Preview #2

The Terror (Con't) I

“Easy for you to say,” I half-yell, half-sob into the receiver. “You’ve got a perfectly perfect life, with parents stuck together like glue!”
Then I slam the phone down. And ignore all his calls.

...

I say, “Oh, yeah? Then why’d you get married in the first place if all you were going to do was make me….” I am at a loss for words. “Make me miserable!” I defiantly say at last.As soon as I say that, I really want to take it back. Mom’s face crumbles into dejection like the old paper mache we used for the play props, and she goes into her room and slams the door.Then I hear the sobs.

I go out into the cool autumn air, and sit down on the front stoop. Then I look up at the hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, trillions, zillions – at this moment I don’t even know or care how many – stars in the massively huge starry night sky, and wonder why, why, WHY this has to happen to me.