Chapter 1 (Jade)

Sunlight pours through the windshield bringing me back to reality. I slowly wake, trying to stretch my legs out in the cramped back seat of my car. It’s technically my Dad’s old car. It would be my Dad’s possession, had he still been alive. He died last year, and ever since things haven’t been the same.

If I’m being honest to myself, things have escalated rather quickly. I’ve went from a 4.2 student, to homeless at eighteen years old. I’d say it was the death of my Dad that caused it all. I didn’t know how to deal with my pain and emptiness, so I started to seclude myself. I lost contact with all my old friends and made new ones in the wrong crowd. I tried to leave before I got in too deep, but I didn’t leave unscathed.

Don’t worry I didn’t die. I still have all my body parts. I just got punished for my actions, which is why I am here; living in a cramped dirty old car. But it is the only place where I feel close to my Dad. I need someone to hang on to at this point.

All of my actions were too much for my mother. A couple of months ago she kicked me out. I guess I see her side in it, but we were both in a time of need. I still don’t understand why she decided this, but at the same time she didn’t understand why I did what I did either. She never has, but I don’t expect her to. I don’t even understand why I did what I did. So I am trying to make the best of my situation, and that means going to college. I got a full ride to the University of Virginia about 2 hours away from my hometown. I was against it at first, but it beats living in my car like I have been the past three months. Especially since things are going to get worse soon.

So that is where I am currently. Driving to my new home, hopefully it’s a better fit for me. I hope I can finally turn my life around. A new start is what I need, a new beginning. Not just for myself, but for my unborn child.