New Beginnings

Chapter One

        My life has been a seies of unfortunate events that are all one-hundred-percent due to my shitty decision making skills. I grew up feeling suffocated by my family's religous beliefs, so i rebelled against everything. AKA; I drank, smoked, and had sex. And i really didn't care who knew about it all. 

        When I was fifteen, I started dating this guy, Luke Green, He was the stereotypical good southern boy. That is, unless you actually knew him. He slept with any girl he found mildly interesting, and drank more than I did. One thing  I didn't know about him, was how fast he'd bail on me when I needed him, and how violently he would do so.

        He and I had sex, which was expected, but what wasn't expected, was me getting pregnant. I wasn't even sixteen yet, and I was having a baby. 

        I told him when I found out, and he freaked out. He pulled a knife and actually attacked me. Crazy, right? I still have the scar on my jaw from where he cut me. 

         It was a week later that I found out Luke told everyone he was saving himself for marriage, and he couldn't believe I had cheated on him. All the adults in our little town belived him. And why wouldnt they? It's his word against mine, and no one would believe the skank of the town next to the blonde haired angel the people believed him to be. 

        After that, I got up the courage and went to my parents telling them everything, They didn't take it well. They told me I could live their while I was pregnant, but after I had the baby I would have to find somewhere else to live. So that's what I did. 

        July tenth, I gave birth to twin girls, Harley Ellen, and Avery Ann. Two weeks later, I moved in with my best friend at the time, Cassy. That worked for a few months, but then I needed to find somewhere else to live, so I took my meager belongings and moved to West Virginia to live with my grandparents who helped me with the girls so I could get a job to save up for a place of my own. Again, it worked for about a year, but it was only temporary, and my grandparents kicked me out. The next place I lived was with Aunt Caroline who lived in Virginia. 

        Aunt Caroline had always been my favorite relative. She's a scientist, and didn't believe in God, but she didn't care if you did. You could believe in whatever the hell you wanted to and she would think it was awesome as long as you didn'y shove it down her thoat. 

        She is definetly that chill relative everyone seems to have. 

        I lived with Aunt Caroline for about four years. She worked in the mornings, and I worked in the afternoons, so we took shifts taking care of Harley and Avery. 

        But again, nothing is permanant. 

        Finally I had enought money to get an apartment of my own close to Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm not quite sure why North Carolina was where I wanted to be, but I just had a good feeling about it. 

        This brings me to where I am now, standing in the midddle of a two-bedroom apartment where my daughters and I will live on our own, for the very first time. 

        Piles of boxes, filled to the brim with toys, clothes, and other random trinkets my girls have collected over the five years of their life where scattered around the living room around the simple furnature that came with the place. A grey couch, and a black circular dining room table with four very modern, very uncomfortable looking chairs. 

        Harley sat in one of these chairs with a notebook in front of her, drawing something with her crayons. She's an artist just like her mother, and that made me proud. Avery sat on the floor next to her sister with the set of bongo drums Aunt Caroline gave her for her birthday. She's my little musician even though i never had enough money to enroll her in actual lessons. 

        I smiled at them and felt my heart swell. They complicated my life in many ways, but they made it so much better and I wouldn't trade them for anything. 

        Then I glanced at the piles of boxes and my smile instantly melted. Unpacking was going to suck. 

        So I got to work, starting with the girls room. I got their sheets and pillows on their beds and most of their clothes unpacked and hung in the closet for them. I did the same with my room, then stopped to make dinner for us. 

        "Mommy?" Avery asked after she swollowed the last bite of her grilled cheese. 

        "Yes, baby?"

        "How long are we gonna stay here?" She asked, quirking one eyebrow up like she does everytime she has a question. 

        "Well, I don't know. Hopefully for a while." I told her. I mimicked her raised eyebrow and she frowned at me and relaxed her face.

        "Okay. I like it here. The couch is comfy." She stated. 

        "Me too. But I don't like the couch." Harley added.

        I laughed. "I'm glad you both like it here, but it might be a little while before we can get a couch you both agree on." I told them. "Do you think you can survive, Harley?" 

        She nodded and pushed her empty plate in front of her. I stood a ruffled their bright red curls before picking up the dishes and washing them off in the sink. 

        "Alright you two." I said once I finished drying and putting away the plates. "Time for bed."

        A chorus of 'but mom's' followed my statement and I laughed. There are moments that I really feel like a true mommy, and this is one of those moments. 

        "No buts, sweet pea's. Time for bed. Go brush your teeth and put on your PJ's.

        "Fine." Harley said. Avery just huffed at me and stomped to their room, Harley followed behind with a little more grace. They're only five, but they have such distinctly different personalities it's hilarious. 

        I followed them to the room they'll be sharing, and after they finished brushing their teeth and getting dressed, I braided both their hair down their backs. Just like me, both the girls have long red hair, that has a mind of its own. I used to try and straighten my hair, but it lasted for maybe an hour before popping back to its natural curly state. 

        Once both girls were in bed, I kissed them both on the forehead and walked towards the door. 

        Pausing, i stopped and turned to look at them. "Goodnight, my little pixies." I said. 

        "Night, Mama." They said in unison. 

        When I left I closed the door, leaving a four inch gap so I can hear them through the night. I turned the corner to the bathroom to brush my own teeth and get ready for bed. 

        I washed my face and looked up at the mirror. My hair was even wilder than I thought today. The hip-length curls frizzed out of the braid around my face, reminding me of the sun. Sighing, I untagled the mess and re-did it before finally going to my room and curling up under the baby blue covers. 

        This is the first time I will be living on my own as an adult. I know i'm in an apartment complex, a nice one too with a pool and gym and everything, so I won't be entirely alone, but I don't know anyone here. Aunt Caroline is four hours North, my grandparents made it known I outstayed their welcome, and my parents don't give a crap about me or their granddaughters. 

        But I didn't need their help. I start at my job, and the girls start kindergarden tomorrow. We are on the fast track to finally having normal lives, and I can't wait for my pixies to finally have normal lives that don't revolve around who we're going to be living with next. I'm done being the screw up daughter, and I refuse to be a screw up mother.