everly put her foot down on the gas. They went faster still.
This was what Beverly wanted what she always wanted. To get away.

To get away as fast as she could. To stay away.

Beverly Tapinski has run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid. By now, she figures, its not running away.

Its leaving. Determined to make it on her own, Beverly finds a job and a place to live and tries to forget about her dog, Buddy, now buried underneath the orange trees back home; her friend Raymie, whom she left without a word; and her mom, Rhonda, who has never cared about anyone but herself. Beverly doesnt want to depend on anyone, and she definitely doesnt want anyone to depend on her.

But despite her best efforts, she cant help forming connections with the people around her and gradually, she learns to see herself through their eyes.