Romeo

Chapter 1; Kasey

I'm waking up, to ash and dust.
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust.
I'm breathing in the chemicals.

I rest my forehead against the car window as Imagine Dragons' Radioactive plays through my head phones. My parents are sitting in the front seats talking on about how 'their little girl' is finally going to college. I watch as the landscape of trees, fields, and farms slowly change into a more coastal looking region. We had left the airport an hour and a half ago, we all had come down to California from Ontario because, first of all this is where my university is and second, my parents are traveling to Europe for two weeks and since they wanted to see my new house they drove me here to say goodbye to me. My problem wasn't with the location of my new school, I was elated that my college was on the beach front, my issue was that none of my friends were coming with me. Out of our whole group, only two of us had the grades to get into Allen University, where I was headed. But the other girl, Sam, didn't want to come here. She said that even though she could, she would rather stay near our home town. I sighed adjusting my position in the seat and switched the song. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mom watching me expectantly from the passenger seat of the car. With another hefty sigh I paused the song and pulled out my head phones. My mom smiled, the sun illuminating her thick red hair.

"So... aren't you excited!" My mom said blue eyes glowing. I gave her a fake smile and nodded.

"Yeah, super excited." I said trying to sound more alive. My mother didn't buy it.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Her face falling.

"Well, it's just...my friends." I said exasperated. I wasn't what you would call a social butterfly. In fact, I tried to avoid people unless I knew them. So making new friends was hard for me, my mom knew this, but she didn't understand. My mom was the neighborhood gossip. Anything that went on in our small town, my mom knew about and was most likely involved. It wasn't that she was a trouble maker, she just couldn't keep her nose out of anything. Plus she was good at seeing things normal people wouldn't. Like if I was lying or not.

"Well honey, you call always make new friends." My dad said watching the road. My mom and I both turned our heads and gave him a 'it's not that easy' look before looking back at each other and laughing.

"Don't worry hon. You'll be fine." My mom said reassuringly patting my knee. I shrugged,

"I guess I can try." I say giving a real smile this time, it was small, but at least it was real. My mom smiled,

"That's the spirit." She said the turned around to face forward agian resuming her conversation with my dad. I put my head phones back in and faced the window. Something on the side of the road caught my eye.

"Dad! Stop the car!" I said urgently yanking out my head phones and undoing my seatbelt. As soon as he pulled over I threw open my door and ran to the other side of the road. I knelt in the grass beside the injured dog gently touching it's bleeding paw. I could feel that it was sprained, maybe broken, someone had probably hit the poor creature. My mom knelt down beside me,

"Is he okay?" She said petting it's head.

"It's a she, and she will be if I wrap this up." I say standing I walk back to the car and open the trunk, unzipping one of my duffle bags I dug around in it's contents before I find what I'm looking for. Pulling out an old tattered T-shirt I rip a piece of fabric off and shoved the shirt back in the bag and zipped it shut. I waited for a car to pass by us before jogging back over to the dog and my mom.

"I have to take her along, she won't get better if she stays out here." I tell my mom as I carefully begin wrapping the dog's injured back leg.

"I don't know honey..." Mom says worried, I look up at her,

"Please? She'll be my first new friend." I say begging her with my eyes and trying to reason with her.

"Larry? Kylie wants to keep the dog." My mom calls over to my dad who is leaning against the hood of the car.

"Only if it stays in the trunk for the rest of the way there." He says and I smile. Finishing up my wrapping job I gather the animal in my arms and walk back to the car with my mom following. My dad opens the trunk and pushes my bags to the sides so there is room to set the dog down.

"Do you know what breed it is?" My dad asks as the dog looks up at us with big appreciative eyes.

"She's a mutt for sure but by her coloring I'd say she has some husky and collie in her and she looks only a few years old." I answer scratching the dogs ears and noticing that she doesn't have a collar on, she leans her head against my hand.

"And what are you going to name her?" Mom asks resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Kasey." I answer as I retrieve my hand and Dad closes the trunk.