"No."

     "Well, you see, the thing is, that wasn't really a question, Mom."

     "You are not dropping out of college to chase some wild dream." Both of my parents sat across from me on the yellow couch in the living room in our home in upstate New York. It was late summer, about a week before I had to go back to for my junior year of college. The coffee table between the couch and the chair that I currently occupied held three untouched coffees. This little meeting that I had rehearsed in my head over and over again was not going as I had planned.

     "Mom, I'm not dropping out of college, I just want to change my major from pre-med to something more musical. Look, I've got it all planned out, I'm just going to transfer from Dartmouth to NYU, and-"

     "Now, you're talking about leaving Dartmouth? No, I don't know what's gotten into you, but I will not allow it."

     "But mom," I was trying to sound mature and adult in this situation, but it came out much more like the teenage whines that I was trying so hard to get away from.

     "No buts. We provide for you, and we're paying for your education, so you follow our rules," my mother was yelling now. I'd never seen her so mad.

     "Dad?" I asked, but the way I whispered it, we both knew it was more like a beg than a question.

     He stayed silent, offering me no help, and instead opted to let my overly strict mother do the talking. "Vienna Marie Key, you go back to school and you finish these last two years. You will graduate from Dartmouth and then go to medical school and become a doctor, just like your father and I." She was standing now, seeming to tower over me, even though she wasn't a tall woman.

     I stood up too. "Mom, this isn't what I want. I hate science, I really do, and I hate Dartmouth too. Please, let me try and pursue music." There was no way I was going back to Dartmouth. I was louder now. I was standing my ground.

     "Fine."

     My heart dropped. What the hell was fine supposed to mean? That was probably the scariest thing she could have said to me in that moment. "What?" The word barely came out.

     "You can do whatever you want, it is your life, after all. But you do this, you leave Dartmouth to sing or whatever your fruitless and naive hopes are, and you also leave this family. There is no coming back after that. And, good luck transferring, because you're cut off. No more tuition payments, no more credit cards. Do you hear me?"

     "Loud and clear, mom," I said, my eyes welling up with tears, as I looked down at my shoes. Out of all the times I played this in my head, it never ended like this. I could have never imagined it ending like this. I swallowed hard and met her eyes again. "But I have to follow my dreams. I have to do this." I took a step closer to her, praying for her to change her mind, praying for her to pull me into her arms and tell me that it was going to be okay.

     She didn't. Her voice was firm and unwavering, her jaw drawn tightly. "Get your things and get out." She walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, with tears running down my cheeks and my mouth open in shock about what just happened. I slowly turned to face my dad. He sighed, refusing to make eye contact with me, and then stood up and followed my mother out.

     "Well, consider me fucked," I said to myself, wiping the tears and mascara off of my cheeks, before heading up the stairs to pack my things.

     I knew I couldn't bring much, so I packed myself a suitcase and a backpack of my essentials and went on my way. When I went back downstairs to exit the house, both of my parents were gone, no note, no nothing, just gone.

     When I went outside, a familiar red Sedan was waiting by the curb. I threw my stuff in the trunk and then climbed in the passenger seat. My Aunt Talia sat in the driver's seat, a knowing look gracing her face.

     "So, they finally kicked you out, huh?" She said, smiling at me and lifting her eyebrow with the piercing in it. She knew how her sister could be sometimes.

     "Yeah, they actually kicked me out. I can't even believe that it happened," I said exasperatedly, throwing my hands up in the air, as she pulled the car away from the curb and drove down the street. I glanced in the rear view mirror and watched my childhood dissipate before my eyes.

     "Well, she'll get over it, eventually, and I'm sure you'll figure things out."

     I was only sure of the latter item, but I agreed anyways. "Yeah, yeah. I will." I turned around to greet my little cousin in the car seat in the back. "Hi little Lana."

     The two year old giggled and waved at me, her fingers slimy from being in her mouth. I grinned at her, before turning back to face the road.

     "Hey! Get the hell out of my lane, asshole!" Aunt Talia yelled, throwing a hand up at a nearby car. "Oh, wait, shit, maybe I was in their lane. Oh, yep, definitely was." Both cars stopped at a red light, and she rolled down her window. "My bad, sir, thank you for your service."

     I cracked up, as the angry older man, a veteran, apparently, just flipped her the bird and sped off as soon as the light was green.

     My Aunt Talia was kind of crazy, but in a completely good way. She had always been a free spirit, a wild card, if you will. We all had thought that she would never settle down and stop acting like a teenager, but lo and behold, she eventually got married and had Lana. We were very close, she was one of my best friends.

     Before long, we pulled up in front of the train station. I hugged my remaining family goodbye, before taking my luggage out of the back, and starting my solo journey.

     "One ticket to Grand Central Terminal, please," I said, shooting the women behind the glass a cheerful smile. I was excited, even though I had no plans and no where to go. I had been waiting so long to say those words, had dreamed about it, even. 

     I was an optimistic person and believed that once I got into the city, I would be okay.

     I handed the lady the requested amount. "Train leaves soon, better hurry up." Her voice was monotone and glum. Maybe somebody else also needed a trip to New York City.

     I thanked her, before dragging my suitcase over to the direction she pointed me in. After some slight confusion, I located and boarded the train, finding an empty area for myself.

     I popped my headphones in and took my computer out, as the train started to pull away from the station. I spent about fifteen minutes searching for an apartment, before I found one that seemed alright.

     It had four rooms and looked decent enough, with three college students living in it. I figured I would fit right in with these girls, so I called the given number.

     "Uh hullo?" It was a man's groggy voice, definitely not what I was expecting.

     "Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong number. I was looking for the room for rent."

     "This is the place. You interested?" Apparently, it wasn't three college girls living there. I thought back to the ad and realized that all it said was three college kids, and not specifically girls. I had just assumed they would be girls.

     Before I could answer, there was a crash and then some struggling noises on the other end. "Hey girl, are you by any chance hot?" It was a different voice now. Then another even louder struggle, before the first voice resumed.

     "Sorry, that was Zane, um, anyways-"

     "Zane, shut up and let Bishop handle it. Bishop, ask if she's hot," another voice yelled in the background.

     "Finn! Both of you shut up. Where the hell is Danny? He was supposed to handle the business side of things. I don't know what I'm doing!" It was the first voice again, I was pretty sure, but more distant, like his hand was over the receiving end.

     "Um, do you have a room to rent or not?" I asked.

     "Yes, yes we do. So, can I have your name?"

     "Vienna, Vienna Key."

     "Bishop Lance. So do you want to come by and look at the apartment at some point?"

     "Yeah, how about in like half an hour?" I crossed my fingers, aware that it was very last minute, but desperately in need of a place to stay the night.

     "Woah, alright then. You're lucky I have no life."

     "Yes!" I whisper-screamed, pumping a fist in the air triumphantly. An old lady across from me narrowed her eyes at me over her circular glasses. I ignored her and jotted down some information that Bishop told me about how to get to the apartment.

     I wasn't quite sure how this worked, but I was hoping that if they talked to me a little and decided that I was sane, they would let me move in on the spot. I knew I was being naive, but hey, a girl's got to dream.

     And if all else failed, I was ready to get on my knees and beg to sleep on their couch for the night. I was not beyond throwing a minor fit for a place to sleep.

     I wrung my hands together nervously. I looked up to see the older lady still looking at me. I leaned forward a little and cleared my throat. "Excuse me, Miss, um do you know how renting an apartment works?" I was hoping for some elderly insight from this women.

     However, elderly insight was not what I received. Instead, she removed her clog shoe and threw it at my face. I ducked at the last second, as it threw over my head.

     "Shit, you got a strong arm, m'am," I said.