Moon's Touch (Ray Toro)

A Shitty New Beginning

Moving to a new town is never fun. I don't care how old you are, moving sucks. I mean, I guess it could be exciting as a kid but you're still picking up your entire life and leaving it behind to start somewhere new. I know I had to move because of my mom's job and I would really love to be living on my own at this point but college is expensive. Life is expensive. Literally. Just living and occupying space costs a ton of money. At 22 and some months, barely getting out of college and having to pay off student loans, I'm not mad about still living at home. I'm mad that we have to move across the country to fucking New Jersey.

One of the good things is that we are getting a house that backs up to some woods. Which will be really nice for some exploring and fucking right off out of existence when my mom and step dad get to be too much. I love my mom, but her choice in men is questionable at best. Yes, that includes my own father. The house is way nicer than the one we were living in before. I can tell just from the pictures I am going to be taking the biggest spare room there is. I like my privacy but also from the pictures it looks like it's the one farthest from my moms room.

From all my talk you would think I'm some badass independent being that is ready to be on their own. No. I actually found out via house-sitting other people's homes that I... hate being alone. It's boring and kind of scary alone in a big ass house. I need people around, but in a non bothering way where I know they are there and I can interact if I want to. But also... I'm kind of awkward in person because I never know how much of myself to be when meeting new people. Therefore, I just pretend I'm already friends with strangers that I meet and that makes them uncomfortable and me, awkward. School made it easy to make friends. Leaving school and going to college made me realize that making friends is hard as fuck when you aren't with the same people for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. I still have my bff from highschool but now I'm across the country, so I have to make new friends somehow.

Pulling up to the new home all I can think is 'How can my mother and Jim afford this?' but then again... compared to the west coast everything is cheaper. The home is painted white with sage accents around the windows and is a whopping two stories! Not to mention a three car garage and a giant ass driveway! Okay who the fuck needs a three car garage? I mean technically we have four cars but like? Really?

The outside makes me feel like we're actually rich but I know for a fact if this was on the west coast we couldn't afford it. Cost of living my ass. New Jersey just doesn't pay as well as the West Coast, no real need when you don't have Disneyland and Hollywood so close by. As soon as my mom parks I grab my bag and head to the front porch staring at the giant oak doors.

"Are you excited to see the new house, sweetheart?" My mother says, walking up with the keys.

"Yeah, I just still don't understand why we had to move to Jersey." I mumble.

"You know exactly why, Y/n," Jim, my step-dad, says walking up with his son in tow. "My job moved us out here and it's way fucking cheaper than our old place. I mean look at how big this house is! And it's the same price as our crappy old one."

"Okay, geez." I roll my eyes as my mom ushers us into the house.

"I'm finding my room." Derek says not taking his eyes off his phone. He's only 12 and the spitting image of Jim, a fuck boy nonetheless.

"Yours is upstairs, sweetie." Mom says as she walks into the empty living room.

"Thanks mom." Derek bounds up the stairs. "I'm getting a better one than you, loser." He yells at me.

I let a sigh escape my nose as I see him disappear up the stairs.

"Drop the attitude." I turn and look at Jim who's crossing his arms and glaring at me. "You could do with a little smile. We're letting you stay with us in this new place for free. Perk up." He states before turning and walking over to my mom.