Click. I was finally out. After so long I had really left. My parents would panic and do everything they could to find me when they woke up in the morning, but by then I will be 18, and I could hide, and they could not do anything leagally to come after me. I got in my car and put it in neutral, I didn’t want to start it until I was on the street, just in case. My watch beeped midnight right as I turned the key, happy birthday Alex, you are free. I started driving and was soon on the interstate going south, I sighed, there was a long road ahead of me.

I arrived at my ex-stepfathers house at about 8 that night, no one was outside, but, even though I hadnt heard it in five years, I could recognize his voice coming from inside. I got out of my car and went to knock on the door. The voices inside slowed down, but didn’t stop until the door was opened. “Hello Aaron,” I said to the man I most respected in the world.

“Alex?” he asked back. “Why are you here?”

“Just visiting old family members,” I answered cheerfully. “May I come in?”

“Sure, sure, make yourself at home”

“Thank you.” I said as I walked through the door. I looked around the house that I loved most and saw Allen sitting in the corner, obviously the other side of the conversation I had heard. The bathroom door opened and I turned around to see Tanya coming from taking her shower, still drying her long & dark hair. She had not noticed me yet.

“Hey dad, who’s…” she started, but never finished. “Alex?” Apparentally everyone was completely shocked to see me again.

“Tanya, Allen,” I greeted them. “How have you been?”

Everyone was now getting over their shock at seeing me, and Allen asked “So, what brings you back here?”

“Heh, I will give you the short version,” I started. “Remember how mom was the last time you saw her? How she had the all-knowning and all-powerful temperament?” All their heads knodded at this, they remembered all too well. “Well, after she got back together with dad, it only got worse. She adopted a ‘my way or the high way’ attitude that left no room for arguement or even suggestion from anyone, not even dad. Of course by this time his head was so far up moms ass that he probably didn’t even notice.”

“Anyway, I went her way for as long as I had to, but this morning at midnight, I hit the highway and came back here, the place where I always was happy.