After what felt like an eternity and a half sat in the back seats of my moms old car waiting for my dad to get back, my wait was over as they climbed in slamming the car doors waking me up.

I lifted my head up fast and looked over at them surprised and confused, but none of them were looking at me.

My dad began to start the car in the deafening silence as I looked out the window bored.

My phone was on low percentage and Billie had stopped texting back a while ago. Not sure why, but he wasn't answering any more of my texts.

"So can I know what's going on yet?" I asked looking away from the window and in front at my parents.

My mom ignored my question, my dad however looked at me through the car mirror on the roof of the car.

"We're taking you to your grandmas,"

I sniggered slightly, thinking obviously it must be a joke. There's no way they can take me out of detention just to get an early start on going to my grandmas.

"No dad seriously. Where?"

"I am being serious, that's where we're going," He replied. His face seeming serious and his eyes looked tired with dark bags under.

His emotionless expression was one thing about my dad that had always frightened me. At least my mom could display emotions on her face like anger.

But my dads eyes always seemed.... dead.

"Oh," I swallowed, a knot forming in my throat from the eye contacted. He looked away from my eyes and back at the road as I felt the knot release.

I sent Billie a few more texts. Along the lines of. 'Where'd you go?' 'Are you still there?' 'I have no clue what's happening' 'I'm not dead yet' 'apparently we're going to my grandmas, how weird is that?' But obviously none of them were replied to. Which made me wonder if he was ignoring me or something had happened. Either way I was worrying more.

The ride to wherever we was, was long. We went down a lot of lonely, winedy and bumpy roads which were clear weren't used much and often.

I'm definitely about to get murdered.

"It's up more that way!" My mom breathed out angrily, her finger on the front car window trying to show my dad where we was going.

"No, the GPS said-" He turned the steering wheel down a road opposite to what my mom has said, as the car harshly turned. "-This way!"

"You need to go back! Oh for goodness sake John! You're going the wrong way!"

"I know where we're going!"

"Then why are we going the wrong way!?"

There must have been about three times this whole direction thing happened where we 'supposedly' went the wrong way.

Having to go back up roads, turn around back up the way we came, try and take short cuts.

Before finally and thankfully the car parked for good.

I looked away from my converse shoe laces I had been playing with when I felt the car stop, glancing out the window to see an old house.

The front wall of the house had ivy growing up the sides, the front garden surprisingly kept under control, a bed of flowers in the front of the house under the window.

My mom and dad got out the car as I realised, getting out too and slowly shutting the car door.

They walked straight up ahead to the house sorta leaving me behind.

I could totally run away right now. I wouldn't know where I am, where to go, my phones nearly dead, the only person I trust right now has disappeared on me, but I could if I wanted to.

Despite the mini plan playing in my head even I knew I would never have a shot with, I followed my mom and dad up the garden.

Getting a closer look at the ornaments kept on the front garden, I heard someone knock on the door as I looked in front.

I was stood behind my mom and dad waiting for someone to answer, as they carried on to quietly bicker about the way.

"I told you it was this way," my mom muttered under her breath, not turning her head to look at him but keeping it in front.

"Don't blame me blame the GP-fucking- S," He retorted snidely.

"The GP-fucking- S didn't tell you to-" My mom cut herself off as we heard the door open. I peered over her shoulder to see a little old women. Specifically my grandma.

"Oh... so you was serious," I mumbled talking to my dad.

She invited us in as we shut the door behind us. Walking down the small hallway into what I could only guess is a living room in such a small bungalow.

Before I sat down she stood in front of me with a smile. "Oh look at you!"

I stayed silent, awkwardly.

"You're all grown up! You're so tall!"

"Thanks?"

"Echo don't be rude," My mom grunted quietly to me, sat behind me on the sofa.

I turned around and pulled a face of discomfit at her before sitting beside her. My dad stood up, like the awkward man he chooses to be.

My grandma took her seat on an old reclining chair smiling cheerfully. "So you've told her!"

"Actually no mom..." My mom replied. "Not yet. We thought it'd be good to do it here,"

"Told who what?" I asked, my mouth open looking like an idiot.

"Echo why don't you go get yourself something from the kitchen?" My grandmother asked me.

I pushed myself off the sofa walking out the room talking under my breath. "Sure, cause food distracts me, I'm still five."

I sat down on the kitchen side trying to ring Billie multiple times. I was beginning to worry, he always replied to me. Always. So I couldn't understand why all of a sudden I was being ghosted sort of. Was it something I said? Was he still in a mood?

I sighed putting my phone down on the side beside me.

I took a mini nosy around the kitchen. Looking closely at a cork board with pictures pinned into it.

There were few to many pictures of one child in particular, wether that was me or someone else I wasn't sure of, the rest seemed like they were pretty recent.

I unpinned a certain picture that had caught my eye, taking a closer look at it.

In the picture sat a child, maybe around four? Black hair that fell underneath her shoulders, a questionable look on her face staring right into the camera with red pupils. She looked just as confused as I felt.

I heard someone walk in as I panicked and dropped the photo, jumping off the kitchen side quick to see my dad enter the room.

"What are you doing?" He asked weirded out, making his way to the sink and picking up a cup.

"Nothing," I answered quickly as he turned the tap on and filled up the glass, but his tired eyes still on me.

"You dropped something," He mentioned, looking down at the photo.

I looked down at it, picking it up slowly.

He walked over to me, peering over my shoulder as I looked at it once again.

"Do you remember that?" He asked me.

"Remember what?"

"That day, Christmas Day?"

"That's me?"

"Course it is, I take it you don't remember,"

"Not at all... why do I look so confused?" I asked looking away from the photo and over at my dad.

"The flash when taking the picture confused you," He chuckled slightly. A very breathily and quiet chuckle. Before he walked away out the kitchen leaving me more confused.

I shrugged shoving the photo in my back pocket as I walked back into the living room, taking my seat on the sofa.

"Echo." My mom began seriously, turning in her seat setting both her hands in her lap.

"Mhm?"

"Me and your dad were thinking a lot. About the behaviour you've been displaying lately, your attitude, your detentions-"

"-That was one-"

"-Echo. I'm talking,"

"Right... carry on,"

"And we got to thinking. We made a call and thought the best decision for you was... probably to move in with your grandmother," She revealed. No real emotion in her. Just the shitty display of pity for me. That was fake and bullshitting.

My jaw dropped as I looked at her blankly for a second. "What?"

"We think that-"

"-You can't be serious,"

"Echo," My dad chirped in. Like he always fucking did.

"No, are you kidding?" I laughed dryly. "What today!? Now?"

"Lower your voice Echo," My mom warned.

My grandma laughed jokingly. "Oh I'm not that bad Echo dear,"

I didn't remember much about the women. I wanted to say she was sweet from what I knew from now... but I wasn't in the mood to call anyone sweet. Not when I'm being dumped at another home.

"Alright, well what about school?" I asked annoyed.

"There's a school around here," My mom shrugged.

"My friends?"

"You came make new friends,"

"My boyfriend?"

"He's a bad influence,"

"Who's this boyfriend?" My grandma asked intrigued.

My mother and I looked away from each other and over at her. "His name is Billie Joe," My mom answered. "He's a bad influence on her and a bad kid, I don't want her hanging around with people like that. He'd only distract her from becoming a good lawyer,"

"Oh now Echo why would you do that to yourself?" She asked me disapprovingly.

"Excuse me?"

"He has no future with the way he acts," My mom added.

"Now just because your boyfriend has no future doesn't mean you should throw yours away," My grandma said. Still in the same tone, I don't know if she thought she was being nice or if she knew she was being a bitch in disguise.

But I realised she was just like my mother. My mother was just like her. She was the original version, now just older and outdated. Maybe even worse.

"He does have a future. He's got this band- it's actually really-"

"-You know boys in bands never go far," She sighed.

"Well Billie will,"

"You may think he will but-"

"-I've heard enough. I wanna go home. Now," I grunted crossing my arms and looking away from all of them.

"You'll need to start packing your things,"

"No I won't,"

"Yes. You will,"

I stayed silent. Wishing my phone would ring. Or ping. Anything from him- as long as I knew he was there.

But he wasn't. Which obviously sucked.

There was a while longer of my mom, dad and grandma talking in their own conversation I ignored. I just wanted to go home and go to Billies house.

There's no way I'm actually living here.

It's a small home, it's an old women's home, she's a wrinkled up version of my own mother, it's not near any of my friends. Not near Billie, Mike, Tre or even the girls.

So to get the story straight, I was dragged out of my detention to come all the way down in the middle of no where to see an old women who claimed she knew me but I don't remember her ever being there for me. To talk about how I'm leaving my friends and my life behind with apparently no choice, and for my parents to reminisce and my grandma to attempt to talk to me.

But after what she said, I wasn't interested at all.

If I had money, the maturity and a way I wouldn't need any of this. I could live in my own house.

And after ages and ages and ages, we said goodbye. But I guess my goodbye was a 'see you later'.

She waved us away in the doorway as we made our way back into the car. Climbing in with different ways of going about this situation.

Finally she shut the door and went back into her tiny little box of a home, my dad started the car up as I went to check my phone.

We began to drive as I raced my hand to my back pocket. It wasn't there.

My front pocket? Not there either.

Not even in my fucking bra.

I left it on the kitchen side.