"Thanks for bringing me, Mom." Carlie said as she rolled her wheelchair down the ramp out of the van. 

"No problem." Her mother said. "I know how much you want to see your friend before school starts." 

Carlie was so glad she chose to wear a tank top that day. It was so hot outside she had sweat pouring down her forehead. She'd be so relieved to be inside her bedroom when classes started in August. 

Her mother pushed her chair up the sidewalk. Then rung the doorbell. Calum's mother answered. "Oh, Hello, Carlie. Haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" 

"I'm fine." Carlie replied with a smile. 

"Thats good." 

"Well, Calum already has company. But the more the merrier, I guess!" Ms. Hood laughed. 

"I will be back to pick  her up at 5. "  Carlie's mother said and walked back to the car. 

Carlie rolled into the house. 

"The boys are in Calum's room." 

She entered the room. There was Calum and Ashton sitting on the bed while Luke sat on the floor, drinking a soda. Carlie began to feel a little nervous. She had been best friends with Calum since elementary school. But she didn't know Luke or Ashton all that well since she hadn't hung around them too often. Calum had become friends with them in their junior year of high school. 

" Hey Carlie." Calum said his brown eyes brightening as he noticed her in the doorway. 

"Hey." She replied. 

"What up." Ashton said. 

And Luke just waved. 

She smiled at them. 

"So what have you been up to?" Calum asked. He tossed her a can of soda. 

"Buying notebooks, pencils, and textbooks. You know, cause school's coming up."

"Same. I got to go to an orientation the first week of August. Your so lucky that you get to go online." 

Calum would be attending a  community college while still staying with his mom. Carlie was so happy to see him because who knew when they'd get a chance to see each other again. Soon they would be busy doing piles of homework. 

"Online?" Ashton said. "College?"

Carlie nodded. 

"Oh man, that would suck! I think I would go *insane* from being stuck in the house!" 

"Shut up!" Luke smashed the soda can on top of Ashton's head. Drops of soda dripped from his curly brown locks. Carlie gasped. 

"Ha!" Calum laughed. "You both shut up! I'd kill to go to online school. It beats having to sit in class and listen to a boring professor. Plus you get to sneak on to the internet any time you want." He winked at her. 

Carlie didn't say anything. She felt a bit better but not much. What if Ashton was right? What if she did go insane from being stuck in the house all the time? Her mother didn't take her places very often. It was such a hassle. You know, because of the wheelchair. She wouldn't be able to see her friends Calum and Emma. She had known Emma since middle school. But they were close. She had moved away to some big university in South Carolina after they'd graduated high school. Carlie teared up just thinking about it but quickly wiped her face. 

She stayed quiet while they all watched a movie on the small television in the corner of the room. She sighed. Could it get any worse than this?