"Macy, please," My mom knocked on my door. I was still on the ground sobbing. "It's dinner time."

Every family has a tradegy. All the time, right? This stuff always happened, right?

"But why me?!" I shouted, tugging at my hair.

My heart hurt. My face was a fountain of tears.

Another knock at the door. "Macy, you have to come out! We need to talk. This isn't healthy."

I let out a shriek to let her know that I wasn't coming out any time soon. I didn't want to come out. Where was Molly? I wondered how she was taking the news.

I should have probably gone out and been with my mother. She and my dad knew each other for the longest time, and have been together since the 9th grade. Her only love was dead. And here I was, being a burden.

I thought about my dad. He was tall, pale, and blonde. His hair was starting to turn a weird salt and pepper color. He was a business man, worked at an office. He hated his job, yet the nicest person.

I let another cry out. I picked myself off of the ground, chewing on my finger nails. I paced around the room, whimpering. My arms grew heavy. I felt sudden anger- why couldn't have been someone else? Why couldn't the truck gain control? With a swipe of my arm, I threw everything off of my desk onto the ground. I let another cry out. I grabbed my pillow, and screamed into it. I tugged at my hair again. The tears were like fire on my face, making a trail, burning my skin. I fell to my knees, gasping for air.

I took a deep breath, and let it out. The tears still fell, but I sat calmer.

Someone came in my room without knocking. I grimaced, and spun around.

Jack stood there. "Macy, it's dinner time,"

"My dad's dead." I said with a weak voice.

He came closer, sitting next to me. He put his knees up, and rested arm on top of them. "I heard. I'm sorry, but you shouldn't lock yourself away. You need to talk about it, and eat."

The tears fell faster. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I'm so sorry."

He wrapped an arm around my frail body, and rubbed my shoulder. "It's going to be okay. You look beautiful." He stood up. "Now come on. Let's eat." He held out a hand. I took it, and stood up.

Before leaving, he put his hands on my head. He kissed my forehead. I looked up, and kissed his lips.
I brought my hands to his hair, and opened my mouth. The kiss was full of tears, and spit. How romantic.

"Oh, I, uh-"

We stopped kissing, and I looked behind Jack. Molly stood there with a disgusted look, and shook her head. "You know, when I was a kid, I always thought I'd be the one dating you, not her." She murmured, walking away.

"Did she just-"

"Let's eat." I tugged on his hand.

~

"So Jack, tell me about yourself." My mom said. She chewed on her potatoes.

"Um, what do you want to know?" He awkwardly chewed on a piece of bacon.

"You're 21, right?"

"Correct." He glanced at me.

I shrugged, and swallowed milk.

Tongue in cheek, my mom made a 'huh' sound. "So are you and Macy, uh, dating?"

I paused, glaring up at Molly. She dropped her fork, and held up her hands.

"Jack?" My mom asked.

He looked at me. "Yes. Yes, we are."

My mom dropped her fork on the plate. "Okay. You know I technically can't stop you two from seeing each other, you crazy kids would find some way. Just no sex."

Molly snorted. "Macy? Having sex? Are you for real right now? Because honestly, she's a teenage nun if you ask me-"

"Molly!" I snapped.

"So how much money do you make, Jack?" My mom smiled sheepishly.

"Mom!" I snapped at her.

Jack smiled, and gave a breathy laugh.

"You really don't have to answer that, Jack. I'm sorry for my mother... and sister," I glared at both of them.

After a minute or two, my mom finally broke the silence. "You girls won't be needing to go to school tomorrow. You need mental healing."

Molly spoke up, "I don't need mental healing. I have to be strong,"

"Showing no emotion isn't strong, Molly. It's denial." Mom said in a stern voice.

Molly shook her head. "You don't understand. Dad's dead, there's nothing to do. He wouldn't want us crying about it. He'd want us to have our chin up, and take it like it actually is. Mom, walking around like a zombie for months on end, that's not the healthy thing to do. We have a funeral, that's it. Sure my kids won't have a grandfather, that sucks. But I'll tell them great things about dad, and that'll be the end of it,"

We all looked at her, astonished.

"I agree," I said. "I mean, I did sort of have a freak out. But that's the human thing to do. I realize dad's gone. I don't want to have that sorrow in my life,"

Mom shook her head, she looked up at Jack. "I tell my high school girls they can take a day off of school, and they decline the offer,"

"I didn't say I was going to school. If you need to believe I'm sleeping in due to 'emotional' healthing, then so be it!" Molly grinned, and bit into her potatoes.

~

"So Macy," Alex coughed awkwardy.

It was a few days after the news of my dad's death. I needed to get as much time with Jack in before he left. I was still feeling upset, but I wasn't going to let it actually effect me roughly. I needed to be happy.

"Sorry, about, you know. Your dad."

I shrugged. "It's fine. Thanks, though."

To be honest, I didn't know if Alex and I were friends. We had a few laughs, but ever since the mall a few weeks ago, I didn't know what to think of him. Did he even like me? There was an odd tension in the air whenever him and I talked, and I wasn't comfortable.

Zack and Rian on the other hand, were perfectly fine with me. They liked me, and I liked them. Zack was like my long lost brother. I had more conversations with him then I did with the majority of people at my school. I wanted to be Alex's friend, of course. I just didn't know how approach him without seeming desperate.

I gave a long sigh. "So what have you guys been doing in Ohio, land of the boring?"

"Waiting for Jack to come back so we can gossip about you," Alex joked.

Jack laughed. "Totally,"

I rolled my eyes, and smiled.

"Well this is boring." Zack said.

"Like I said, land of the boring. I mean, there is this one place. But you guys probably won't like it. It's really childish, and pathetic." I set my book down on the bed, and sat on the edge.

"What is it?" Jack asked, eagerly.

"Lazer tag. I know, I know. It's childish, and stupid, but-"

"You're all going down." Alex interrupted.

"What? I wasn't serious."

"Down, I say! Down!"