“Yeah....Nick!....Yeah I got to go….Ok…Love you too….Yeah…Bye.” Kimberly Littrell hang up the phone after talking to her boyfriend, Nick. She began to walk out the door.

“Where are you going?” her mother asked.

“Out!”

“Kimber-“ the door slammed before she could get out another syllable. “I wish I could figure out what is wrong with her lately."

Kimberly walked down the street to her friends’ house. They were the only friends she had made in the six months of living in Orlando.

As she entered the smoke-filled room, everyone greeted her.

“Hey, are you fed up with everything again?” asked Lisa.

“Of course. I don’t think that in the last six months there has been a time that I wasn’t fed up with everything.”

“I hear you. Want one?” Lisa asked pulling out something that wasn’t but looked like a cigarette.

“Uh, no thanks.”

“Sure?…Okay…..Oh yeah Kimberly this Bobby he just got back.”

“Oh, nice to meet you. Where from?” she said offering her hand.

“Prison,” he said not shaking her hand just giving a nod.

“Oh.”

“I better go. Nick’s supposed to come over,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Oh, okay,” Lisa said dully.

Kimberly began to walk out the door.

“Hey wait!” She turned around. “Take this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a pill that will help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said that your fed up with everything. This pill will calm you down. Get rid of stress. Help you to not get so annoyed.”

“Really?” Kimberly said sounding interested.

“Uh huh.”

“Well, I’d do anything to be in a better mood. Okay.” She took the bottle and left.

“I’ll get it!” Kimberly yelled running towards the door.

“Yes?” she said even though she knew it would be Nick.

“Hey,” he said kissing her. He came in and they sat on the couch.

“My parents are going out so we’re gonna be alone. Is that okay?” she asked smiling.

“No that’s not okay. Why would I want to be alone with you?” He laughed and she hit him with a pillow.

“Okay we’re gonna leave now. Have fun and behave yourselves.”

“Don’t worry Mom.”

“I know.” They walked out the door.

“Is it me or does she seem….happier?” Mrs. Littrell asked her husband.

“That’s funny. I was just thinking the same thing.”

"So what do you wanna do?" Kimberly asked Nick. He started to kiss her neck. "I should have known."

His lips moved from her neck, up to her cheek, then over to her lips. Before she knew it Nick was almost on top of her and was begining to slip his hand up the back of her shirt.

"Wait."

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"I don't know?" she replied then kissed his lips gently.

”That’s my parents,” Kimberly said jumping off the bed and running down the stairs. Nick followed close behind her.

”We’re- Hi.”

”Hello,” Kimberly replied as Mr. and Mrs. Littrell walked towards the kitchen.

”I guess I better go,” Nick said wrapping his arms around her waste.

”Okay,” she said putting her arms around his neck and kissing him.

He pulled away and walked out the door. “Call me,” she yelled.

”I will.”

”I love you.”

Nick stopped, turned around, and smiled. It was the first time she had said it first in months. “I love you too.”

"Uhg." That was the third morning in a rowe she had thrown-up right after waking up. She didn't tell her parents because she thought that it was probably just side effects from the pills. Today was her last pill. She had used them for a month. She wanted more, but Bobby and everyone else had been caught with illegal drugs and sent to jail. So much for friends, she had thought.

"Oh, my gosh!" she said aloud to herself. She had just gotten out of the doctor's office. She had been off the pills for weeks, still she didn't feel any better. The doctor's analysis ran through her mind again and agian.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this Ms. Littrell, but you are a little over a month pregnant."

"I'm sorry, but I'm just telling you the facts."

"How could this happen?" she thought aloud agian. "What am I going to do? I can't tell my parents they'd freak...and Nick...Nick's just now getting popular. No I can't tell him either...Well, there's only one thing I can do."

"Kimberly?" Mrs. Littrell yelled from outside the bedroom door. "Kimberly? Nick's waiting downstairs for you." With no answer she opened the door and walked in. "Are you still aslee-," to her surprise there was no one in the room. "Kimberly?"

Mrs. Littrell ran down the stairs. "Harold, have you seen Kimberly?" she asked her husband.

"No, why?"

Mrs. Littrell didn't answer but ran back up the steps. Mr. Littrell and Nick followed.

"Where can she be?" Mrs. Littrell asked. Then suddenly she saw a piece of paper lying on the nightstand. She picked it up.

"What is it?" Mr. Littrell asked.

"It's a note...from Kimberly."

Mrs. Littrell began to read, "Dear Mom and Dad, I'm really sorry to have to do this, but I don't really see any other choice. I want you to know that I am safe and will call as soon as I can. You have been wonderful parents so don't blame this on yourselves. I want you to know that I love you very much...," Mrs. Littrell was crying now, "...and always will. Tell Brian and Harold that I will always love them too. I'll miss you very much. Love always, Kimbelry. P.S. Tell Nick I'll always love him too." Now Mrs. Littrell was balling. She looked up at her husband. "Why would she have left? I thought she was finally happy."

"I don't know, Honey, so did I," Mr. Littrell said haveing tears in his eyes as well.

"Nick?" Mrs. Littrell looked up at him hopefully.

"I have no clue," he said swallowing the big lump in his thoat.

"Hello," Jane said as Nick walked through the door. "Did you have fun today.

"Not really."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Kimberly ran away."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. She just wrote a note and left. No one knows why or anything. The police were over at the Littrells' all day today, but no one seems to be able to do anything about it. I guess she's...gone."

"Oh my gosh." Then Nick finally realized everything that had happeded. He fell into his mother's arms and just let everything out.

"Shew, it is so good to get away from it all for couple days," Nick said driving into a little a town. Just then "Shape of My Heart" began to play on the radio. "Aw," he said rubbing his head. "I think I need some Asprin." He pulled over at a little drugstore.