The door flew shut with a loud slam! as I ran leaping towards my bed, hiding myself under the soft pink cotton cover. Tears have swollen my eyes, which made them look no different from a panda’s. I curled up my tiny body with my hands on my ears, trying to block the disastrous world outside. I strained to imagine myself striding across a peaceful field of green and an endless clear sky above. My fragile legs stopped and bent ever so slightly to pick up a beautiful nurtured yet lonely daisy. Since its creation, it had lived a prosperous life in this gorgeous meadow, but never once experienced the feel of love or true warmth. I brought it close to my nose, inhaling the sweet smell that arose from the plant one last time. Like a mirror, I looked at it and saw myself; deep inside, we both felt emptiness that was no longer bearable. I bid my friend farewell and at the grasp of my hand, crushed the delicate structure with all my might. As my final mission, I have brought it peace and saved it from a pitiful life.

Now that the storm has calmed, let us recap on what had happened. Earlier in the evening, right out of the blue, my over-controlling mother decided that our dog, Sofus, had suddenly become too much of a hassle and burden for our family. How ridiculous. Sofus is family. Oops; excuse my careless grammatical error… Sofus “was” family. It was one wet and windy day about six years ago, that we found him wandering the streets in our classy neighborhood. He was dripping and shivering in the cold and looked like a lost puppy that could really use some food and shelter. My parents gave me permission to take him back home out of pity, but I just thought he was the most adorable creature alive on the planet. I eventually named him after the black leather sofa in the corner of my room as it was his favorite place to hang out. It was a flawless fit for him. His smooth dark fur would camouflage right into the depths of the sofa. He quickly became everything to me.

My world shattered into a million pieces upon hearing the devastating news. There was no way my mom gave him away because we could no longer afford him. I mean, my parents drive a Mercedes Benz and a BMW, and both are renowned full-time family doctors. I attend the most expensive private school in town, and am the proud owner of two IPhones and four Gucci handbags since primary school. My whole life, I have been given whatever luxurious items I desired, but why not let me keep a dog that meant so much to me? The more I thought about it, the more pathetic it became. My best friend owns four charming puppies, and her parents are both currently unemployed and have been for quite a while now. The only explanation for my mom’s decision would simply be that she does not love me. Never had and never will.

To be honest, I had been aware of this since a long time ago, but somewhere inside of me I have always hoped that I was mistaken. Maybe she does love me…even just a teeny tiny bit. But after tonight’s incident, I had let go of the remaining small string of hope. She has failed to prove me wrong.

When my begging and pleading had no effect on the cruel tigress, I sprinted upstairs in tears and put up a barrier that would keep me safe from her. Without Sofus, a part of me would be missing like an incomplete puzzle. I told my mom serenely that losing him would be no different from losing me. Of course, she ignored my words; my entire existence, even though I meant every single word I said. I told her I would commit suicide, but she took it as a bluff. I hated that she knew I was too chicken to do anything; even I knew it. She ended the argument with an offer. She announced it in a cool casual tone like it was absolutely no big deal at all. “We’ll go to the mall and you can buy whatever you want tomorrow. I’ll even get you something from Prada online, just stop whining okay?”

How generous of her.

It would be true that I did not have the guts to do anything rebellious if this had happened a few months ago. But people change. Plus, the purpose of the solution I came up with was not intended to anger her at all… it was more for myself and the benefits it would have on me. So what I was about to do could not really be considered “rebellious.”

Nevertheless, under the heat of the moment, one cannot judge the actions of an innocent sixteen year old girl.

I crawled out from my bed and put on the hand knitted sweater hanging on the front of my closet door. My hands shook uncontrollably as I made my way to the window sill, tripping on piles of dirty laundry scattered across the carpet. I unlocked the latch on the window and my eyes swept down to analyze the journey ahead. It was a long one and I could not imagine how anyone could possibly survive it. Perfect. I let out a smirk and launched my body into the moonlight sky. My fuzzy shadow on the ground grew smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by…

It was my turn to save myself from living a pitiful life.