Before Me, Him

Chapter 1

   It was a cold day when I left. The sun was clouded but the environment was bright, so bright, too bright. I could hear the cars buzzing and their drivers screaming at each other however today was different, they were noisier and grumpier. I thought I was just imagining things, that everything is the same as it is every single morning but today is different and the world knew it.

     The world knew what I was thinking, how I was feeling about leaving. I was anxious and stressed, I mean, I haven't left this city for ages, I'm used to it. I've always been here, in this noisy and polluted city, where no one knows who I am and I don't know who they are. I never said hello to anyone while going to school or even when buying something I might need. The closest was a cold smile just to look polite. This is how we live, this is how I live. Even though hundreds of people watch me every day I live in the shadows because no one knows my name.

     It doesn't matter to me though, I've always thought that it was for the best. If you do not create expectations on people you do not get disappointed and if you get close enough to be social you won't be hurt by standards because, in the end, you are not giving them the power to mess with you. Wait... I wonder when I started thinking like this? Was it when...?

     - June are you awake? – I could hear my mom's voice on the other side of the door. It was the type of voice that I could hear all day without getting tired of. Just by hearing it, you could understand how humble and caring my mom was.

     - Yes mom, I'm awake. I'm almost ready to go actually! – I say while I pick up my medium-sized bag from the floor. It was a bag made of cloth that was dyed with a dark blue tone. It had no outer pockets and was filled to the brim, I don't think I could have fitted anything else inside it. I open my door and go down the stairs to have breakfast. As I went down I could hear the loud sound of the television passing the news and the stench of morning coffee in the air. It was just a normal morning, the same as yesterday but tomorrow it would change since we wouldn't be here anymore.

     - Good morning Mom. – I say while I put down my bag and start directing myself to the cereal shelf. – Dad.

     - Good morning darling! – my mom gives me a gentle smile while my dad ignores my existence, as usual. –Are you all packed?

     - Yes I got everything I needed. – after placing the cereals on the table I sit and start eating them.

     In the meantime, my dad gets up and leaves for his work. My mom is finishing cleaning the dishes and I am just waiting for my cousin's family to arrive. Today will be the last day I spend on this house, at least for the next month. My parents won a prize on a TV Show called "Beautiful Mornings" where they have a two-week vacation free of charge in Belgium. Of course, my mom got extremely excited and, after talking with my dad, they decided to extend their vacation for two more weeks. I said I would stay home but my mom insisted that I went to my cousin's house for the month, she didn't want to leave me in the house alone for that long.

      My cousin lives in a small suburban area with several small villages surrounding it. Vella, that's the name of the place I will be in the next month. Even though, that place is not that remote since it has hospitals, schools, a university, and a shopping mall. Am I excited to go? I guess. I don't mind going there, seeing a new place however I am anxious because I haven't seen my cousin in several years and after what happened I am unsure about how to approach her.

     - June! They are here. – says my mom while walking towards the door. I go pick up my bag and look myself in the mirror one last time. My long brown hair is still tied up in a messy bun and my brown eyes look slightly tired from having overslept. I wonder if it is alright to show up to them with a sweatshirt and jeans. Back in the day, I used to dress myself up all the time, I would wear mini skirts and long flowery dresses but, when that happened I stopped dressing like that. I don't know why I didn't dislike it but I guess it just didn't felt right to do it.

     My mom opens the door and the first face I see is Emily with her light blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was wearing a casual light pink dress filled with some white flowers along with a blue denim jacket and a light brown hat with a small white bow. In the background, I could see her mom with her red t-shirt and denim jeans alongside her dad with a white shirt and also some denim jeans. She looked happy, they looked happy.

     - June! – says Emily while running inside my house and hugging me tightly. – It's been so long since I last saw you! I missed you!

     Honestly, I didn't know how to react, it had been so long since I had last seen her or talked with her even though when we were kids we were extremely close. She hadn't changed, her smile would still light up the whole room and the environment where we were would still change with a glimpse of her happiness. She was still holding me really tight but, after a couple of seconds, she let me go and just smiled. I wonder if I should have hugged her back... But I don't know how to have that type of interaction anymore, everything seems so off and pointless since he left.

     - Well, are you ready June? You're going to have an amazing month! I can feel it! You know, I already planned most things, we are going to the beach and the pool and see the green plains... - Emily kept on talking about her plans for this vacation while we walked together to the car.

     When we entered the car my bags had already been brought in by Emily's father, John, and her mother, Therese. I barely had any chance to talk to them since Emily just straight away stole me but it is okay, I am pretty sure I will have several chances to hang out with them.

     - Mom. I hope you have fun on your trip. – I gave her a small smile – See you in a month.

      The car starts and I see my mom waving at me at the door with a big smile on her face. Part of me never wanted to go on this family vacation but this might be the last chance my parents have to reconnect. I wonder if the trip will go alright and I wonder how they will act when they come back. Well, I guess I just have to wait a month for my answer.

     The trip was around 3 hours long without any breaks, mostly on the highway. During that period Emily talked about a lot of things, such as her school experience, what she wanted to do in life, her love affairs, her hobbies, and of course, several other memories that I didn't know of. Therese and John did mention a couple of things about themselves but the majority of the conversation was controlled by Emily, as usual. She is the type of girl that likes to be the center of attention, she was always like that.

     If I recall correctly the first fight we ever had was due to a boy that ended up paying more attention to me than her. She got extremely mad and offended. For three whole days I didn't hear any word from her but then I guess she got over it and apologized. We were kids back then, both of us were six or seven years old if I recall correctly. Well, kids fight all the time for stupid stuff so it was bound to happen.

     - We're here June! – a big smile emerges from her lips and her hand grabs mine.