This is not fair, so not fair. Why is fate being so cruel to me?

I quickly push myself out of the mud and stood up. Caroline was smirking at me. She had her yellow hood over her head, probably because she didn't want to get her precious blue hair wet.

I try brushing the mud off myself without any success. Auntie Spink just smiled and put the umbrella over my head. "So ducky, who's you're cute little friend?" she asked.

I stared at Caroline with disgust and crossed my arms, "I don't see anything cute around here" I said. Caroline glared at me while a grin came to her face, "Says you covered in mud" she said to me.

My arms start brushing the mud off again.

"I'm Coraline Jones" the girl said to Auntie Spink. The old lady just smiled. "How nice to meet you Caroline. I'm Miss Spink. Are you a friend of Wybourn? Where do you live pet?" Auntie Spink asked, clearly forgetting our tiny fight earlier, if that's what you could call it.

"Caroline just moved into the Pink Palace" I said, after seeing that Caroline was just about to answer for herself.

Auntie Spink's face seemed to light up. "My goodness, another child on the Pink Palace grounds? What a delight! Me and Miriam simply adore the company of children" she said, clasping her hands together.

Caroline gave her a funny look. "When she says Miriam, she's talking about the woman she lives with. Aunt Forcible" I explained, though I'm not sure why. Caroline's face suddenly turned weird. Her eyes were wide and she was biting down on her lip for whatever reason. She kept looking at Aunt Spink like she had just figured out something freaky about her.

That's when I caught on.

"No, no, no, they were just in the theater together, that's all" I whispered to her, waving my hands around. Caroline gasped realizing her mistake. Then she started blushing.

"Ah yes, those were some precious days. Back when I and Miriam used to ride through the adoring crowds and dance the waltz, all back when we were famous actresses you know" Auntie Spink rambled. She took the umbrella away from me as she walked over to Caroline.

"Now poppet, you come over any time you like okay. We simply love the company of children" she said. My face dropped a little bit as I crossed my arms. Not my fault I'm not allowed in the Pink Palace.

"Sure Miss Spink" Caroline said. Auntie Spink waddled back over to me with her walker. "Tell you're grandmother I said Hello. Oh, and be nice to the new girl Caroline wont you sweetie, after all, with her around I guess everyone can stop fussing over you" she said while patting my cheek.

"Ta ta" she shouted while walking back to her apartment.

I stared down at the mud, my lips pressed together tightly. Then I felt a sharp punch on my arm.

"Ow" I cried, completely caught off guard. I turned around to see Caroline looking at me angrily. "Listen mommy's boy. I'm going home, and I do not want you following me, got it!" she said, walking past me.

"The dye in your hair must have effected you're brain Caroline... you stupid twit" I said the last part more quietly so she couldn't hear.

I'm sorry, but what moron calls a kid who lives with his grandparents a mommy's boy?

She stopped and turned around angrily, "My name is Coraline!" she yelled. I only rolled my eyes, not feeling in the mood anymore.

I picked up my helmet and bike and decided to walk the rest of the way home.

The rain fell harder as I put my bike and helmet in the shed. Even though it was raining, I was still covered in mud. And it didn't help that these were the only clothes I had. But that wasn't my biggest problem.

Facing gramma... was my biggest problem.

I walked to the front door. I could feel the nerves rising inside me, I had to take a deep breath to stop myself from running away and hiding in the barn house for the next six weeks.

Though the offer seemed tempting, I was eleven now, I'm too old to be running away from my grandmother... but damn she's scary. I know I'm safe from physical pain if she doesn't have the broom stick in her hands.

I opened the door. I took off my mud-caked-shoes and placed them outside.

"Wybourn I called you ages ago, what took you so lo- AGH!" gramma screeched as she saw me standing at the door, head to toe in mud.

I smiled at her shyly, not knowing what else to do.

"You've been gone for under twenty minutes and you come home like that! You should be ashamed of yourself!" she shouted.

I looked down at the floor. "It's just a bit of mud" I muttered a poor defense.

Gramma looked angry enough to burst. Normaly I'll tell this to someone but now wasn't a good time.

She grabbed my wrist tight enough for it to hurt and started dragging me up the stairs. "You are going strait to the bath, and so help me if you get any dirt in clean house I will make you clean this place for a year!" she threatened. And boy, believe me when I say that if gramma threatens you with something, she never backs out. Ever!

After dragging me in the bathroom, she let go of my wrist and started running the bath. "You are so lucky I'm actually letting you have warm water, you deserve it to be freezing cold!" she said angrily.

I used this as my chance. I carefully walked towards the door and pulled it open with a small squeak. But that's all gramma needed to turn her head around and catch me.

"Wybourn!"

I laughed fearfully before shutting the door and walking away from it. Gramma locked the door without saying a word.

I couldn't help but gulp. "Oh come on gramma, its not like I robbed the bank or anything, I just got muddy" I said, trying to calm her down.

Gramma grabbed my jacket harshly and unzipped it before taking it from me. "Firstly, you know my rule Wybourn, when you go out you don't get muddy. And secondly, I never said you could go out in the first place" she said, throwing my jacket on the floor and placing her hands on my T-shirt, pulling that off too.

"Grandpa said I could" I responded. I then realize what was happening, "Hey wait a sec, I can take my own clothes off you know, I'm not five."

"Oh really, because last week when I told you to have a bath, what did you do? Lock the bathroom door and jumped out the window" she said while crossing her arms.

I scratched my head awkwardly and looked away.

"Honestly, it took us ages to try and get into the bathroom again. We had to have someone come in and break the door down. Not to mention the fact that you ended up with a concussion" she said while pushing me by my shoulders and sitting me down on the toilet seat where she took my socks off. I swear, this is getting ridicules now. What does she thinks gonna happen, I'll run away in my socks and pants?

"Sides, you're granddaddy doesn't say anything, so don't you even think about giving me the whole 'permission from grandpa' stuff" gramma said while picking up my dirty clothes and putting them in the washing basket.

"I don't see why I have to ask" I said while shrugging my shoulders.

She picked up a towel and held it out to me, "Because you do! Now take off your pants and get in the tub" she said.

"You're not leaving?" I asked, hinting as must as I could.

"Well if you're gonna act like a little child, then that's how I'm gonna treat you" she said looking deadly serious.

"You're kidding me!" I yelled, staring at her like she had just said that the planets were going to be destroyed. My fate was truly sealed. Why couldn't she just beat me up with a stick?

"Pants! Now!"

"Okay, okay" I replied. I put the towel around my waist and took off my pants. I kicked them over to her before getting into the bath and throwing the towel on the toilet seat.

Gramma grabbed a sponge and put a load of girly gel stuff on it. She then grabbed my shoulder roughly and started scrubbing me with it so much that it actually hurt.

"Gramma! I'm in the tub, I'm not going to run away now, I can have a bath by myself you know" I said, annoyed and embarrassed.

"You have got to do something with this hair, it's horrible! How on earth did you get this muddy, the water's turning black!" she said.

I just shrugged, "I fell down the hill." Gramma sighed obviously feeling annoyed and shook her head. "Did you see the new neighbors?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I met the daughter" I said back. "Oh, what was she like?" she asked me, sounding happier then a few minutes ago.

"She hit me"

Gramma's face dropped at my words. "Oh Wybourn, what did you do to tick her off?" she asked, as if the situation was my fault. I thought back as to why she did hit me... my face dropped as I realized the answer. "I uh... kinda tried to... run her over."

My gramma stared at me with her eyes wide. "What?" she gasped out.

"Uh..."

"I can't trust you to do anything properly, can I?"

I jumped as she shouted this. I couldn't help but feel tense, she looked ready to hit me for years to come. "I-I'm sorry" I muttered quietly.

"Forget it, clearly you just don't understand. Here, do it yourself" she said while throwing the sponge at me. I watched as she walked out the bathroom and slammed the door behind.

I sighed, feeling riddled with guilt and sadness. I held the sponge in my hand as I banged my head against the wall.

I'll never understand old people.