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It was August, and Erin and her friends started the eleventh grade. Erin wasn't sure if she would enjoy her classes except for English. It was her last class of the day. The only friend she had in the class was Paul. When she sat down beside of him, the teacher said, "You two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, are you?" Paul replied, "No, we're just really good friends." Erin nodded. The teacher said, "Okay, then. I usually don't like having couples sit together, because the last couple I had in my class caused a lot of unnecessary drama, if you know what I mean." A few moments later, she talked...

One day, Erin's dog, Rusty, had an accident on the back porch. Erin sighed as she cleaned up the mess. This had been a common occurrence for the past couple of months. It was mid-July, and Rusty had turned fifteen in the middle of April. Fifteen is old for a dog, especially a collie, because a collie's average lifespan is eleven to thirteen years. Sometime later, Paul called her and invited her to his house to play guitar. After playing guitar for a while, Paul suggested going for a walk outside. His dogs, Yukon and Nunavut, went with them. Yukon and Nunavut were both Siberian Huskies, considerably...

One day, Erin and Paul had a major disagreement. Pretty soon, it got really ugly. Erin pretended she needed to use the restroom so that she could cry. When she came out, Allie said, "Erin, you've been in there a long time. Are you okay?" Erin said, "No, I'm not." Allie asked, "What happened?" Erin said, "Paul and I got into an argument." Allie said, "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. What were you two arguing about?" Erin said, "I don't want to talk about it." Then, she walked away. It was an awful feeling, arguing with her best friend. She had to make up with him. She just had to! She couldn't lose her...

Several months passed. Erin and her friends were now in the tenth grade. They were used to the high school environment by then. The bullying certainly didn't go away. One day, one of the bullies put a kick me sign on Paul's back. Erin saw that. She cleared her throat. One of the bullies said, "She's got a facial scar. We probably shouldn't mess with her." Another one of the bullies said, "Yeah. She looks totally evil." They ran off. Paul said, "Thanks, Erin." She smiled and took the kick me sign off his back. She then said, "You know I wouldn't hurt a fly." He said, "Yes, I know. They don't...

Long after Erin had recovered from her illness, Paul had invited her to come to his house after school. It was on a Friday, and her aunt and uncle allowed her to go. She and Paul played their guitars for a while. About an hour later, Paul said, "You know, it's unusually nice for January. What do you say we go outside?" Erin smiled and said, "I'm not opposed." They went outside and played with Paul's Siberian Huskies, Yukon and Nunavut. As they were playing, Erin accidentally ran into a low tree branch. The force knocked her to the ground. Erin said to herself, "Ouch! That's going to leave a...

One day, Erin did not wake up when her alarm went off. Her aunt came into her bedroom to check on her. Erin was awake, but she was shivering. She said to her aunt, "I don't feel well at all." Her aunt said, "You sound like you're stuffed up." Erin was feverish. Her aunt said, "I think you need to see a doctor." The doctor diagnosed it as sinusitis. It was probably a result of her allergies to ragweed pollen. Ragweed had been in bloom, and its pollen was spreading about the area. Erin's doctor told her to get plenty of rest and take some medication for her symptoms. Later that day, her friends,...

Months had passed, and Erin was getting ready to start high school. She was a bit nervous, considering she was among the youngest in her grade. Her brother, Daniel, said, "You don't have to be scared. I'll be there." She said, "Thanks, Daniel. My friends will be there, too. It's good that I'll be seeing familiar faces." He said, "There you go. You won't be alone." Her first day wasn't so great. In her first class, one of her classmates put a kick me sign on her back. Luckily, when she left, her friend, Paul, noticed it and took it off. She asked, "What's going on, Paul?" He said, "This." He...

One day, Erin was feeling sad. She ate very little for breakfast, and she went back to her bedroom. Soon, she got tired of the silence, so she put in one of her CD's. The put in System of a Down's Steal This Album! As she was listening to it, she heard a knock on the door. She said, "Come in, whoever it is." Her brother, Daniel, came in. He said, "Hey, little sis. Are you okay?" She said, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He said, "You're not okay. You're listening to Steal This Album!, Erin. Steal This Album! only comes out when you're sad." She said, "You know what day it is today, don't you?"...

One day, Erin went for a walk in the forest with her dog, Rusty. Even though it was cold, the sun was shining. Overall, it was a beautiful day. However, Erin made sure she was dressed warmly. After all, it was December, and the weather could change in unexpected ways. Suddenly, it started to snow. Erin said to her dog, "Come on, Rusty. We better head home before it gets dark." Unfortunately, the snow was falling so hard that she couldn't see where she was going. She stepped on a loose rock, and all of the sudden, she was on the ground. She managed to get up. Her loyal dog rushed to her side....

One Friday night, Erin was listening to the radio in her bedroom. She always like listening to the classic rock station. Sometimes it played some Beatles songs. However, it had been a long day for Erin. She was exhausted, and she fell asleep. The next day, she woke up, and her friend, Allie, was standing next to her bed. Allie had a concerned look on her face. She asked, "Erin, are you okay?" Erin replied, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Allie said, "Well, for one thing, it's almost 10:30. Your aunt told me you're usually awake by 10:00 on a Saturday morning. For another thing, you left the radio...

A few weeks later, Erin saw her friend, Benny, at school. He cheerfully greeted her, and she greeted him. He said, "I'm sorry I couldn't come to your birthday party. I was really sick." She smiled and said, "It's okay, Barry. I understand. Your mom told me you had the flu." He said, "Yeah. It was awful. I would have come to your party, but I felt awful. I just felt like death, Erin." She said, "That sounds awful. Are you feeling better now?" He said, "Yeah." She said, "That's good." He said, "You know, I was just talking to Paul. He told me you got a guitar for your birthday." She said, "Yeah,...

It was December 9, 2010, Erin's fourteenth birthday. She was sitting on the back porch with her collie, Rusty. Although she was excited about her friends coming over to celebrate her birthday, she also felt a bit sad. She always felt some sadness on her birthday and on holidays, because her mother wasn't there. Her mother had died almost two years ago of myocarditis. Since then, she and her older brother, Daniel, live with their aunt and uncle and their cousin, Barbara Ann. A few moments later, her grandmother came out. She asked, "Erin, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Erin replied,...

I woke up to a thumping sound. I asked, "What was that?" Paul said, "I'd say it was a car door being shut. I think my parents are back." I said, "I see." I heard the front door open. I then heard a woman's voice say, "Paul, we're back. Where are you?" Paul replied, "In here, Mother." She came into the living room. When she saw me, she asked, "Who is this?" He said, "This is my friend, Erin." She said, "So, you're Erin. Paul talks about you all the time." I said, "Good things, I hope." Paul said, "All good!" His mother smiled. She asked, "When was the last time you had something to eat?" I said,...

The next day at 3:30, I met Grandpa at Eagle River. He said, "You wanted to see me." I said, "Yes, Grandpa, I did." He asked, "Have you come to terms with your sins, Erin?" I said, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." He looked at me curiously. I continued, "You see, I don't appreciate your hypocrisy. You claim to be a Christian. I distinctly remember reading somewhere that the Bible says, 'Thou shalt not kill.' However, you have murdered my father and my friend, Barry. Why, Grandpa? Why?!" Grandpa replied, "Your father was an atheist. I decided to send him straight to Hell." I said,...

One day, I was walking in the forest with Allie and Paul. As we were walking, I saw a truck. I said, "Quick! Hide in the bushes!" Allie said, "What? Why?" I said, "I'll explain later." We hid in the bushes until there was no sign of the truck. Paul asked, "Why were we hiding? Who was that?" I said, "My grandfather." Allie said, "Oh..." I said, "I haven't seen him in so long. I'm afraid he'll beat me again." Allie said, "I see." I said, "And you know what he did to Barry and to my father. I don't want him to do the same thing to you two." Paul said, "Erin..." I said, "I love you too much to...

One day, I woke up thinking it was a Saturday. I went back to sleep, but my aunt woke me up. She said, "Erin, it's time to get up." I asked, "Why do I need to get up so early on a Saturday?" She said, "You're a day off. It's Friday, dear." I groaned. She said, "Come on, Erin. It's not that bad." I said, "I don't have any friends. It's not worth it." She said, "Maybe today will be your lucky day." That gave me the strength to get out of bed. Later in gym class, I was bullied again. I pretended that I needed to use the restroom so that I could cry. I hid in the stall and cried. A few moments...

After losing my best friend, Barry, I slipped into a depression. My grandparents refused to see me. My less consistent friends turned their backs on me. The only ones there for me were my aunt and uncle, my brother, Daniel, and my cousin, Barbara Ann. I had very little, if any, self-confidence. I didn't even try to confront Grandpa again, fearing he would beat me again. The only thing that brought me any happiness was music. I still enjoyed the Beatles above all others, but I liked to explore different bands as well. I overheard someone talking about a metal band called System of a Down, so...

A few months passed, and I was still suspicious of Grandpa. He continued to give out hints that he probably murdered my father when I was really young. Grandma never spoke to me, unless I spoke to her. When I asked her about my father, she dodged the question and changed the subject. Either she was involved, or she was trying to protect Grandpa. One cold December day, I was walking in the forest with my dog. I suddenly heard someone faintly say my name. I looked over and saw Barry. He was lying in the snow, shivering. I said, "Oh, my God! Barry! What happened?!" He said weakly, "I was walking...

Despite the fact that I no longer had Christian faith, I still went to church to amuse my grandparents. I said, "I don't believe in their ways anymore." My aunt said, "I know, Erin. This is to amuse Grandma and Grandpa. It makes them happy." I said, "All right, but here's a warning. Someday, I'm going to get tired of smiling and nodding." One day, I did. Because of my opinionated answers to Grandma's questions in Sunday School, I got kicked out of Sunday School. When Grandpa found out, I knew I was in trouble. After lunch that Sunday, Grandpa said to me, "Let's go outside." That never meant...

Ever since I had lost my mother, music helped me cope. I didn't have very many friends at school. I got bullied a lot, and more so after my mother's death. The only consistent friend I had was my best friend, Barry. He was there for me during the funeral and everything. One day, he said, "Well, it's been two months, hasn't it?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "I know it's been painful and difficult for you." I said, "Yeah, I miss my mother very much, but I'm doing okay." He said, "I can't imagine what that's like, but if you need to talk, I'm here." I said, "Thanks, Barry." Even my friends in Sunday...