"Hey, mom," I said as I marched through the front door. My mother was in the kitchen fixing dinner.

"Hey, sweetie. How was school?" She asked, looking up from her vegetable cutting.

"It was good. I met someone," I said vaguely. She was so fixed on getting me a boyfriend and I knew she'd get hysterical at this statement and I wanted amusement from her reaction.

"Ooh!" My mom cheered. "What's his name? What's he like? Is he handsome?" She grinned and I grinned as well. Just the reaction I wanted.

"Not like that, mom! Calm down." I chuckled and settled into one of the chairs at the island set up in the midle of the kitchen. "She's a girl. She's my friend. Jeez, I'm not gonna meet a guy on the first day of school!" Dwelling on that thought, I didn't think I wanted a relationship at the moment.

"You've got a point. So, what's her name?" She asked, smiling down at the food in front of her.

"Her name's Lisa and she's pretty cool. She moves around a lot, but she'll be graduating with us."

My mom nodded, interested. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yes, she's... interesting. In a good way, though." I mentioned her hair and her style and my mother seemed intrigued. She never understood anything about self expression, she was very closed-minded.

My mom and I munched on some extra pieces of vegtables as we chatted some more. I peeked down at my phone in my pocket and noticed two missed calls from my father. I knew I'd eventually have to talk to him at some point, even though I really didn't want to.

If I block his number, I won't have to talk to him. The thought came quickly and I didn't dwell on it too much. I couldn't block his number.

"So, how're your classes? What's your schedule look like?" My parents had always put me in these high honor's classes--higher level classes, so they're tougher courses for the average student. Not what I would have chosen for myself, but whatever my parents decided was what went.

I sighed softly. "They're just what you signed me up for, mom." I slid off of my chair and picked up my bag. "I have a project I gotta get done, I'm going to my room now." I my heel and headed for my bedroom.

Just as I got into my room, my phone vibrated in my pocket: Lisa suggested dinner, you in? Jennie texted.

Today, the three of us hit it off really well. Lisa was so easy to be around and it was so comfortable between the three of us. I would have loved to spend more time with her. I'm in, I replied.

I'll pick you up. Dinner's at her house, I've got directions, her text read.

A small smile formed on my lips and I sent her a quick 'alright' and rushed to my closet to pick out something more suitable for the night.

"Mom, I'm going out to eat with Jennie and Lisa!" I yelled loud enough for my mother to hear as I pulled a clean shirt over my head.

"What about your project?" My mom called back.

I looked in the mirror and fluffed my hair before making my way down the stairs with my bag over my shoulder and kissed my mom on the cheek. "Bye, mom," I said with a sly smile and then left the house.

***

Jennie and I stood at the door, waiting for someone to answer it after we knocked. I stood there, fixing my shirt and flipping my hair. Nervous habits I noticed I'd picked up.

Did that mean I was nervous to be at Lisa's house? Maybe I was just nervous because she was practically a stranger. We had just met and now my best friend has taken me to her house for dinner. That must have been it. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect.

I let out a breath and nodded to myself, deciding this was the obvious conclusion.

"This is a nice place," Jennie said, stretching her neck to look up at the house. I nodded in agreement, looking left to right around the porch. It was a very nice house, nicer than most of the houses I've seen on the drive here. It was an older Victorian looking house but when you step foot onto the porch, it's modern and very cozy with beige and earthly colors.

As I looked around the porch and yard, the door swung open and a casually dressed Lisa stood in the doorway with a smile. "You didn't get lost!" she squealed in delight.

Jennie let out a short laugh and said, "It wasn't that hard to find you."

We exchanged hugs at the door and piled into the house. "My parents aren't home tonight," Lisa said over her shoulder as she lead us to the kitchen which was also the dining room as well. "They'll be gone until late. They're out to dinner with some old high school friends who are visiting town." She rolled her eyes and waved her hand at the thought.

"Do they know we're here for dinner?" I asked. We stopped in the kitchen and Lisa turned toward me with a smirk. She said "Nope," like it was no big deal.

Jennie was obviously thinking the same thing I was. She asked, "Would they be mad if they found out we were over tonight?"

Lisa shook her head quickly, making her way to the cabinets. "Nah, they're not strict like that. Besides, it's just a dinner with two people. It isn't like I'm having some raging party while my parents are away on vacation or something." She chuckled softly to herself. "Have you girls ever been to a party like that?"

Jennie and I looked at each other and gave each other the same look. It suddenly dawned on me that there was a lot we didn't know about this new girl whose kitchen we were now standing in.

"No. We haven't. There isn't much of that around here," Jennie answered.

Lisa came to the table with three glasses in her hands as she spoke. "They're pretty awesome. Nobody has to worry about parents