I would still protest, though. I heaved a sigh and stood up, gathering my clothes from the day before from their pile on the floor and bringing them back into my room with me (through our shared bathroom, to ensure our parents didn't see me running naked through the house).

I tossed my dirty clothes in my laundry basket and made my way to the closet to try to pick out something for the day, but my heart wasn't really in it. Normally I cared at least a little bit what I was wearing and I would try to make sure things matched and looked nice together. Today, however, my...