, a little nagging voice in the back of my head reminded me. I closed my eyes and shook my head violently.

"Screw you, voice of reason!"

"Jaimes," my mom called from downstairs, "are you alright? Why are you shouting?"

"Uh, yeah mom, I'm fine. Just practicing for something in drama class." Again with the lies. I knew my mom didn't believe me. I didn't even have a drama class! Still, she didn't press, and that made me feel ten times worse. I just couldn't wait for this mess to be over.

I was walking home from soccer practice a few days later, and it started to rain. I decided to take the short way home, and I turned down Treasure Street without really thinking. It wasn't until I saw the Slingshot Diner that I realized what day it was; September 18. Instinctively, I looked at my wtch. It was quarter to five.

How cliche, I thought bitterly. Of course it would rain today. Of course I'd turn down treasure street. Of course it'd be nearly five. I kicked a rock into the street. Why is this happening?

By now, I was soaking wet and just staring at the restaurant sign. What was I supposed to do? I was there now, so should I stay? Run? Before I could make my decision, I heard a car pull up behind me. I turned around, and my biggest fear was realized.

It was him.