I was running down the hall screaming for help knowing that my mom was in the car dying. Not only was she there, but my aunt was also in the wreck and seriously injured. I screamed as loud as I could hoping that someone would open their apartment door and see what was going on. My heart was beating loud enough that it was almost like my eardrums were physically vibrating and I had to stop. I unlocked our apartment, picked up the phone when I entered, and dialed 911. The sirens were wailing and I knew there was no point in calling now, but I told them that there had been an accident. I told them alcohol was involved and hung up the phone after giving the info and confirming that help was already there. I started crying quietly when there was a loud knock at my door, so I opened it to see an officer standing there.

“Ma’am, we received a phone call saying that alcohol was involved; was that?” He asked.

“Yes... She was drinking...” I broke down crying again.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but they’re gone.”

The officer held onto me as I cried and tried to comfort me, but all I could think about was how my life had just ended. I put up with years of on and off abuse due to my mom’s alcoholism, but she took away my aunt who had come in and started piecing things back together. My mom had just finished rehab, but she must have had a hard week and relapsed instead of following what they had told her. I sobbed harder into the officer’s shoulder who was talking to his partner about finding my relatives, so I had somewhere to go. Thinking of what was going to happen to me just upset me more and I fell to my knees suddenly quiet as everything washed over me at once.

The following week my friends had helped me get everything that wasn’t mine to donation besides a few boxes of keepsakes and moved into a room at their shared apartment. My dad had come forward and said he take me on, but we didn’t have the best relationship so we worked out that he would pay my chunk of rent leaving me to a better environment, but also giving me a room at his house to hopefully work on things and starting to build something between us with the last of my maternal family gone.I handed the super the keys to the apartment and looked around the empty room as tears started to well in my eyes. I tried to wipe them away before she noticed, but it was too. She took my hands in hers and smiled at me before pulling me in for a hug.

“I have watched you grow up for the last 6 years and I know you’ll be okay. You know my door is always open if you need me.” She squeezed me hard.

“Thank you.” I sniffled.

I released from the embrace and walked towards the door where Alice was waiting for me with the last box of stuff. I followed her out of the building and she got in her car to head to the apartment and wait for me. Adam was waiting in the driver’s seat of my car and held my hand tightly letting me be upset before putting the car in gear. I stared out the back window and watched my home disappear before turning ahead and just staring out the windshield. I was scared to death because everything was changing. I didn’t know where my life was going or what was going to happen, but I was hoping that I would find happiness somewhere and live a full life.

“We got this. In 2 years when you graduate this will all be a distant memory and you’ll be living your best life and starting at college to be a music teacher and no matter what I’ll be there every step of the way.” Adam smiled at me.

“I hope so.” I whispered as he pulled up to my new home. “Here we go.”