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thought out of my head. I
loved my mom and she was great. She just had a tendency to
over-react. Usually it wasn’t a big deal but tonight, I just
couldn’t handle it.
    I headed to the
room Dad had set up for me five years ago when he’d bought the
house shortly after their separation. I lived with Mom but slept
here as much as I could. I grabbed a pair of cotton pj bottoms with
a tank top and headed downstairs. Dad had this awesome huge double
shower installed down there.
    Turning both
jets on high, I stripped down and stepped in. The hot water pounded
on my back and top of my head. It felt awesome. The power of the
jets drowned out my parents’ voices. A headache began creeping up
the back of my neck and spreading like a vice around my head. I
washed my mud-caked legs and scrubbed the dirt out of my hair. If
my head didn’t hurt so badly, I’d have enjoyed the shower longer.
All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and vanish for the next
hundred hours. I never got migraines and this felt
debilitating.
    I dressed and
paused at the kitchen entrance. Dad had calmed Mom down. They each
sat on a bar stool, having a glass of wine. Mom was laughing at
something Dad said, her slender fingers resting on his bicep.
    She stood when
she saw me and came over to give me a hug. “Glad you’re okay.” She
kissed my forehead. “Ready to go?”
    “I-I…uh…” I
stood there in pjs and she wanted to take me home? Some people were
actually getting up at this time to go to work!
    “Bev.” Dad
rested his hand on her shoulder. “Why not let Zoezey sleep here.
It’s almost morning, and she’s exhausted.”
    Her brows
creased together and she opened her mouth.
    “Mom,” I
interrupted, stopping any chance of her speaking. “My head’s
killin’. I’m gonna lie down. You finish your wine. If I’m still
awake when you’re done, I’ll come back with you.”
    She nodded and
from behind her shoulder, Dad winked at me.
    “G’night.” I
turned and headed upstairs, not waiting for their wishes or kisses.
I shuffled to my bedroom, barely able to keep my eyes open from the
pounding in my head. I really had a new sympathy for migraine
sufferers. If I could fall asleep before it hit full-on, I’d avoid
the worst of it. I stumbled into bed, shoving the pillow over my
ears to drown out my parents. They were so hot and cold, sometimes
I felt like the adult.
    Noises all
around screamed deep into my ear canals. There was no escape into
darkness, just the shards and fracturing across the inside of my
eyelids. Too exhausted to fight, I lay there tortured, unable to
move.

Chapter
4
     
    Ka-poosh!…
Ka-poosh... Kapoosh!
    I groaned and
threw the duvet over my face. When that didn’t deafen the
jackhammer outside, I grabbed the pillow and stuffed it over my
head. It’s freakin’ Sunday morning and Dad’s idiot neighbour has
to rip the concrete out of his driveway NOW?
    Ka-poosh!
    Bolting
upright, I chucked the pillow at the closet. The noise continued to
echo in my ears and ricochet inside my head. I glanced at the
nightstand, swearing I’d just heard the click of the numbers
changing. Impossible. Seeing as it’s freakin’ digital .
    Six a.m., right
on the button.
    Rubbing my
eyes, I checked again. Yeah, I’d read it correctly. I banged my
head against the pillow. Except it wasn’t there. It lay on the
floor by my closet.
    Three hours of
sleep. Seriously?
    I punched the
mattress and pushed myself out of bed. I jerked back, startled when
an echo from the bed’s springs squealed against my ear drums.
Stomping to the window, I flipped open Dad’s expensive California
shutters. The street below lay void of life. The neighbour didn’t
have a hard hat crew jacking up the concrete; only his Lexus sat in
the driveway. Dad lived in the rich side of town where all the
professional doctors, lawyers and whoever were all still in bed
this morning. Only a stupid fly with an annoying buzz banged into
the glass a few times before finally taking