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Chapter 1

I stared at the pile of boxes inthe Internet had been hooked up Not being able to do anything withan ar to my mom, “Katy’s Krazy Obsession” was my whole life Not entirely, but it was iet books the way I did

I sighed We’d been here two days, and there was still soaround Evenhere

At least I’d finally stopped ju to West “By God” Virginia and this house that looked like soht out of a horrorturret What was I supposed to do with that?

Ketter it wasn’t a real town The closest place was Petersburg—a two or three stoplight town near a few other towns that probably didn’t have a Starbucks We wouldn’t get et our mail

Barbaric

Like a kick in the face, it hit one—eaten by the miles we’d traveled in Mom’s mad dash to start over It wasn’t that I missed Gainesville, the weather, ainst the wall, I rubbed the palm of my hand over my forehead

I missed Dad

And Florida was Dad It here he’d been born, where hehad been perfect…until it all fell apart My eyes burned, but I refused to cry Crying didn’t change the past, and Dad would’ve hated to knoas still crying three years later

But I missed Mom, too The Mom before Dad had died, the one who used to curl up on the couch beside me and read one of her trashy roo It certainly was half a country ago

Ever since Dad died, Mo more and more She used to want to be home Then it seemed like she wanted to be as far away as possible She’d finally given up on that option and decided we needed to drive far away At least since we’d gotten here, even though she was still working like a demon, she was determined to be more in my life

I had decided to ignore my inner compulsive streak and let the boxes be da faood

I raced downstairs

She stood at the stove, dressed in her polka-dotted scrubs Only she could wear head-to-toe polka dots and still lorious blonde hair that was stick straight and sparkling hazel eyes Even in scrubs she ray eyes and plain brown hair

And somehow I ended up e eyes that Mom loved but made me look like a demented kewpie doll

She turned and waved a wooden spatula at , honey”

I stared at the mess and wondered how best to take over this fiasco in theto do ress “You’re home early”