I layed in my bed staring up at the glow-in-dark stars stuck on my ceiling. I remeber the birthday I got them. It was my 10th, and I had seen them at the store a week before. I begged and begged to get them but my mother said I had enough stuff in my room already. I was so angry that when my birthday rolled around I didn't even smile as I ripped into my presents. But when I opened my last one and saw those stars, my heart lit up. I was so happy and my week of anger instantly disappeared. I don't know why, but whenever I get lost in thought I'm always brought back to that moment in time when I all I wanted was some glow-in-dark stars. My room has changed a lot aince then. New dresser, New bed. I even got a new door. But seven years later and those starrs are still up on my ceiling. I never could bring myself to take them down. Maybe its because they remind me that its the little things that matter. Well, that's what I tell myself. But the truth, it's because things change. seven years ago, my biggest worry was getting those stars. Now I'm juggling a job, school work, and raising my little sister all on my own. I guess those stars just let me know that the world can fall apart any minute.

My mother died soon after my eleventh birthday, and my dad kind of went off the deep end. He lost his job and by age twelve I was paying bills. Sounds impossible, right? But I got by. I did stupid things like eating worms and pranking the teacher to earn money. You'd be surprised by how much kids pay to watch other kids get in trouble. In my free time, I'd go around the neighborhood seeing what I could do for cash. I was fourteen when I got my first job. I used to have a college fund. My mother had saved one for me. But it has dwindled to nothing over the years. being used for school supplies and club fees. Despite how tight things get, I always made sure my little sister had a normal I'm-definitely-not-dirt-broke kind of life. I'm doing my best. What else can I do? I've never let on how bad it really is. My credit sucks and I'm going insane from stress, but I don't want my eleven-year-old sister eating worms.