"Iris, get up!" my mom's screams woke me up.
"I don't want to," I said and rolled under the blanket.
"You've been in your room for five days. You need to start packing. Chris will be here at noon to pick you and Tony up."
"I still don't want to go!" I shouted back. The doorknob began to jingle as I if someone was trying to get in. Ha, good luck I locked the door. I heard a key inserted before the door opened. Damn, why does she have a copy?
"Iris, I know you don't. Trust me when I say I don't want you to go. Even if it's just for a week, I still don't want you to leave this house. I have no choice, Chris has custody over you again. It is not my decision."
"And why didn't I have a say in this?!" I shouted angrily.
"I don't know! Stop blaming this on me, Iris!"
"Then let me complain about me not wanting to go, I have my reasons!" I shouted back. She looked at me with a mixture of emotions.
"Just be ready by noon," she told me and left. I collapsed on my bed and curled into a ball.
"I fucking hate life," I muttered to myself. I looked at my clock and saw that it was ten. My phone began to vibrate, signifying that someone was calling me. "What?" I answered without looking at the caller ID.
"Good morning to you too, Princess," Mikey's voice said. I groaned and smacked my face against the pillow. "I see your day is already going fantastic."
"Hey, Mikes," I answered softly. "And you could say that."
"Today's the day?"
"Yeah, unfortunately," I grumbled. "I haven't even packed anything yet. And I'm going to be away for a week. What if my cats set the house on fire? I mean, that should be a reason for me to stay." We both laughed. "Do you think I should take books with me?"
"I'm concerned that that wasn't an option in the first place. Yes, I do think you should take books." I chuckled slightly.
"I have a whole batch of new books to read. I might just take those."
"Which ones, the ones I gave you?"
"Yeah," I said with a nod. "I've only read two so far."
"Two in a week? Iris, you are worrying me. You read all the time. I was expecting you to have six, maybe nine finished already," he jokingly said.
"Oh, shut up," I stated with a laugh. "I rarely leave my room now. After the fight with my mom, everything hasn't been the same."
"You'll sort it out, nerd. Get packing. I don't want you to get in more trouble."
"But, Mikey," I whined. "That's a lot of work. Plus I have to shower."
"Go shower then."
"But I'm talking to you." I heard his laugh through the phone. I smiled and messed with my fingers.
"Call me when you're done showering."
"Fine."
"I love you. Talk to you in a bit."
"I love you too, Mikes. Bye." I hung up and tossed my phone aside. Saying goodbye on the phone is always awkward for me. I grabbed an outfit to wear before heading to my bathroom. I sighed and showered quickly.
"Iris, I told you to pack up already!"
"It's not noon yet!" I snapped as I washed my hair. I heard the bedroom door slam shut. I turned the water off and changed into a pair of skinny black jeans and a plain black shirt. I hurried out and pulled my suitcase out of the closet. I flicked the bedroom light on, but it remained dark. Ugh, I don't have time to change the bulb right now. I pulled the curtains open and let the sunshine inside. Instinctively, I looked at the house across from me. To my surprise, I saw movement in Mikey's old bedroom. I ran down the stairs and threw the front door open. The grass was prickly under my bare feet. I saw the sign in front of the house. I stopped for a second before heading inside the open house. I pushed past the people walking around. The place changed, the hallway was no longer yellow, it was a cream color...
