Misery & Bliss; The Same Life with a Little Twist.

Chapter Four

Things went sour after dad left.
He came back a few days after the incident & got the rest of his things.
Jeremy was there with me watching over me while Jason was at a friends. Jeremy wouldn't even speak to dad, but I had all the questions.
"Where are you going? When will you be back? What did we do," I asked him.
He barely said a word to me besides that he was sorry, but he had to go.
He held me for the last time that day & said he loved me, but that has been almost ten years ago.

Weeks past & the house felt
empty without dad home. Mom had to ask for more hours at the office & my brothers weren't as playful or talkative like they use to be.
I felt lonely & I didn't know who to talk too.
I was only eight years old at the time & I had so many questions.
Days & days, months & months, & the house got more colder & quieter.

One day in July, while school was out, I was 8, my family had to move. I guess mother couldn't pay for our home no longer & we had to downgrade to something much smaller.
I had to leave all my friends at school & all our neighborhood friends.
My brothers were upset too.
They had to leave their clubs & teams from school & all their friends too.
We moved to a little apartment on the outskirts of the city.
It was so eerie & lonely out there, but at least it was a roof over our heads.
We had to put a lot of things in storage, but we finally got what we needed & moved in.
This place felt so foreign to me & not like home.
I wondered where dad was at this time & what his home looked like..

Mom had called off that day to move & that night wanted to have a family meal at the table, but the silence was unbearable. We hadn't had a family meal in a few years now, & the one empty seat, well it felt like a missing piece of a puzzle.

A couple months later, my brothers & I started school & I was scared.
None of us kids have ever been the new kid.
I was now 10 years old & going to the middle school & Jeremy & Jason were at Eastern High.

My mother drove us to school the first day & I had to walk in with her & get my schedule. The school was so big & so different.
I didn't like it one bit.

My first class that day was Biology & it was the worst first impression ever. I was late & I ran right into this cute boy coming in. I nervously said sorry to the teacher & the boy & took a seat in the back.
Everyone already had their own little groups I could see & I was the outcast.
When the teacher, (Mr. Smith) began calling roll my face began to light up when he said,"Chelsey Wood."
"Here," I managed to squeak out.
Oh my gosh, everyone was staring at me.
The rest of the day went so slow.
In every class I was the "new girl."
In every class I was the only one to seat alone & I swear every time my name was called I got the most stares.
Lunch was the worse. In a sea full of strangers.
I barely touched my lunch, which was one of my favorites, pizza.

3:20 couldn't come quick enough. I rode the bus home, which I almost missed, & walked the dirt road up to our apartment.

A few minutes later my brothers came in with smiles on their faces & two other boys with them.
It was never hard for them to make friends.
They had the something I obviously did not. They went to their room & shut the door. I could hear them turn their system on to play games.

I sat on the couch & waited for Mom. She was suppose to be home already from work, but lately she's been running late. I really wanted to tell her about my first day or talk to her. I waited till 6 & still a no show.
I went to get poptarts from the cabinet when I heard her pull in.

I turn to look to see her & another man! Ew, who was he? They both walked into the kitchen & mom began,"Hey, Chels, this is David."
"Hello," I said.
"He is one of my good friends & I finally wanted you to meet him."
David looked at me & smiled, but it just gave me the creeps.
He extended his hand & I took it & shook it.
"Its nice to finally meet you, you're pretty, just like your momma," he said.
I took my poptarts & went to my room while mom & David went to the living room & watched t.v.

Later that night, when the boys came out their room they introduced Travis & Tyler to Mom while she introduced David.

They talked for a little, but Travis & Tyler had to go home & Mom was getting ready to take David back to his place too.

While everyone left & I heard doors shut & cars leave I sat in my room & thought,"Its so easy for all of them to get up & move & find friends, but what about me."
I wondered..
Would I be able to fit in also..