I'm sitting all alone in my house. My parents are at work, my siblings at school. The dogs are outside tumbling around in the newly fallen snow, coating their fur with white powder. The phone is ringing off the hook; colleges calling for my brother. He just turned seventeen and hasn't even begun to think about his future. He's not like me.

My sister isn't like me either. She's fourteen, fifteen in a matter of days. She's the number one source of drama in my household. ADHD combined with bipolar disorder isn't fun. My parents don't know how to deal with her, especially when she refuses to take her medication. As much as I hate Cortland, I'm glad I'm not home all the time. Being home stresses me out.

I'll be home in the fall, though. I'm coming back to community college. Goodbye, Cortland and hello, stress. I'm finally going to pursue what I really want, and if I have to go to BCC to do that, then so be it.