She was so broken from the heaviness of her parents fighting there was almost nothing else that could go wrong. The constant yelling made Lea eager to say something but she never knew what. All she could do was stand behind the cracked white wall that separated the kitchen and hallway. When there was a moment of silence it would be at dinner because they didn't want to fight in front of her, if only they knew how loud it was in Lea's head. As soon as she got up from the dinner table without saying a word, she moved up to her room, then it would start again. Lea couldn't remember the last time her parents actually cared about what she was doing or how she was. 

Lea would try and go back to the days when everything was perfect, she soon realized there was nothing to remember. She couldn't think of a time when everyone was happy because they never were. She woke up the next morning for school, which she was excited about because it was a day without the deafening sound of her parents. Lea walks out of the house without saying goodbye, her best friend Ben is waiting for her. Ben and Lea have been friends for 10 years, they lived 2 doors down from each other and he knew what was going on with Lea. As they started to walk Ben said “i heard it” Lea began to look down not knowing what to say. She was embarrassed at the fact that her best friend could hear what was going on and that she was a charity case to him.

Lea had so many things to say but she walked and stayed quiet, Ben knew that she didn't want to talk about it so he decided to make his hilarious jokes. No matter what, he always knew how to make Lea happy even when she did not want to be. In a school of 2000 kids they stuck together no matter what, they did everything together. After school they would walk to the gas station  less than a mile away from the school. They sat down with their ice cold slurpees and Lea began to rant to Ben about what was happening “It’s constant, it never stops, I want to say something but i'm mute” she said. He looks at her but not with eyes that she expected which made her feel a sense of relief, they were eyes of hope because he knew she was brave and courageous. Ben began to say “Iknow things are hard but no matter what I will always be here”, Lea began to have tears in her eyes and silently replied “I know”.

She came home to an empty house, no parents, no fighting just her and the faint sound of the dishwasher going. As she walked in the kitchen there was a note on the fridge that said “Dinner is in the fridge, won't be home till late”. Opening the leftover chinese, she sat there eating alone, she couldn't remember the last time her mom cooked. As the sun went down it started to get more and more quiet then, her mom walked through the door and went straight to her room. The next couples days were silent, no fighting, no crying, just voiceless. Lea hadn't seen her dad in over 2 weeks, she realized that he was gone so it was time for her to be that brave courageous person and get her mom back on her feet.

Lea’s mother always thought of Ben as a son, so Lea had him come over to help with the mess her dad made. Ben helped cook,clean and even keep her mom laughing, which she was thankful because Lea hadn't seen her mom smile in a long time. Over the course of 3 months things were getting better, mom signed divorce papers, she got a new job, and for Lea she was finally happy with her life. She knew things could only look up from here.

1 year later its Lea and Ben's senior year, Lea and her mom's relationship is better than ever they talk 24/, spend an immense amount of time together, Lea is finally getting her mom back. Ben and Lea’s relationship is still strong, they made it to the end of senior year, but there was still this feeling of uneasiness that Lea had for a long time. She started to know what it was and her mom knew to, as they were sitting together watching tv her mom looked at her and bluntly said “You love him”. Lea, scared of the fact that she knew her mom was right responded with “Well of course I love him, he's my best friend” her mom continued “No, you really love him”. That night Lea had a huge realization and didn't know how to confront it, she needed a plan.

The next week was prom, she noticed Ben was acting weird but she thought it was normal because he always got weird when it came to dances. Lea just decided to ignore it and not think anything about it until the day before prom came. Ben showed up at Lea’s door step and began to tell Lea how he has had feelings for her since the 3rd grade, she stood there in tears. She began to express the same feelings to Ben and at the end of the conversation Ben asked “Will you be my girlfriend, and prom date?” Lea said “Of course.” ironically Leas mom was the one hiding behind the cracked white wall to try and her what was happening.

The night came, Lea's mom was smiling non stop because she knew how happy they were together. As they arrived at prom ben looked at Lea with a big smile on his face, as he leaned in a kissed her. Lea was shocked at the fact that her life was becoming somewhat perfect, she didn't want the night to end. The next day Lea received a letter from UCLA stating that she had gotten in, moments later Ben received a letter from UC San Diego. They both ran out of there houses at the same time to share the news with each other, they both knew that their lives were going to be incredible.