𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍

000.

"Mom, Dad, please! I'll be a Junior this year! I just want to spend my last two years of school in actual school!", Aeris begged her parents. She had been homeschooled since Pre-K, she hadn't even seen kids her age besides on the television when her parents would let her. She had once sneaked behind her parents back and watched a PG-13 movie once when she was 14.

Candice and Darrell both looked at each other. Candice was excited that their daughter had finally asked the question while Darrell was a bit wary. What if a bomb was set off? What if an active shooter came onto campus and she got hurt?

"Aeris... I don't know-", Darrell began.

"Dad please!", she cut him off.

Darrell was surprised. This was the first time she had done that.

"Darrell let her go, she is about to be 17 and has never been outside this house for more than 15 minutes. Do you expect to keep her locked in this house until we die?", Candice scolded her husband. She had been preparing for this this day since her daughter had started puberty. She had always wanted her daughter to get out and explore the world but her husband had shut that idea down many times. Now it was time to put an end to that.

"Well yes-",

"No. End of discussion. We'll register you at Polk High School tomorrow and you and I will go shopping for school supplies and some cute clothes.", her mother tells her.

"No holes in your jeans, must be under your ankles-", Darrell is once again cut off by his wife.

"Zip it, I'll buy her whatever she wants, Darrell. She is not 10 years old anymore. She'll be an adult in under two years!", she says to her overprotective husband.

Aeris squeals and runs to her mom, "Thank you Mom!"

Aeris runs up to her room and grabs a pillow and screams into it in excitement.

"I'm going to real school!", she tells her teacup Pomeranian, Jupiter, who was was looking at her in concern.

Maybe she'll find her true love there.

She goes to sleep daydreaming of her first day at real school.