Living Lax

Welcome to Wylie

Chapter 1- Welcome to Wylie

                Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, I was only five when I was forced to leave the beautiful island and my abuelitos, as well as the carefree life for the Americas, where a new life filled with struggles and opportunities awaited. So we ended up in the states; Florida, to be exact. It took eleven years for me to grow to love this place and now we were moving.

“It’s always been Aliseo’s dream to go to Pace and major in Journalism,” my mother had said, “He got the scholarship but we can’t afford housing. He’ll have to commute. Besides, mi hija, there are better jobs in New York for your father and I. If you could just take one for the team, this once…"

And because I loved my brother, and I couldn’t take my mom’s pleading black eyes, I dropped my head in defeat. Not even two weeks later, I found myself in Wylie, New York, standing in the lobby beside the elevator with three boxes in my arms. Somewhere off behind me, my father and big brother unloaded our belongings from the van. Our apartment building was fifteen floors high, with a penthouse. It was on the outskirts of the city, and so my high school would be in the suburbs. The ding of the elevator brought me out of my thoughts and as I stepped in, I shifted the boxes to one hand to press the button of my floor. I was only vaguely aware of someone else in there. As I tried to shift the boxes back into both of my hands, I jabbed myself in my side and let out a yelp as the box on top began to slide off. I rushed backwards to re-balance myself and I heard a louder, deeper groan as I ran into someone. I stumbled forwards like a blind idiot, and that’s when I felt arms around me, steadying the top box while keeping me standing. 

The person shuffled around to the front of me and a deep voice that sent rumbles down my entire body said “Here, let me get that for you.”

The top box came away and I found myself staring into eyes that were greener than the greenest pastures. I must have stood there gaping at them with my mouth wide open for a full minute before my brain kicked in. I then realized he was staring at my open mouth and I prayed I hadn’t drooled as I clamped it shut.

“Umm, thank you” I stammered as my breathing slowed to normal.

“So, are you new here?” he asked just as we reached my floor.

I barely managed a nod when the elevator doors opened with a ding. “So thanks but I think I can manage from here” I said and gestured for him to put the box back on top.

With a shrug he handed it to me and held the button to keep the doors open.

“Thanks” I mumbled again and stepped out onto my floor.

Green eyes stuck his head out of the elevator and flashed me a wicked grin full of perfect teeth, revealing his dimples. “You live on floor ten? Well in that case, I’ll be visiting this level more often. See you around.”

He stepped back inside and the doors closed with another ding and that’s when I realized I knew absolutely nothing about him. We hadn’t exchanged names or numbers or anything. I didn’t even know what floor he lived on. But that did matter, right?

                I pushed thoughts of Green Eyes out of my head as I rounded the hallway corner to my apartment. I could see that my mother, who had been simultaneously trying to watch my ten year old twin brother and sister, Adriel and Luisa, while rocking my four year old sister, Anita, to sleep in her arms. At least that’s how I’d left them on my last trip to the van downstairs. Now I watched as two girls, both looking around my age, crowded next to my mom. The light skinned girl was leaning over talking to the twins while the dark skinned girl smiled conversationally as my mom spoke to her animatedly.