In the end we regret what we haven’t done. But instead we should look at what we have done. Right? My mom asks this question everyday. She’s not looking for an answer she’s looking for away around life.

I lean my head against the door. Mom and dad are arguing and this time I can’t tell what it’s about.

“This could be our last chance?” Dad shouts, making the door shake as he slams his fist on the table. “Why don’t we just take it?”

I could hear mom say something, she sounded sad. Like alwyas. It was something I wish I could fix. Something she didn’t need in life. Something we all didn’t need.

“I can’t try again!” Moms voice was loud.

“I just want us to be a family!” Dad hits the table again.

“But we’re not. And I’m too afraid to try.”

“No, Kathy that’s not it. Your just afraid to screw up again.”

I could hear Mom choke a sob out, “Micheal.”

Dad cut her off, “No I don’t want to hear it.” He gave mom a quick little laugh, “I don’t need to hear it.”

I took my ear away from the door. It was too much to hear my parents fight. Mostly it was about me. And that’s why I almost want to run away. They’re ending a perfect marriage because of me.

I’m a good person, or at least I always thought I was. So why did I always ruin everyone’s lives? That’s the question I want answered.

I grabbed my back pack, stuffed it with a few things mostly shirts. And climbed out the window. My room was on the top floor. Luckily there was a giant oak tree right out my window that me, Mallory and Lily had always climbed as kids.

I stuck my foot out land reached for the thick branch that was a few inches away.

Climbing the tree was the simple part of the night, figuring out where I was going to go and what story I would tell. That was the hard part.

I could easily make something up but if I couldn’t believe it then how was I suppose to make others believe it?

I landed quietly on the dirt ground. I didn’t even look behind my shoulder as I ran.

I just left my home.

I decided that running to the back roads that were a few yards away from my house would be a good start. No one ever drove on them. I always thought they were haunted.

I walked on the side of the road closest to the forest, in case I needed to run away. Except that the forest scared me so if I ran I probably wouldn’t run that way. But it’s good to have choices. Especially at night.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket.

I had missed three calls from Mom. I wanted to call her back, and tell her everything was going to be okay. And this time maybe it would be right. I was leaving she could fix her marriage.

I called Mom back, holding the phone up to my ear. But all I got was that ring that always made me think she never would answer. I hung up before it could go to voice mail.

“You okay?”

I stopped in my tracks looking around me. There was no one out there. Maybe I had just heard it, maybe I was hoping that someone was there. Someone that I could talk to.

A figure came out from the middle of the deserted road.

“Hello?” I asked, trying to move forward but failing.

The figure came up to me, and in the moon light I could make it out.

His brown eyes glowed almost an orange. And his pitch black hair was dark. I had never seen hair as dark as his.

“What are you doing out here?” He asked standing in front of me.

“I was just um. . . You know. Talking a walk.”

He smiled nodding, “At midnight? Little dangerous don’t you think.”

I tried to nodded back. I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or something else. Something I couldn’t explain.

“Sometimes danger is good.”

He smiled, “I’m Tyler.”

I smiled back, without any problems, “I’m Elina.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you. I better get going. My family just moved in and I should be back by now. My brother Malachai told me not to be gone for too long.”

I nodded as he walked past me, “It was nice to meet you too.”

He lifted his hand above his head. The way my Dad would wave when he didn’t feel like turning around and saying goodbye.

I watched as Tyler walked away. His family had just moved in. Did he mean here? He seemed so much nicer than everyone in the town maybe I shouldn’t run away. Maybe I should stick around.

Maybe tonight was the night my terriable life would get turned around.

I walked almost ran back home. Tomorrow I was going to go by Tyler’s house and give his family brownies. It seemed like the best idea. And I always went with the best ideas.