Ship in a Bottle

Girl next door

(Edited)

The transition between living in New York to San Francisco was abrupt, but as long as his mother was rightfully getting paid, he was fine with her new job and change of scenery.

Fresh starts had never been Percy's forte, but he was happy for his mother. Gabe, his abusive stepfather, hated the entire moving trip. He would have to adjust to a new job and a new life.

The moving truck had been parked on the curb all afternoon since Gabe hadn't even tried to assist his family while they worked tirelessly to straighten up their new home in the grand suburbs of San Francisco.

"Percy, the results came in the mail already," His mother, a beautiful woman named Sally Jackson, called up the stairs while he straightened up his new room. "The school's accepting you!"

Ignoring his sister's singing in the bathroom, he basically tumbled down the stairs to meet his mother in the kitchen. "You're kidding! They accepted me? But I'm an idiot!"

She kissed her son's forehead. "You're not an idiot, Percy. They accepted you because you're very smart."

"Sure," He extended the syllables of the word as he spoke. "I barely passed the entrance exam."

"Barely passing is still passing," She mused, sealing the acceptance letter to the fridge with a tourist magnet from Montauk. As a kid, he and his mother would visit the tourist attraction all the time because they had all the time in the world. That was until Smelly Gabe came into their lives.

Speaking of his outrageous stepfather, the ugly ogre waddled into the room at that exact moment, ruining a mother-son bonding moment. His pudgy layers of body fat jiggled with every step, almost burning Percy's retinas with hatred and disgust.

"The guys are coming over in a few minutes," He spoke in a throaty, almost drunk tone of voice. "I expect you'll be quiet, huh?"

His words were directed at both of them, but he wouldn't dare say a single word to Percy's little sister. She was too precious, but also a chatterbox.

"Oh, and Sally-" Before turning away from the kitchen, his mustache rustled into his nose. That was a surefire sign he was angry or demanding something. "If I don't see a seven-layer dip by nine o'clock tonight, the girl's getting it."

Maybe he would threaten Percy's little sister. He and Estelle were full-blood siblings because having a child with that devil would be unbearable. Percy still couldn't even comprehend why his mother insisted on marrying him in the first place.

"Of course, Gabe," She responded softly, unfazed by his requirements. Her shimmering eyes focused on his obese body shape. "I couldn't imagine letting you down."

She used the kind of tone Estelle used to play innocent when she was certainly in trouble.

Gabe's eyes glared daggers at her, and she only smiled warmly in response. No human deserved her signature smile, especially not Gabe.

"Alright," He grumbled under his breath, trudging back towards the living room in their new house. He didn't even bother helping his family unpack, a task for the next morning if anything. "It's 7:30. Tick tock."

Percy's gaze diverted to his mother, who was surprisingly keeping her composure. He pointed his thumb behind him, gesturing towards the old man, mouthing a "Really?"

She merely shrugged, ignoring her son's rolled eyes. "Perce, will you please go get your sister?"

"Sure, what for?" He urged, reaching over the countertop to grab an apple. "We already had dinner."

"Oh, nothing," She assured, tapping Percy's shoulder with her delicate hands. "Estelle has just been begging me to make some cookies as a welcome to this new place."