Chapter 2

Hours later the party had ended. Mom and Dad had taken Emily upstairs to get her ready for bed, leaving me, Lance and Josh in the living room for a few minutes.

"It's so great to be home. Paris is nice to visit but I can't stand everything being so refined all the time."

"Well why don't you come back to the states and go to school." Josh questioned.

"Are you nuts? Remember how they were when they found out I got accepted to AUP? They wouldn't let me have the option to go somewhere here when I had such a great opportunity."

"You've had the opportunity and you don't seem to fond of it. Convince your parents to let you transfer." Lance suggested.

"It wouldn't hurt to try." Josh supported Lance's comment.

"Yea I guess. We'll see what they say."

The three of us sat and watched some made for TV movie on ABC until my parents came in with us.

"So how's it feel to be back kiddo?" My dad asked sitting in the recliner to my right.

"Great. I missed everyone so much. It's not good to be gone that long and far away."

"Well look at the opportunity you've had. Going to school in Paris with grades like yours. You've got a real talent."

"I know and I mean I've been in Paris for a year and had the exposure but I really want to come home. When I have a problem I just can't run home I'm thousands of miles away and quite frankly I'm scared out there."

"Honey we've told you just pick up the phone no matter what hour if you need us." my mom attempted to comfort me with that.

"Don't you two understand. I'm at a point in my life where I'm going through a lot. I'm an adult now and you're forcing me out of the country to a damn prep school basically and I miss my family and not only that." I grabbed Lance's hand "I miss being with him." I looked over at him "I thought that tour business was tough at first not seeing him for weeks and sometimes a month at a time. But I mean I haven't seen him in a year and it's so hard for us to stay in touch. How can a relationship stay strong for 4 years like this mom?"

"You're just kids, you don't need to tie yourselves down yet."

"God why is it such an issue for me to come back home and possibly go to a school in Orlando?"

"Your mother is right." my dad chimed in. "If you don't finish school at AUP you'll look back in the future and wish you had because not everyone gets the chance you have had."

"I've been there for a year. Do you know what a pain in the ass it is not to just walk up to someone on the street and be like 'Hey how ya doing?' I have to be all proper and be like 'Bonjour, Ca va?' It's not me I want to be able to come home and dress in baggy clothes and not be looked at like 'woah what's she wearing' do you understand?"

"No I don't. You're going back to AUP in September and that is final." my dad said in a loud tone.

"Thanks for caring!" I said and ran out the door slamming it behind me leaving my brother and Lance in the tension filled room.

"That child has a little too much attitude for me." my mom said to my father.

"So where do I have to go to college?" Josh asked.

"Wherever you want. Why are you thinking about college so early?" asked my father.

"How come I can go wherever and Jen has no say?"

"Josh don't you get in this."

"Too late I'm in it. Now most likely I'm going to get a football scholarship into some big school but just what if I don't want it? What then? Am I still free to go wherever."

"Well we'd probably push you towards the scholarship because it's an honor to get accepted like that."

"Dad don't you get what I'm saying? Jen had the whole France exposure. Don't you even care that she didn't just have the opportunity to fly home for Thanksgiving or even Christmas? She was out in France with the preps crying to me over the phone Christmas day when I called out there because you didn't even think about calling her. What were you worrying about? If the napkins matched the table cloth. Glad to see where your priorities are at."

"Don't be silly. Your sister had to study for midterms over Christmas, she wasn't upset when we called her a few days before then. Lance, did you notice anything wrong with her?"

"Well, umm.... actually I called her Christmas too and we talked for about an hour and she seemed really depressed and was crying off and on."

"This is all ridiculous, you all go have a fun summer and she'll be fine come August when she goes back. But right now we're going to bed cause we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Goodnight boys." my mom said as my father and her exited the room.

Shortly after Lance walked onto the porch and looked beneath the oak tree where I was sitting on a swing. Slowly he strolled over to help ease my tears and anger.

"Hey mind if I sit now?" he said pointing to the swing beside mine.

"No, sit. Just promise you won't leave me. You and Josh are the only ones who seem to care about me. Just please Lance don't go." I said between my sobs. Lance didn't sit instead he motioned for me to stand up and then embraced me ever so tightly not muttering a word. That was all the reassurance I needed.

"Uh Jen." I loosened myself from his hold and looked behind him, it was Josh.

I walked over to him and gave him a semi-big hug "Josh thanks for sticking up for me. Now listen to me. When they send me back at the end of August you can't let them do this to you Josh. You have to take care of yourself, and don't let them get to Emily. I know she's young but still."

"I won't. I've had just about enough of them to last a lifetime. You just let them try that with me." I kinda giggled at him and gave him another hug as I wiped my eyes.

"What time is it?" I asked through my final sniffles.

"Almost 9:15" Lance replied.

"The night is still young. Come on you 2 let's get out of here!" I said as I walked to my car.

"Here let me drive." Lance insisted taking my keys. I sat in the passengers side and Josh grabbed a seat in the back. We quickly got out of there, now where we were going that was another thing.

"So where exactly are we going?" Josh asked.

"Well if you're up for it a group of people are over at Justin's they had invited us, if you wanna go that is."

"Yea, let's go. You don't mind do you Josh?" I asked turning back to him.

"Me? Party? Mind? Of course not let's go."

Chapter 3
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