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Jackie had moved in as soon as we got back from our last trip to Italy and never left. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice, given my dad’s decision to take on longer flights, making our time together go from two weeks a month to every other weekend, and that’s if I was lucky. And as my luck keeps going, she went back to New Hampshire early this morning.
    “Do you want to stay over?” I asked, praying Erin would say yes.
    “I would, but I still have a lot of packing to do.”
    “Yeah, so do I.” I tried hiding my disappointment.
    “I will if you want me to.”
    “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” I got out of the car.
    “Really, Sophie, I don’t mind staying if you need me.”
    “I know, but if you stay, I won’t get my room done.” I gave her an out.
    “Okay, but promise to call if you need me.”
    “I promise.” I smiled and waved goodbye as she backed out of the driveway.
    After making sure the house was safely locked, and all the alarms were on, I headed upstairs to hopefully finish what I started.
    “Hopeless.” I rolled my eyes at the mess in my room. Making the decision that sleep was more important than packing a room that would still be here when I returned from Italy; I spent the time scrubbing my face and teeth before heading to bed.
    After h uddling down deep into my covers, I grabbed my journal off the side table and put it under my pillow. As I lay there staring into the darkness of the room, I couldn’t help going back to a time in my life when I was happy, and I found myself wishing I kept up with my journal after losing my mom. No matter how hard I try to remember everything about her, it’s hard to remember the little things I took for granted. Like the sound of her laugh, or the way my name sounded whenever she said it. It’s the simple things I can’t remember that I find myself missing the most.
    With the help of my now uncontrollable tears, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

Chapter Four :
     
     
    I woke up early the next morning with my eyes swollen and crusted shut. I stumbled into the bathroom and warmed a towel to hold against them until I was able to open them without ripping any eyelashes out. After I was able to make out my reflection, I quickly went through my morning clean-up routine, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail before getting dressed for my morning run.
    It was the summer of my ninth grade year that I made the switch from running track to cross-country. It was a way to escape from the world for a long period of time without anyone worrying. Running has always been my own personal form of meditation, since it helps me clear my head for whatever life decides to throw at me that day.
    I made sure my IPod had a full charge, and scrolled through my playlists to find the perfect set of songs to get lost to. I’ve always envied people who are talented enough to write songs, especially the ones that could change a life.
    I tried writing a song once. I was twelve, and I wrote it for Geoff. It didn’t take long for me to realize that writing was not one of my given talents and, since I can’t carry a tune for the life of me, I was just going to have to change a life some other way.
    I allowed the music to take over my thoughts as I sang along. Most of the music I listen to is dark and dreary since that’s the mood I’ve been in for years, but I still had a few of my favorite song left from when Geoff was singing. It was shortly after his concert here that he switched to acting and hadn’t released any new music since.
    When I finally reached my halfway point, the park, I found my favorite spot around the lake to do my midway stretches. To me, Rhode Island has some of the most beautiful parks in the world; even in the worst area of town, they are breathtaking.
    Weeping Willow trees hover over the paths, creating the perfect amount of shade, and wildflowers grow along the lakes edges. If you’re lucky, in the early mornings you can catch the