I stared at my front door, still shook from khoding again. I looked at where Jaquellen and Kort had been just moments ago. I gripped the paper that he had given me, the only evidence I had that the whole thing wasn't just a dream. Well, that and the warm feeling I had that my crush had given me his number. I checked the time on my phone. 3:12, about the time I get off the bus every day. I decided I had better go inside before my parents wondered where I was.

I opened the door and stepped inside. I heard my dog bark as I walked into the mud room to put away my backpack, which I realized I somehow had on even though I didn't grab it at lunch. Weird. I took of my black boots and placed them in the cubby with my name on it. I wandered into the slightly messy kitchen and opened up the pantry. I grabbed some peanut butter and put it in a bowl with some apples. I love peanut butter, and so does the rest of my family. We may or may not go through like five jars of it in a week. Never mind, you don't want to hear about that. I sat on the couch where my beagle was eagerly awaiting a scratch on the head. "Who's a good boy? Shiloh is a good boy!" I said in a ridiculous voice reserved for only him. I snuggled with him and laid down on a pillow. I realized that I was exhausted after today. I closed my eyes for a minute and drifted off.

I woke up a few minutes later when I heard my mom coming up the stairs. "Hello?" She said. I sat up quickly and resumed eating my apples and petting Shiloh. I smiled at her as she came up and saw me. "Sarah!" She exclaimed. Her dirty blond hair was in a loose ponytail. She gave me a big hug. "How was school today?"

I debated wether or not to tell her about the statue. I decided not to freak her out. "Good," I said, plastering a fake smile on my face. I ate another apple and looked up. She stared at me, her brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked. What did I say? She knows! I could feel my eyes getting wet as I tried to think of something to say. I opened my mouth but started crying instead. I cursed my stupid teenage hormones. She looked at me, surprised. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," I lied. I laid down on her lap and quietly sobbed. She looked at me worriedly and stroked my hair, soothing me.

I sniffled as she asked, "Do you want to talk about whatever happened?" I shook my head.

"It was just something a little bit scary at school," I managed to choke out. A fresh wave if tears were released and I buried my face in a pillow. We sat in silence for a while, me sniffling and her playing with my hair while I rested in her lap. She lifted my chin up. I looked into her eyes that were a similar chocolatey brown color as mine.

"Well, if you ever do want to, I'll be right here, okay?" she said.

"Okay," I said quietly. She gave me a big hug, and I knew that it would be alright. I wiped the last stray tears from my face. My mom looked at my hand and noticed the piece of paper I was holding.

"What's that?" she asked. I blushed.

"Nothing."

"Sarah?"

"Really, it's nothing!" I unfolded it and smiled. "One of my friends gave me their number. That's all."

She raised an eyebrow. "And which friend would that be?" she asked.

I looked at my hands. I looked at the wall. I looked at my dog. I looked anywhere but my mom. "Kort," I finally said in a voice barely above a whisper. She grinned, surprised.

"Kort? As in your crush?" she practically yelled. "How did that happen?"

"Shh, quiet! If dad were to find out, I'd never hear the end of it! He just gave it to me after school. We had hung out at lunch, and he just gave me his number at the end of he day." That was technically true. A bit twisted, but still true. My mom smiled with a glint in her eye.

"Richard," she called to my dad. He worked from home in an office we had built into our house. "You'll never believe what your daughter got today!" My mom laughed evilly as I groaned. My dad walked out of the office. He bent down and gave me a hug.

"What is it?" he asked with a smile. I fake smiled right back at him.

"She got Kort's number at school today!" my mom said. My dad looked at me, mouth open.

"And how did that happen?" he asked, sitting next to me on the couch. I groaned again.

"Why is it so hard to just act like that's a normal thing?" I asked my parents. They both laughed and kept pressing me for details. I refused, shaking my head with each question. I buried my face in my hands, wondering if there was any way to live in Tikh instead of Boise Idaho.

Hey guys! I hope you are enjoying Destiny so far! Tell me if there are things I should add or change, and keep reading!