Jessica didn't even say a proper goodbye to Mom, too

she thought I was asleep. I lay in my

I whispered into the

town in a different state, a place called Havenwood. It wasn't m

belongings into ou

main street. It felt a world away from the life I wa

She came home tired, smelling of coffee and

sweetie?" she'd a

could control the outcome. I remembered the advanced concepts fr

f perfection. I just wanted to learn, to b

s. I' d do my homework at the kitchen table, waiting for

help me to bed. Her hands were rough fr

ard, Mom," I to

want you to have a good

appy. I found a peace I' d never known. I made a few good friends. I joined the

th a project on sustainable agr

Her eyes shone whe

e applause of strangers Victoria craved, b

healing,

run-down storefront on Main Street and, with help from some kind locals who

d filled our small apartment above the shop. People loved he

ood. Simpl

of studying environmental science. Th

we were fi

s wr