Brianna closed her laptop with a click. Her bedroom was dark as it always was. The curtains were drawn and the blinds closed tight. Her eyes had grown used to looking at the bright screen day after day. Typing and typing. If they knew that Scout had never really been out. What would they think? She had been Scout for so long she didn’t know how to be Brianna. She wondered if she could risk a glance out the window and decided against it. She hadn’t always been like this. She used to love to play outside, she used to have lots of friends. Then when she was 16 she had gotten scared. It started slow, not really liking going out with friends anymore. Then she had stopped going to school. She stayed in and studied online. She got self-conscious about her dark circles and it began to spiral. Now she lived alone. It didn’t help matters that her twin sister was the talk of the town. Pretty and popular Emily. Brianna wished she could be like that for just a minute, to feel popular and pretty and so she had go online. Pretended, spoke only in text. She didn’t like to talk about herself much. Some of the stories were real.

Editors Note: I'm actually taking out a few sentences here due to the fact that they describe SA with all of the nuiance and tact of a 16 yr old finishing their extra credit assignment for sophomore english on the night that it's due. i... am sorry

She thought of Margo, she had promised. She had to do it. She opened her bedroom door and went softly into the living room. She didn’t like to go into some rooms of the house now and it scared her. She didn’t want to end up trapped completely in her bedroom. She had heard of that happening before and it did not appeal. She reached the door, she didn’t like this room. She hated the big windows, the ones you could drive a semi-truck through. She touched the door, it was cold and seemed to breath with the sounds of the people outside. She was terrified. Her breath got hot and jittery in her lungs and her legs began to tremble. She gripped the handle tightly, stone cold from years without use. She tried to turn it and almost let go again. She thought of running back to her room, it had seemed so simple back there. Such an easy task, step onto the front porch and watch the cars drive by. She jiggled the doorknob with her shaky arms and it made a squeaking sound, she was sure the neighbors could hear it. She had to do it. With one swift motion she turned the knob and pulled the door inward. A whoosh of fresh air hit her face and she had to will her legs to stand strong against the push, back to safety, back to the house. She closed her eyes and took a step onto the porch. She had put on her best clothes in preparation, blue jeans and a nice blue top. She looked normal; she was a normal girl just going out on the porch. She was Scout, not afraid of anything. She closed the door gently behind her, conscious of the neighbors. Then she stood tall in the Waterlou wind, braced against it. She was stronger. A car drove by, she didn’t see it thank god.

I am supposed to be here. I have every right.

She heard another car approaching. This time she pried her eyes open and forced herself to look for the car. It growled past, slow and gorgeous in the sun, a cherry red Chevelle.