The day after Christmas my parents - the drunk father and enabler mother - dropped a bomb on me. They decided that it would be in my best interest to leave my home of fifteen years - Sunny Sarasota, Florida - to move to cold, snowy Pennsylvania. I spent New Years Eve in a motel off of I-95 in North Carolina, a stop on the way to my Great Aunt Lucinda's house in Pennsylvania. We pulled up to the house outside of Philadelphia the next evening. My mom helped me settle in and then left me here so that she could tend to my alcoholic father's every whim.

Now, I admit that I'm mad at my mother, but she's the one I really feel bad for. Although I'd much rather be in Florida, I can't help but feel relieved that I'm away from the drama that comes along with having an alcoholic father.

Still, moving to a new town has not been easy. Aunt Lucinda kind of forced me on my cousin, Lindsay. I love Linds, but she's a year older than me and we're so different. We're not friends because we choose to be - we're friends because we're family. The only person in her group that I click with is Alex. He's such a sweet guy - and he's a sophomore like me. He's totally in love with my neighbor, Molly, so he gives me rides home from school sometimes so that he can see her. I honestly don't know what he sees in her. She's a stuck up snob if you ask me.

Besides Alex, the only person I've bonded with is Lauren Anderson. She lives next door and is in 8th grade. On my way home from school one day I saw her getting teased by some "bullies." I jumped in and rescued her. Since then she's loved me.

Lauren's a pretty cool kid. I like spending time with her. It's like having the little sister I never had. I only wish it could score me some points with her older brother, Josh.

Josh is like the most sought after guy in high school. Lindsay's friend, Jennifer, just loves him. I just think he's nice. He's always smiling and I like that. I think I blew my chance to be friends with him though. My first night in PA I was looking out my bedroom window - which happens to look directly into his. He caught me watching him. I'm sure he thinks I'm a total freak!

He teased me the next day when we officially met. He called me "Peeping Thompson." I guess he thought I had Aunt Lucinda's last name. It was cute though.

Well, Aunt Lucinda's calling me for dinner and I have to struggle through geometry homework tonight. :(

I'm outtie!