Turn me Upside Down

Chapter 1: The New Kid in Town

Note: Cover art is by @quinnecl on Twitter

When your mother told you that you were going to be moving practically to the other side of the country, you were thinking of something more chic and glam like New York. After living in California your whole life, you really didn't want to break from your friends or school, especially during the transition summer between freshman and sophomore year. However, it seems as if the word was against you once again since here you were pulling into your new home's driveway after the entire fiasco that occurred in California.

You didn't blame your mother for her decision on moving, or your sister's decision to go to Oregon with your father instead of with you. It was lonely, especially with mother choosing to ignore everything that had occurred. It wasn't in her control, after all, how would you control an abusive alcoholic without having some sort of emotional trauma, but it still hurt a little. Indiana wasn't what you thought of, not the place to start anew or make new connections. California was more socially open, so you would not be expecting much here other than possible judgmental gazes. It was going to be a year full of hiding again, with no friends and possibly staying in the library any chance you got.

"I really think that this will be a good start for us. It's small and quiet, not like the city."

"Yeah. But I liked the city."

"Well..... maybe you can learn to like this town too, after all, it can't be that different from when you stayed in Mexico for a while. Think of it as ranch life, small town, and a new chance."

"At least in Mexico, it was with family and not entirely new people. Let's just get inside and fix the rooms at least before we end up having to sleep in the car again," you said, deciding to put an end to the awkward conversation. Your mom really wasn't an optimist or the type of person to try to cheer you up, years of miscommunication didn't help. It was nice of her to try to help you out even a little, but it still made it apparent of the new changes happening quickly.

The new house was as plain as can be with its light brown coloring on the outside and dark lining. While it was boring, it was ten times better than before since you never actually had a house to call your own, always rented or apartments with tons of people. The inside, barren at the moment, was promising for a new home, especially with all the extra room that came with moving alone with your mother.

"I'll take the master bedroom, and you can have your choice of the other two rooms. Whichever one you don't choose we'll make it to some storage room or something," your mom said, already climbing the stairs with some of her room boxes.

Lightly sighing you started the multiple trips of getting your stuff out of the car and moving it upstairs. You ended up choosing the room that had a window towards the backyard. While it didn't have a connecting bathroom the room itself was rather spacious making up for that little less bit of privacy. Your furniture wouldn't be arriving for another few days so for now it was just folding the few clothes and school essentials you were able to shove into the car. Two blankets and a pillow were all you were going to have for a makeshift bed for now since bathroom and kitchen items were the bigger priority when moving.

With your few items organized in your now new room, and the weather being pleasant enough you decided to get out and explore the new town. With a shout of confirmation from your mother to leave, you put on a thin sweater and got out.

Hawkins, while small, looked enormous when you never have been there before. The streets were clean when compared to the city streets, and there were few people walking around - perhaps because it was still school hours. With the sky a bright blue and the sun burning at you, there really wasn't much of a weather difference so far to point out but everything else was a glaring contrast. Just because you did promise to at least try to fit in and learn to live here didn't mean that Hawkins would be free of your scrutiny. There aren't going to be any late-night runs to the convenience store around the corner or midday wanderings throughout small shops and local shops. Your irritable sisters wouldn't be here to fill in the positions of your previous friends, nerds who you had stuck with throughout your entire childhood.