I hate her, my Mother. She's so annoying. I hate the way she smiles and how she laughs and sings and listens to music. I hate that she treats me like I'm three when I'm going to be seventeen in three months.

That's less than a year.

She's always trying to make me happy. I even hate the way she says 'I love you.'"

She knows I hate her. I tell her all the time.

It makes her cry but whatever.

She's just so annoying. My little brother adores her. He's eight. My older brother loves her, too. He's a year older than me, being seventeen, and he got held back in seventh grade so we're in the same grade. His name is Reed, and my little brother's name is Kale.

"Katniss," Mom says as I walk in the door from surfing. I might have completely flunked every year in high school. I think it's so stupid. A percentage of a grade can't define me.

Just because I fail school doesn't mean I don't know anything. Honestly, everything I've ever heard from age two and on I remember because I have a photographic memory.

"What?" I snap.

She sighs. "You're moving in with Uncle Haymitch and Aunt Effie."

"I am?" I ask. I live in Florida right now, but Uncle Haymitch lives in Malibu, California in a beach house. Dad left a year after Kale was born.

"Yes. You aren't going to graduate high school. You need to clean up your act and no matter what I say, you don't listen to me. You're brilliant honey. I don't know what to do, so you're moving in with Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch."

"Okay."

Aunt Effie is Mom's sister.

"Am I going to school there?"

"Yes. I'll see you again at Graduation…if you graduate."

"Not even for the holidays?" I demand.

"No. Now go and pack. You leave tomorrow."

"What do I pack?"

"Everything."

"Okay."

…a…

Should I be upset? I really don't think so.

Yeah, I should be.

Is it bad I don't care?

I grab the last thing I need and lug my stuff out in the car. My brothers are staying here. I was going to bring my surf board but Haymitch told her not to because he's just going to get me a new one. Surfing and music are my escapes. I haven't really been the same since Dad left, but I don't care about him.

He's a douche for leaving.

I toss my stuff in the back of the car and get in the seat behind the drivers because Reed took the passenger and Kale is behind Mom.

I plug in my ear buds and drift into my own world.

I don't listen to music most teenagers do. I completely lose myself in the lyrics of my favorite song, Vienna by Billy Joel, from my favorite movie, 13 Going on 30.

I'm just going to close my eyes…

…..a…

"Katniss," Mom says. I sit up, confused and blinded by the Florida sun.

"What?" I groan and lay down in my seat with my head on my little brother's lap.

"Honey, you are going to miss your flight."

I force myself to get out of the car. I run my fingers through my hair.

"First things first." She says as she, Reed and Kale lead me through the airport. "I want your phone."

"Your taking my phone?" I ask.

"Yes." She puts her hand out.

I sigh and hand it to her.

"I'm not going to take your MP3 player because I know you need that to stay sane." She hands me my ticket. "If you want to call me, you use Haymitch or Effie's phone. From here on out, you listen to them, understood?"

"Whatever." I cross my arms.

I hate her.

We must have gotten here right on time.

"Last call for the flight to Malibu."

I huge my brother goodbye and take my stuff and walk away.

I don't say goodbye to my mother.

…..a…

"I hope you know this isn't a vacation." Aunt Effie warns. "We are taking over as your parents until you graduate. If you have to redo senior year, you'll stay with us again."

"And you'll want to go home in a weeks' time." Haymitch adds. "By the way, you aren't getting a new surf board until I see your GPA go up to a two and you have straight A's."

"And if that doesn't happen?" I ask.

"Then the board you have back home will be given away."

"What the hell am I supposed to do for the rest of the summer?"

My Aunt Effie smiles. "Work, of course!"

"Work?" I snap, slamming the car door. They get in.

"Yes, work. Now, I have a family friend with three sons, one of them is your age. You will be working there. We've given them permission to treat you like their own kid. Oh, and you can't quit. The closest you can get to being fired is not getting paid but still have to work."

"That's slavery!"

"Not if your legal guardians are the ones ordering it." Haymitch replies.

"This is ridiculous."

"Yeah?" Haymitch asks. "So is the fact that you think you are going to get hired if you fuck off in school. So is telling your mother you hate her when you don't. You'll learn your lesson Sweetheart, because one day, you are going to regret ever saying that shit to her."

"Okay." I say.

"You the way, you owe me ten dollars." Effie says.

"For what?" I demand.

"You owe me ten dollars every time you curse."

"Are you serious right now?" I ask.

"Yes." She says.

"Oh my god, I thought you guys were cool."

"Be good and we will be back to normal. Every time you do something good, you will be rewarded." Haymitch says. "Your first reward it your surf board. You can't get that until I see a report card at the end of the first marking period with your straight A's on it and your GPA at a two. If your GPA goes down I get rid of the board. Until then, don't ask for anything except for a ride to your job."

"What if I make enough money to buy my own surf board?"

"At this rate, with your mouth, you are already in debt. If you were to earn enough money though, that's just too bad, because every single cent you make goes into a checking account towards your college education."

"You have got to be kidding me."