“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Everyone on the dance floor was celebrating and embracing one another. Everywhere you turned people were kissing and smiling.  The smell of wine lingered in the air from people’s breath.

                                    * * *
     “Please walk this way.” The police officer said as they were motioning us to go down the hallway.
I could feel the angry tears build up behind my eyes and the blood rush to my cheeks. I have never, ever been as embarrassed as I was tonight. I never told anyone how dysfunction my family was, and tonight I didn't have to. 
      All my life I have been trying to cover up  bad things about my family, making sure nobody found out because I didn’t want people to treat me differently, like I was some little puppy on the side of the road that needed help or something. 
     Now, I’m not going to tell you all the things that happened that night because well, it doesn't matter. But  what I am  going to tell you is what really  matters, and that is the way I was at my lowest and rebuilt myself.

     My dad was arrested that night and my best friends were there to witness it.
I wish we never came this would have never happened.

    We walked to the big room we were just counting down in hours before, and sat down. The officers took our names, addresses and what we heard and saw. We sat in silence and just stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact. No one spoke for what seemed like a really long time.
     “Does this happen a lot?” My closest friend asked.
     Yes.
     “Does what happen a lot?” I tried to respond in the most nonchalant way possible. So then maybe she wouldn't catch on that it actually did happen a lot.
     “Do things happen like this with your dad a lot?”
      Yes.
     “Oh, no not really.” I could feel the lie slither up past the growing lump in my throat and roll of the tip of my tongue.
After they took my dad away we were able to go back to our room. It was already four in the morning. I didn’t sleep at all the rest of the night. My thoughts went crazy. They probably think I'm like weird or crazy or like what if they don't want to be my friend anymore. I always wanted to be known as the girl that was happy and didn't have any problems. Now my friends knew that I wasn’t that person and I didn’t know how to feel about that. They probably think I'm living this crazy double life and can't be trusted.
     After this day I wasn’t that happy person anymore, even if I tried. I mean I was when I was around people, but when I came home, I would fall apart. I hated that people were looking down on my family for something that was out of our control, or at least my control.
     The court hearing was a month later. I had a two year no contact order from my dad. To be honest that didn't bother me at the time. I’ll admit as bad as it was, or as bad as I thought it was, I do miss having what looked like a normal family. But now, I know it doesn't matter what other people think. My past is what has made me, me no matter how much I try to hide it.