Prologue

Columbia University Dorm Room

   "What do you mean 'we're moving'?" Alexandra Thomas shouted into the phone receiver.  "Or should I say you, dad and Kayla?"
   "Knock it off Lexa.  Its not all about you anymore.  You only come home for Christmas and summer anyway."  Her mother shouted back into the phone.  She had called her daughter to tell her that her father had gotten a better job in Florida and that the family would be moving in two weeks.  She hadn't expected a full-fledged fight. 
   "Oh great.  So now I don't even have the option of coming home for a weekend or even Thanksgiving.  If I wanted that I could have gone to Stamford."  Stamford had been Lexa's number one pick, but she was worried about being too far from home.  Now it didn't seem like such a big deal.  "How exactly do you expect me to get all my shit to Florida anyway."
   "Watch your mouth young lady.  You are still my daughter and you won't speak to me that way.  You can have your things shipped to the house in the beginning of May.  Then you can just bring home the rest of your stuff when you fly down there."
   "So where are you guys moving to anyway?"
   "We are moving to Ruskin."
   "Where?" Lexa asked.  She had never heard of the place.  It sounded like they were moving from the little town that they currently were in to another just as small town.
   "Its a suburb of Tampa," her mom explained.
   "A suburb mom?!  Are you serious?"
   "Yes, I'm serious.  It'll be a good place for Kayla to finish growing up," Kayla was Lexa's younger sister, who had just entered her teen years.  Already she had started giving her mom trouble.  "What's so bad about a suburb anyway?"
   "I don't know, just a bunch of snobs with large houses."
   "They aren't all snobs.  I thought you liked big houses anyway."
   "I liked our old house.  I thought you said you'd never sell that house."
   "Well this was a good opportunity for your father and you know how I hate the cold."
   "Yeah, I do," It was true, her mom always bitched during the winter.  Lexa looked at the clock and realized she was supposed to meet friends for dinner in ten minutes.  "Listen mom, I hate to make it sound like i don't want to talk to you anymore, but I gotta go meet some friends for dinner.  I'll talk tot you later, kay?"
   "Fine Lexa.  Have fun.  Love you."
   "I love you too mom.  Bye."  With that Lexa hung up the phone and got up to brush her hair.  She pulled her shoulder length  brown hair with red highlights into a messy bun.  She slipped her flip-flops on her feet and grabbed her keys.  She locked her door and headed out of her dorm.
  

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