Chapter 1

"Paola, Wake up! You're going to be late!" 

I knew my dad was right but I wasn't ready to face my new reality yet. I had two weeks to prepare myself for this moment, yet the blankets covered me in a protective shell and for the first time in six months I felt secure.

 Six months ago everything I knew ended, my entire life changed from one second to another. My mother decided to come clean to my father about her secret promiscuous life and how she fell in love with another man. That night shattered my existence, it was almost like if I died because I was going to have to be a new person. I had to learn how to only have one parent, half a family, and a new identity. We lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado we had a perfect life, at least perfect for us. My dad was a very successful Physical Therapist he had a 9-5 job that paid the bills and fulfilled every want we had. My mother was a real estate agent, she did pretty good herself. I was the only child, and I was loved deeply. Never spoiled though, my parents always wanted me to earn everything that was given to me, which I was fine with. I liked every part of my family, it was mine to have forever. That is until that night... I remember my dad sobbing in the bathroom when he thought he was alone, he was never alone though I could never leave him alone. I have always been very protective of him. He's the closet thing I have to a best friend. I have never been too good with friendships, especially with girls, sometimes I even think I was never suppose to be a girl because I'm so bad at it.

My mother moved in with her new family, and my father and I sold the house and moved down to Florida. He always loved vacationing in Orlando, so he thought it would be good to stay on a vacation forever. I stayed with my father, not that I had any choice. My mother left that same night and didn't even offer taking me. It's fine I guess because the answer was 'no' either way. 

Today was the first day of school. A brand new high school, brand new life, brand new me. We had gotten here two months ago during summer vacation but I hadn't really left the house other than to the grocery store and the occasional trip to the beach. We lived really close to the beach, It was my backyard really. My father bought a very nice house with its own private beach. He was always a good money saver and he got some good money from the house we sold in Colorado. He didn't have to share anything with my mother because she practically left us everything. Even her blue Lexus, which my dad said I could have once I got my license. I'll sell it though, I wouldn't want anything from her as a pity gift. 

I took a deep breathe and untangled myself from my sheets. I threw on a Metallica t shirt (my favorite) and a pair of washed out black denim jeans and my maroon Converse and headed down stairs. "Hey, how's your morning so far?" asked my dad while working the coffee maker. "As good as it gets I'm afraid..." I didn't want to make eye contact so i shoved a waffle down my throat and looked for a comb to brush my hair a bit. "It'll get better honey I promise, think of it as starting over, be whoever you want... maybe even start dating... I mean you ARE turning 16 soon." He looked at me with tender eyes I knew this was probably even harder for him than it was for me. I had to get over myself and be his support system through all this. "Of course dad, Boys will be knocking down your door by this weekend. I'm actually excited." I had to be a new person because Paola from Colorado was gone, Now Paola from Florida had to make an appearance, and she was no b***h.