Today just seems like one of those days where I don't want to get out of bed. I just want to cry... and cry...and cry. I've been awake since my nightmare this morning, and it's just drained any energy I had in me. It's been almost three weeks...Three.

But that day will forever be etched into my mind. Nothing and no one will ever be able to get that memory out of my mind. And I can't help but constantly think, why? Why did our parents have to die? I know Austin is struggling too, and we've been trying to be there for each other, but also let each other grieve on our own.

"Annie? It's time for breakfast," Mrs. Emerson says, lightly knocking on my door.

I pull my covers over my head to block out the sound. "I'm not hungry."

"Can I come in sweetie?" she asks.

I stay silent, not really wanting to see anyone right now. Finally, I sigh and say, "Yeah."

My door opens seconds later. The blankets are pulled away from my body and Mrs. Emerson sets a tray of food on my bed. "I'm not hungry, Amy."

"You need to eat something, honey," she says softly.

A sigh escapes my lips and I look over at her. "I'll eat later, okay?" She frowns at me, but nods.

"Alright. I'm going to check up on you in an hour," she says and kisses my cheek. Without another word, she walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

'Your parents would be disappointed if they saw you like this,' a voice in the back of my head reminds me.

That voice is right. I let out a frustrated groan, and push myself into a sitting position. I swing my legs over the side of my bed, placing my feet on the cold wood floor. With another sigh, I push myself to my feet and walk over to the door. I pull it open and make my way down the stairs.

"Good morning, Annie," Mr. Emerson says. He looks at me for a second, his eyes narrowed. "Is that Carter's letterman's jacket?"

I furrow my eyebrows and look down at my clothing, then remember he let me borrow it. "Oh, yeah, it is. He let me borrow it."

"You know," Ryder says, taking a seat next to me at the island, "you would look much better in my clothes."

I give him a blank look. "I'll pass on that offer, thanks." He smirks and shrugs.

"You guys need to chill with the flirting, that's my sister," Austin says with a roll of his eyes.

"Anyone want to go for a run with me?" Nick asks, stepping into the kitchen.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll go," I offer. He grins at me and nods.

"Hurry up then, Anna banana," he teases.

I roll my eyes at him. "Five minutes, think you can manage?" He chuckles and nods. "Good."

I grin at him and hurry up the stairs. I step into my room and quickly change into a pink sports bra, black yoga pants, and my pink Nike shocks. I grab my phone and headphones then hurry back down the stairs.

"Ready?" he asks when I walk into the kitchen. Ryder looks at me as he takes a drink of orange juice and starts to choke.

My eyes widen as I hurry over to him and pat him on the back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I'm good," he says, still coughing a little.

"Let's go before you make anyone else choke." Nick snickers, pushing me out of the room.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?" He just shakes his head at me. We walk outside the house and start to stretch.

"Where should we run to?" he asks once we're done stretching.

"To the park and back?" I ask, knowing the park is a few miles there and back. He nods, and we set off towards the park.

Our feet stomp onto the ground rhythmically. I can hear the distant sounds of car horns on the freeway, just a block away. The light breeze blows the leaves on the trees, making them flip side to side. It's kind of dark to be nine in the morning, meaning there will most likely be a storm.

"It looks like it's going to storm," Nick comments, reading my mind. I look up at him just in time to see him flick his hair to the side, trying to keep it in place. Forcing myself to look away, I just nod.

We come to a stop at the park, and I look around in awe. I've never actually been here. It's huge! It doesn't just have one jungle gym, it has three. There's four sets of slides, and two sets of swings, each set having four swings.

"This park is awesome," I mumble, slightly out of breath.

"Yeah, Charlie loves this place," Nick says with a chuckle. "There's a pool, a skatepark, a basketball court, and a baseball diamond past those trees." He points behind a bunch of trees.

"Wow. I think I'm going to have to come here sometime," I pause, then add, "for Charlie."

He chuckles and says, "Yeah, sure, for Charlie." I laugh and punch his arm.

"My inner child loves parks, okay?" He just shrugs, looking amused.

"Ready to get back?" he asks. I nod and we both turn on our heels. We take off towards the house, letting our feet hit the ground in another rhythmic pattern.

A raindrop lands on my shoulder, making me look up at the sky. It's gotten so much darker than it was earlier. It starts to lightly rain, and I feel a grin form on my face. Something to relieve the California sun. Man, I miss Indiana.

"Aren't you scared your hair will get wet?" Nick teases, running alongside me.

I give him an amused look. "I lived on a farm, Nick. My hair was in a ponytail ninety percent of the time. I think I'll survive."

"I didn't know you lived on a farm," he says, looking slightly flabbergasted.

I raise an eyebrow at him and say, "Cause I didn't tell you that. But yeah, I lived on a farm."

"Anything else I don't know?" he asks as we stop at the front gates to the house. He punches in the code and the gates swing open.

"No, not really." I give him a mischievous smile and run towards the front doors. He chases after me and grabs me by the waist from behind. I laugh as my legs are lifted off the ground. I kick my legs, trying to get down. "Put me down!"

He chuckles and sets me back on my feet. "Happy now?" he teases. I nod and dash through the front door. He runs in after me and chases me through the foyer to the living room, where he catches up with me.

"You two have a nice run?" Mr. Emerson asks, looking amused from his place on the couch. Tyler and Bradley are also in the room, looking at us amused. Austin walks in and plops down on the couch, not looking too happy.

"Austin, it's raining outside," I state with a smile.

"Really?" Austin smiles and gets up, opening the front door and walking outside. The rest of their heads turn to the window, and they look surprised. I'm guessing they don't get much rain in California.

"Did you guys know that Annie and Austin here lived on a farm?" Nick comments as Austin walks back inside.

"Oh, a cowgirl? Feisty," Ryder comments, walking in from the dining room. I roll my eyes and flip him off.

"You two go get changed; lunch will be ready soon," Mr. Emerson says. We both nod and walk out of the room. I dart up the stairs and he chases after me, both of us laughing like maniacs.

I run past him and into my room, shutting the door behind me. I pull off my running clothes and step into my closet to find something dry to wear. I slide on a pair of black jean shorts, a black bandeau, and add a cream-colored knit sweater over it. I pull my hair out of the ponytail it was in and place a beanie on my head, then slip on a pair of military-style boots.

Checking my reflection in the mirror, I notice how dull my blue eyes are. I let out a sigh and walk away from the mirror. I walk out of my room and slowly walk down the stairs, no longer in an upbeat mood like I was a few minutes ago.

"Hey sweetie," Mrs. Emerson says when I walk into the kitchen. I give her a small wave and take a seat at the island. "What's wrong?"

I look up at her and whisper, "I miss my parents." She frowns and walks around the island and over to me. The rest of the family comes into the kitchen and takes a seat at the table or the island.

"I know, honey. Just remember that you have this family and Austin," she says, trying to reassure me.

"I'm not family," I mumble, messing with my sweater sleeves.

"You are family, Annie," Amy says, tears welling up in her eyes. I choke out a sob, making Austin and Carter look over at me.

"Annie?" Carter asks, worry clear on his face. I run out of the room and bound up the stairs, tears pouring down my face. I run into my room, slamming and locking the door behind me. I slide down the closed door and let the sobs rack through my body.

I grab the closest thing to me, which happens to be a book I had tossed on the floor one day, and chuck it at the wall across from me. It hits the wall with a loud thud. A sob escapes my lips and the warm tears continue to fall down my face.

I tuck my knees to my chest and bury my face in my hands, not caring who hears my sobs. I miss them so much. It's not fair. I didn't get to say I loved them one last time. Or say goodbye. They were just gone. Another sob escapes my lips and I can feel my whole body starting to shake.

There's a knock on my door, and I hear Carter say, "Annie? Please let me in." I stand up on shaky legs and pull the door open. He looks at me, sadness clear on his face and wraps me in a hug. I hug him tight and sob into his chest. He pushes the door closed and sits on the floor in front of it with me on his lap. "Shhh, just let it out."

"I just...I-I miss them so much. And I'll never s-see them ever again!"

"Your parents?" he asks softly. I nod and another sob escapes my lips.

"They're dead Carter. My parents are dead." His arms tighten around me, pulling me closer to him.

"Oh my God," he murmurs, rubbing my back in a soothing manner. "I'm so sorry, Annie."

I choke on a sob and start to cry even harder at the honesty in his voice. It wasn't pity; it was sincere. When anyone else would say that, other than Nick, it was out of pity, not out of honesty. It's because he understands what I'm going through.

"I didn't get to say goodbye," my voice comes out hoarse from crying so much. "I never got to say I loved them one last time. They were just gone. And it sucks so much."

"It seems to always happen that way," he whispers, running his hands through my hair. It's actually pretty soothing.

My tears finally stop falling, and I wipe away the dried tears. I let out a sigh, and say, "I think I owe everyone an explanation."

I push myself to stand up, and wipe my eyes. Austin walks into my room, and Carter excuses himself.

"I miss them too," Austin says, hugging me tightly.

"I think we need to tell everyone the truth," I tell him and he nods.

"I know. We'll do it together," he says with a sad smile.