Chapter 1 1.

Maria

"My girlfriend is pregnant." I heard my brother Jack said when I happily was sleeping on my bed. Sleeping is the best thing in the world but this statement was way more important than my sleep.

"What?" I quickly got up from my bed and saw him near my bed sitting like nothing has happened. Did he really get the girl knocked up? I know he loved her so he wouldn't leave her but this is one big thing.

"Yeah your up. Mom she is up." My brother informed my mother who was downstairs cooking breakfast for us. My brother is a devil. He did all this to wake me up.

Asshole.

What is their problem with my sleep?

"You have to tell me how to wake that sleepyhead up." My mom yelled back at him and he only chuckled.

Great!Now my entire family was making plans to wake me up. I looked at the clock and saw it was only 10 in the morning.

Who wakes up at ten in the morning on a Sunday?

"You are a devil in the name of a brother." I said and threw glares at him for disturbing me from doing the only thing I love doing.

"Come down. Mom is waiting for breakfast." He was still laughing and I really wanted to punch him to stop his laughter.

You see, I am not a morning person so if you wake me up in the morning all these violent thoughts are tend to come.

"Please can you let me sleep for sometime. Pleaseeee Jake. Your the best brother in the world. I'll do any one thing you want. Please."

"No way Maria. Your favourite breakfast is being cooked and mom has been working on it since morning." As soon as I heard that I quickly got up to get dressed.

My mother is the most important woman in my life. She has taken huge efforts in raising Ja and me since my father was gone. She never showed us how much she struggled or the kind of pain she was in.

I threw a pillow at him and he finally left my room. I quickly got dressed and went downstairs. Today was my last day at London. I was leaving for College today and I was so excited.

"Honey I still don't think that you should go there and live by yourself." My mom said as soon as I entered the dinning. I was tired of having this argument. I am a eighteen year old and I can handle myself but my mother still thinks I am a kid.

"Mom, I am not a kid anymore. I can live by myself and handle myself really well. Please just let me go to, this is my dream college, I got into the college when I lost all my hopes." I said showing my puppy dog eyes. I could do anything to convince her, even cry if I was required to.

"Baby girl I am understanding everything that you say but tell me how will you live all alone by yourself, you haven't even searched for an apartment, please just go and live with Uncle Ezekiel and Aunt Olivia." She was pleading almost as if she was about to cry. I didn't want to make her upset or worried when I was about to leave.

It had taken me a month to convince my mother to allow me to move to New York city and attend the W.M College of Economics. Being a 18 year old I found it comfortable to live all by myself but my mother insisted on my staying with uncle and aunt. Maybe she knew I was lazy to do my work in life.

Yeah, my mother knew that.

"Fine, mom. But I have to leave tomorrow itself, Iaa am already a month late and college has already started. I would live with uncle and aunt for a week and if I find myself wanting to move to an apartment, I will." I said with a strong confident smile.

My mother sighed. She was definitely not happy with the fact that I was moving to New York. I was her only daughter. I was lucky enough that my brother lived with her. If he did not live with her she .would never let me go.

"Okay fine. But you promise to call me everyday and come back home for all the holidays?" She asked.

"Yes Mom. How would I spend vacations without your tasty food and this devil?" That was true. My mother made the tastiest food in the world.

"Hey, just because I do not show does not mean I am not hurt." He said showing fake tears. All the people in my house are drama queens. Well, my brother is the biggest one.

"Oh please, you and emotions. Its like Clara having a good step mother." I laughed at my own joke. I can't believe that I was so lame in life. One of the few reasons why I don't have many friends.

"Kiddo if you continue these type of jokes then I am not sure if you will be able to make many friends." He laughed loud and so did my mom. She said something like crazy kids and went to her room. This was my sweet little family and I was so proud of it.

I really need to start packing because there was only one day and so much to pack. There was a part of me that was extremely happy and a part not

that was tearing my heart as I had to leave my mother and brother.

"Maria, Leonardo is here." I heard my mother scream from downstairs.

"Oh fuck, he is going to kill me." I literally was about to die. Please God save me.

For all those who are thinking something else, Leonardo is not some serial killer or rapist or anything else.

He is my best friend. He went to Las Vegas a week before for vacations. Apparently I have not told him I was leaving because I knew he would leave his trip and come to meet me.

"You son of a bitch. Why didn't you tell me that you are leaving today?" He yelled barging into my room.

"Hello to you too Leonardo." I smiled sarcastically.

I knew he was very angry because he came marching into my room and slammed the door shut. He is a total chill person until you get on his bad side and right now, I am on the bad side. I should definitely be worried.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked completely ignoring my polite hello to him. Why would he be polite to you Maria? You're leaving the town without informing him.

"I knew you would come running from your trip and I did not want to do that. You deserved a break after Kimberly and I wanted to give you one." I told him and I could see his anger subside.