"So, Danielle." My mother spoke, cutting her piece of chicken with the side of her fork.
"Yes?" I looked up from my plate of food, which I had hardly touched since we sat down for dinner.
"How is taking the bus? Is it as bad as you thought it would be?" She asked.
"It's great, really." I lied. "There's this group of older guys that hang out on the corner and they just sit there doing drugs and drinking beer."
I heard my father chuckle, but he quickly covered it up by pretending to cough. My father had always been on my side, since the day I was born. He was my buddy, my partner in crime. He was my constant playmate when I was a child, but as I got older we grew apart, just like any father and daughter do. After his business became more successful and he started needing to go on more and more trips, I stopped trying so hard for his attention. We still talked and had fun times with each other, but it was rare.
"It's wonderful, mom. I love the smell of weed in the morning." I sighed.
I had devised a plan, and that plan was to make the bus stop seem as horrible as possible. If I acted like I enjoyed it, of course my parents would want to return my car keys to me. Who wants their child hanging out with a ton of drug addicts every morning? I sure wouldn't.
"Danielle." My mother said sternly.
"They offered to take me to this club with them this weekend, and they say they know a place where I can get free cocaine, no questions asked." I went on, trying to infuriate my mom even more.
"Danielle, that's enough!" She shouted, stopping me from saying any more. "You are not getting the keys to your car back until you've learned your lesson!"
"Daddy." I pouted, using my father as a last resort. It had been one month since I started going on the bus and I just couldn't take it any more. I would do whatever I could to get those keys back.
"Listen to your mother, Danielle." My father said, after having a silent conversation with my mother right in front of me eyes. I felt betrayed. My own father, my longtime best friend, my bud, taking my evil mothers side.
"This is so unfair!" I groaned.
"Maybe next time you want to sneak a boy into the house you'll remember how good it feels to drive your car." My mother shook her head at me disapprovingly.
"I can't even remember how to drive anymore! I've been deprived for too long." I rested my hand on my forehand and leaned against the table, clearly over-exaggerating my emotions.
"You're making a fool of yourself." My mother sighed.
"This is impossible!" I shouted, shoving my full plate of food away from me. "I give up, I'm going to lock myself in my room and stay there until I'm 80."
I stood up from my chair and rushed away from the table, leaving my parents behind to finish their dinner in silence. I stomped up the stairs, making sure to make extra noise as I walked.
As I passed by a window on the staircase I noticed a very familiar figure passing by. He dressed in all black and seemed to walk with a purpose, his signature cigarette dangling between his fingers. He looked so flawless without even trying, without any knowledge that there was someone staring at him through a window. I could have sat there and watched him stride by me, but then I would have missed my chance to speak to him.
I threw opened the window and stuck my head through, yelling to him. "Hey, Irwin!"
Ashton stopped walking and glanced around him, searching for the source of the voice that had just called. He put the cigarette between his lips again and drew a big breath in before finally looking up to the window, catching sight of me.
