2 - I Wonder Who He Is?

The 'perfect' summer that Carla had described turned out to be a lot lonelier than I originally anticipated. Even though that was due to my apprehension with moving my Junior year of high school, with Carla and Mike officially together, maybe I would have felt this way no matter what.

Although I had quickly forgiven Carla for the sake of our friendship, there was an air of sadness over everything I did. Everything we did made me think, "maybe this is the last time I will ever do this with my friends," and it was hard to shove that to the side.

Then there was the fact that I was a naturally jealous person. Even though I agreed with Carla that she was right and that it was not fair of me to call dibs on a boy that I had never made a move on, I was envious of their growing relationship.

She was apologetic about her and Mike's relationship. The next time we spoke, which happened to be the day after I walked home at nearly 2 AM, Carla brought over a big bag of candy and two pints of ice cream to my house. She was right anyways, I was leaving, so it should not matter.

Carla tried to push me to date another one of the boys over the summer, but she promptly backed off when I made no moves to make a reality of her idea. When she gave up on that, she tried to convince me that I would meet a new boy in New Mexico. Although I wasn't exactly holding onto that reality, it did make me feel a bit better. A million different scenarios of the perfect Prince Charming shifted through my head at night.

Even though I tried to put energy into this 'new boy' that did not exist, seeing Carla with Mike hurt for a while. Particularly because she was living the summer I wish I could have. I opted not to hang out with them the majority of the time, even though they had been gracious enough to let me be their third wheel.

It was easier when our other friends were there, and I didn't feel like so much of an outsider. I felt like I was on the outside for the first time in my life. Growing up with the same group of friends had left me with a cushioned childhood, and my fears of never having a friend again became a reality for me for the first time.

Carla and Mike tried to convince me I was ridiculous. I was kind, I was 'the nice one,' and people wouldn't overlook that. But I knew I needed to be a bit better than sweet to make new friends.

I watched too many 'new kid at school' movies over the summer, hoping to come up with ideas, but I had an apprehension to the idea of 'reinventing' myself to fit in as many of them seemed to suggest. I knew who I was, and that wasn't changing.

My fears only increased as the final night in my childhood home grew closer.

On my last night, Carla and Mike threw me a going-away party. Almost my entire grade had shown up and given me big hugs, with empty promises to keep in touch.

All night, people were talking about how exciting Junior year would be. It stung to know that I would get to graduate with everyone. Even though they tried to be sensitive to me, I couldn't blame them for being excited. I would have been too if I had been in their position. It wasn't their fault I was leaving.

---

The goodbyes in the morning were short. We had to get going since the drive was 10 hours away, and we wanted to arrive before it got dark.

My mom had sold her car, saying she would get a new one soon, and the three of us piled ourselves in dad's truck. I squished myself in the backseat with the stuff that we would typically use for camping. Movers had already taken the majority of our stuff last week, and my dad had flown out to the new place to set up. So my mom and I had been living out of suitcases and off of take-out, which is the only part I hadn't minded. At least I got to go to my favourite restaurants for one last time before we moved on.

However, I was excited to get most of my stuff back. I clutched my favourite pillow, looking back at the house that held many of my happiest memories.

---

I woke up from my third nap of drive when my dad loudly announced that we were only a few minutes away. I tried to blink the sleep out of my eyes and sat up properly so that I could look at the streets around my new home.

I knew which house was ours the moment it came into view. It was a beautiful family home that my dad had picked out earlier in the summer. It was a Victorian-style home that looked drastically different from the flat-topped houses that surrounded it. At least it looked different; maybe I would be able to remember which house was mine.

My dad was very excited about this house. It was much bigger than our previous home, and the layout was to his liking. Hopefully, he did not overpay in his excitement. Even though he bargained for a living, his emotion, like my own, always gave away his bluffs.

The house had three levels, and my parents had graciously gifted me the entire upper floor, which had three rooms. One would become my bedroom; one was a large bathroom, and the third room, a tiny den, would become my closet since my bedroom had not come with one. I raced up to my room, trying to hide my excitement from my parents.

Two floors up, my dad had set up my room exactly as I had instructed. I smiled to myself, seeing the large balcony beside my bed. With my restored and vintage furniture, my new place could be right out of one of my romance novels. Not being able to hide my enthusiasm any longer, I stepped onto the balcony and happily waved to my parents down below. I took a deep breath, looking forward.

I had to make the best of this. This home and this new store had been my dad's dream, and he had waited long enough.

The rest of the house was just as beautiful. The second floor had my parent's bedroom, a master bathroom and two other rooms that would probably turn into museums knowing my dad.

The third floor had a huge kitchen, a large TV room, a bathroom, a dining room and a small laundry room. The hallways were large, which was perfect for my dad, lots of extra spaces for his treasures.

After I had adequately explored the house and familiarized myself with every room, I decided to set up the rest of my room and maybe a bit of my closet. Most of my clothes and personal things were still in boxes in the hallway of the top floor.

It may take a while to set up my closet. Not only did I have my own clothes, but the restored clothing that I sold online. Though sometimes those two things mixed between each other. So I wanted to get started right away so that I could spend some time exploring this new place where I would be living before school started in two weeks.

Unfortunately, my mom starts work tomorrow so she wouldn't have the same luxuries of setting up her room. I know it would have been nice for her not to have to start on my second day in the new home, so I was grateful for her sacrifices. She gave me as much time as she could before we moved two states over.

My mom applied and was immediately accepted to work at the University of New Mexico hospital as a top registered nurse. She had loved her old job, but this meant she would get to spend a lot of time mentoring nursing students, which she is going to love.

Although I had wanted to get as much done in my new room as I could, I ended up falling asleep early, sinking into my large luxury bed with my brand new soft sheets as soon as I had put them on the bed.

All I had managed to do before that was clutter up my new room with my various collections. I was a lot like my dad in that way. My dad always said it was fine to have a lot of things as long as they meant something to you, and you took care of them, which I did. Then, when you were ready to part with them, you found them a new home.

However, this didn't always work well with ruined childhood toys and clothes, but I worked hard to keep that standard. Though it usually meant when I found something I liked, I purchased it without a second thought.

The next morning I woke up feeling better than I had all summer. I guess the anticipation of moving had ruined my sleep schedule, but now that we were finally here, I could relax. I put on a comfy outfit, a blue pair of soft shorts and a plain white T-shirt, both pre-loved, of course.

When I wandered downstairs, the house looked like we had lived here for months. Things were already completely unpacked in the kitchen, and the fridge and cupboards were completely stocked with food. I guess my parents had taken the time to do a Costco run. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I never had dinner.

I found a bag of bagels and threw one in our toaster.

I pulled up my Instagram for the first time this morning. Last night, I had put pictures of my new room on my story, and my friends were all replying.

Damn girl! The Balcony!!

I replied to all my friends before buttering my bagel and asking our smart speaker to blast One Direction through the house. If my parents were still sleeping, this would surely wake them up.

The mystery of where my parents were was solved when they both walked in the front door, grinning like morons.

I peaked my head around the corner, mouth full of bagel.

"We have a surprise for you, Hunny!" my dad said happily. Even though he was the worst at bad news, he always wanted to be the one to share the good news. Even though I knew this was something they must be excited about, I don't know if I can handle any more surprises from them this summer.

But then I caught sight of a soft blue, VW Beetle sitting in the driveway through the large window. Wanting to confirm my growing suspicions, I looked to my parents for confirmation. My mouth dropped when my dad held out the keys.

The tears started immediately as I ran to my dad, pulling him into the tightest hug I could summon. I was shaking. A VW Beetle was my dream car, and my parents knew it. It probably did not cost them too much, but even with my savings, I still couldn't afford it myself.

I looked at my mom, who was smirking. "Really?" I asked.

She nodded, smiling warmly at me. "As long as you're safe. You deserve it, sweetheart. You have made this move so much easier on us. Helping out wherever you could."

I don't know if that was exactly true, but I guess I had accepted it after that first initial reaction.

I smiled, "I love you, guys."

"We love you too," my dad chimed in.

I was lucky to have my parents.

---

Later in the day, I decided to go for a drive. I drove to the school and the marketplace. Then I drove to Old Town, which was only about a 35-minute walk away from my house. I drove around and saw different food places to try and other sites I would like to visit. I felt a small pang in my chest when I realized I wouldn't have anyone to go to these places with. My dad would be busy with the new shop to get ready for opening, and my mom would have to work at the hospital.

It had been fun to imagine my new life until I realized this. Feeling a sting of sadness, I started on the way back to my house. If I had not had to stop at a red light, I might not have noticed the three boys walking down the sidewalk.

It had gotten dark by this time, and they weren't exactly in my viewpoint, but I couldn't look away when I saw them. The boys were laughing and fake-pushing each other into the road. They looked like they were on their way to a party from the way they slightly staggered as they walked.

The light had turned green, but I didn't move because I caught the eye of the tallest boy, and he smirked at me, paralyzing me. Even in the dark, I could tell his eyes were hypnotizingly blue. My heart skipped a beat. I wonder who he is?

---

2253

"You know I, I'm afraid of change

Guess that's why we stay the same" - Noah Cyrus

don't forget to like <3