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time locked up with her crazy mother.
    "Sure," I yelled. Halley looked positively thrilled.
    "Oh great!" Margaret called. "Come over whenever you like."
    "Alright, thanks," I said. "I'll see you later." I waved one last time before walking up the front steps to my house. When I got inside I saw to my horror that Jasmine was sitting at the kitchen table stirring a cup of coffee. She looked up when she heard me.
    "Oh Nevaeh, I was wondering where you were. Come over here and sit by me," she said pulling out the chair beside her and tapping it with her hand. I sighed and dragged my feet over to the kitchen.
    "Where's my dad?" I asked after sitting down at the kitchen table.
"Oh, he's upstairs. He'll be down in a minute," she said. "I took him down to my office and showed him where I work. He got to see everything involved in the making of Vogue. He just loved it." I rolled my eyes.
    "I bet," I said sarcastically. She didn't notice.
    "So what have you been doing today?" she asked, staring intently at me. I hated her fake interest in me. I could so easily tell that she didn't really give a damn.
    "Nothing really," I said. "I was just at my friend's house."
    "Oh, you're boyfriend?" she asked.
    "Um, no."
    "Oh, I was going to ask you," she said, "which one of those boys is your boyfriend."
    "Uh…what boys?" I asked.
    "You know, there was that one who was over here yesterday. What was his name?"
    "Cael," I said impatiently.
    "Yes Cael, that's it. And then I saw you outside last night with that other boy…dark hair, kind of mysterious," she said, trying to describe him.
    "Nathan," I said.
    "So which one is your boyfriend?" she asked.
    "Neither," I said. I heard my father coming down the stairs.
    "Hey Nevaeh, where ya been?" he asked, leaning over to kiss Jasmine. I gave them a look of disgust, but he didn't see.
    "Cael's," I said. "Dad, don't you ever go to work anymore?"
    He laughed. "Sure I do, but I'm not needed as much right now."
    "Yeah, now that you got Miss Vogue to tie you down," I said under my breath.
    "What was that?" he asked me.
    "Nothing," I said. I got up and walked towards the stairs.
    "Come back here Nevaeh, I'm not done with you," he said.
    "Well, I'm done with you," I called, marching up the stairs and stomping into my room. I started to pack my bag to go to Halley's. I was already sick of being in this house, and I'd only been there for 10 minutes. I hated Jasmine, I hated my father. I was just biding time until she was gone for good and my dad went back to burying himself in his work. I didn't really like that either, but it was all I knew. I figured that was the way it should be.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    "Hello? Earth to Nev," I heard Halley say.
    "Oh, sorry," I said, bringing my attention back to the present. I was sitting in Maddy's old room, and I hardly recognized it. It looked completely different now that it was inhabited by someone else. "Could I used your bathroom?" I asked.
    "Sure, it's-," Halley started.
    "I know where it is," I said before she could finish.
    She squinted her eyes at me. "How do you know where it is?" She looked confused.
    "My best friend used to live here," I said. "I've been here a million times."
    "Oh my God, I didn't know that. So did she move?" Halley asked.
    I looked down at the floor and heaved a sigh. "She passed away," I said, "a little over a month ago."
    Halley's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God Nevaeh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
    I shook my head, still looking at the floor. "It's okay," I said, holding back tears the way I always did. "I'll be right back." I headed down the familiar hallway to the bathroom. It was basically the same. The walls were the same, the floor, the sink, the tub, the toilet were all just how I remembered them. I stood in front of the mirror where Maddy and I often did to do our hair or our make up.
    I walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to what