Our Summer In Paris

8 hours and 20 minutes

*Candace Pov*

"I can't believe your going to Paris." My best friend Hazel tells me as I packed the last of my clothes in my suitcase. "Do you know it takes 8 hours and 20 minutes to get to Paris from Florida?" She asked look down at her phone. "Yes Haz. I do know. Hello! I'm going over there." I put my suitcase near the door with my purse and jacket.

I sit down next to her. "So if you going to meet any cute boys, make sure he has a cute brother. One for me and one for you." Haz exclaimed as she redid her makeup. "Haz. For the 50th time.  I'm not going to Paris to meet boys. I'm going to help my career as a journalist." I replied. Ever since I mentioned Paris, she has been obsessed with all the Paris boys.

She turns to me and pouts. "But I will take stalker pictures of cute boys that I see." I tell her knowing she lives for stalker pictures. Her pout turns into a smile. She comes and hugs me. "I'm going to miss you so much Candy. It's going to be so boring with out you." I started to cry. "I'm going to miss you too Haz." We hug each other tighter. We keep hugging each other until my mother comes into my room.

I look exactly like her. We could be twins. Her light brown hair is in a messy bun plied on top of her hair. She has on an old shirt and short. She walks into my room and kicks off her flip-flops. She hugs me an Haz. "Hazel, I hate to say this, but you have to go home." My mother tells has as she pushes loose hair behind her ears.(the mother's hair.) Haz give her a lopsided smile and starts grabbing her things. Once she makes sure she has everything she say goodnight and goodbye to my mother. I walked her to her car. A crappy green sedan. "Call me when you land Candace." Haz never calls me Candace, only if she's serious or upset. "Yes mother!" I replied with a valley girl voice. I give her a kiss on the cheek and watch her pull out of my driveway and drive off.

I walked back into my room. I see my mother looking at a picture on my desk. I stopped in my tracks. I know the picture she's holding, even though I can't see it from here. It was around this time in the summer. I was 5 years old and I had just lost my first tooth. I didn't want any pictures taken of me. My mother, father and me went up to my grandparents cabin. I had just gotten out of the lake. My hair was in a wet mess. Plastered on the sides of my face. My father had a camera. Without thinking about it i ran up to him and put my cheek on his cheek. His arm was around him. My mother ran over and did the same pose. I was between my parents. Smiling. That felt like a hundred years ago. I was mad. But I soon got over it. Then 2 years later. My father passed away. Drunk driver hit his parked car. I was on the phone with him because I wanted him to sing our song.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard the front door slammed. My mother put down the picture and ran out of my room to greet my stepdad. When I was 13 my mother remarried. He was fantastic until I was 15. Then he started to come home drunk. He became abusive. I remember being in my room. My mother and him going back and forth, then hearing the sound of his hand meeting my mother's face. Hearing my mother's sobs. In that moment I hated him. Then last year he started to hit me to. My mother did nothing. But she couldn't interfere. Because he will hit me harder. We were in a prison with no escape.

I was worried about leaving my mother here by herself with him. But she told me she'd be fine. I got into bed and closed my eyes. Waiting for sleep to take over me. I feel myself slipping into dreamland. And my last thought before going into a deep sleep was I wish you were here dad. We miss you.