I stabbed at my salad with my fork, and pulled a piece of lettuce into my mouth with my head tilted down.

I looked to my left. There sat my father who had been finished with his dinner for about five minutes, and had a blank expression on his face while he looked at the candle in the middle of the kitchen table. His hair was messy, and he had much stubble on his face. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a mustard stain on the stomach. Worry lines etched across his forehead.

I looked to my right. My mother sat there, with a full plate of salad right in front of her. She had yet to pick up her fork. Her short black hair was straightened, and she was wearing a black skirt with a red blouse. She had a lot of make up on, much more than needed. I could tell she was trying to look good for my father, but he wasn't buying anything that she wanted to sell. Silence filled the air because my parents' drama had gotten so bad that any talking led to arguing.

"Thanks for the dinner, Mom." I said getting up from my chair. She didn't say anything. I placed my dish in the sink and headed upstairs to my room. I looked on the table next to my bed and grabbed my phone. I looked through my contacts and scrolled down to Eli3. I texted him.

Hey.. More family drama. I need to get away right now. Want to hang out?

I sat down on my bed and waited for a response. I looked at my clock on the wall. It was 6:26. A minute passed. Then one minute turned into two, which turned into three, and eventually turned into fifty-three.

That's weird, I thought. Eli always has his phone with him.

"Clare!" I heard my mom yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, mom?"

"You have a phone call!"

I walked down my stairs and grabbed the phone from my mother's hand. She walked back into the kitchen, where my father was still staring blankly at the candle. I put the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said.

"Clare, this is Eli's mother. Come to St. Michael's Hospital now."