What a way to start summer vacation, Hailey thought, half sarcastically. In truth, she was quite happy with the near future in general, particularly since Erin would be coming to live with her. An additional bed and dresser had been added to her bedroom, and she had compressed her things into half of the closet so Erin could have the other half. The big surprise was that her bedroom now had a television; a gift that she could only assume was a reward for sharing her room. Her parents never offered an explanation, and she never pushed for one.
But now she was in the car, riding to Emily’s house. Emily Petrand, a girl she would have difficulty spending a week with. She would bear it because her parents expected her to.
Hailey was allowed to stay home by herself, but for only hours at a time. She was smart enough to know that she wouldn’t be allowed to stay home by herself for a whole week, so she didn’t even bother to ask. Her parents had, however, given her the job of riding her bike to her house every day to bring in the mail and newspaper. Her bike was in the trunk of the car, along with her suitcases. “If it’s raining, I’m sure Mrs Petrand will drive you to our house,” her father told her. Hailey shrugged. Rain had never really bothered her; after all, it was just water, and it was warm enough outside that the rain wouldn’t chill her.