Destiny's Stranger ~ DNF

- Chapter 1 -

I stare out the window nonchalantly as the city fades away and more countryside comes into view. I sigh, once again remembering how much I miss my old house. I didn't want to move, but after my mother died not too long ago, dad needed to get away. He never really recovered after losing mum. Her death is still an achingly raw memory to him, and the grief had really begun to get to him lately. Everywhere in California reminded him of her, and in the end, we decided it would be better to just relocate altogether.

My father has always been a less hands-on parent, compared to my mother. He's always on business trips, which is pretty difficult, especially now that he's a single parent. I hardly get to spend time with him, and I've learned to hold onto those rare moments we share together. I miss the old version of my dad. I try to hide it as much as possible because the last few years have been hard for him - hard for us, but my mind still enjoys visiting earlier memories I shared with him. When he'd come back from his business trips with little gifts and trinkets for me, probably worth hundreds of dollars, and spend hours telling me stories about his travels. In-depth descriptions of the people he'd met, the places he'd seen, the things he'd experienced... I realized I must have zoned out, because the next thing I know, I feel the abrupt motion of our car pulling up into the driveway. We're here.

The house isn't anything fancy - a classic old villa with mint walls and a cream trim. An ugly gravel path leads up to the weather-beaten door, its metal hinges slowly being overrun by rust. I step inside, gazing around the place where I'll be living for the foreseeable future. It's not an ugly place, but it most certainly isn't attractive. Boxes line the dirty cream-colored walls, and a thin layer of dust has settled on the floor. I hold back a sneeze and begin to walk upstairs to inspect my new bedroom. The door is a pale green color, with paint peeling off in some areas to expose the light wood beneath and a grubby gold doorknob. Slowly, I push it open to reveal a cramped but comfortable space, a thin ray of sunlight shining through the dirty windows. The walls are already painted - coincidentally my favorite shade of blue. The movers had gotten here ahead of us, so my furniture had been arranged half-heartedly, which is probably how it would stay.

I flop down on my bed, exhausted from the long car ride. My blue shirt sticks to my back and the air in my room is disgustingly humid and stale. I realize that Heatwaves is still blasting through my earphones.

"Sometimes all I think about is you

Late nights in the middle of June..."

I bury my head in my covers, my lungs burning from the heat. My head is throbbing. My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of my dad's heavy footsteps on the rickety wooden stairs. I quickly shut the music off.

"HEY GEORGE?!" he yells.

I groan. "Yeah, dad?"

"CAN YOU PLEASE UNPACK YOUR BOXES? I GET YOU'RE TIRED BUT YOU HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW."

Ugh. The idea of being the new kid at a new school in the middle of senior year makes me want to sink deeper into my mattress and just stay there forever.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I mumble in reply.

The whole concept of moving to a different state still felt surreal to me, and my body ached from moving boxes.