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6:25 AM, October 23rd

My dad knocked on the door before coming in. “Funneh, wake up. You’ve gotta finish this semester strong,” he said, reaching over to turn off my alarm.

I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head. “No, Dad. The kids at school make my life miserable. I don’t want to go there anymore. Can’t we just move back to Canada with Mom?” I sat up, crossing my arms.

He sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed. “I wish we could, Funneh. But we can’t. I don’t even know how we’d get there. My car’s still in the shop, and you rely on Danika for rides to school.”

I frowned, my arms dropping to my sides. “If I could drive us all the way from Texas to Canada, I would. Trust me. This state’s just... different. The weather, the people—it’s not what we’re used to.”

I nodded slowly, understanding but not really agreeing. “I’ll let you get ready,” he said with a small, tired smile before leaving my room.

After a moment of staring at the floor, I dragged myself out of bed. I pulled on my black hoodie, leggings, and Air Forces, then grabbed my backpack. Heading downstairs, I tried to push back the heavy feeling in my chest, but it wasn’t working.

This day already felt like it was going to be awful.

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