WEST COAST 18+

1.

W E S T C O A S T

Coming off a 17-hour drive from Jacksonville to Los Angeles, Daniela was tired. But the playlist on her phone blaring through the U-Haul truck and shots of espresso helped her stay awake. Her little brother sat in the passenger seat, either snacking or dozing off, headphones at his feet and drool at the corner of his mouth.

They were entering a new phase of life while leaving another behind—and that included their father.

The marriage between their parents failed, and it took everyone by surprise. Their mother always appeared to be happy, so to watch her break down at the dinner table, where she had to tell her kids she was leaving her husband, was unfathomable.

There was no use in staying on the east coast anymore, especially after her ex moved in with another woman. So, Mrs. Parker took her and her two kids to embark on this new journey.

They'll be squeezed in their aunt's house for a little while until they get on their feet, but there were so many exciting things the West Coast had to offer.

"There's an In-N-Out Burger," Daniela's mother, Vivian, exclaimed while looking up things in LA that Jacksonville didn't have.

"Can we stop and get it?!" Ashton, the fourteen-year-old, asked while staring at his mother, who sat to his left.

Daniela inserted, "Give me ten dollars and I'll go."

"What?" Ashton kissed his teeth.

"I'm the one driving, so we could either head to Aunt Neesee's or go to In-N-Out Burger," Daniela shrugged, not minding either.

Ashton rolls his eyes over to his mother, "Maaaa," whining for her to take his side so he could get his way.

Vivian shrugs while sitting between them, "It's up to your sister. She is the one riding this thing."

Daniela beamed, smoothing her hands over the leather steering wheel. "And I am whipping this thang, too," proud of herself after never touching a truck in her life. Her mother was too scared to get behind the wheel of something like this, used to her little car to get her around before it broke down.

"Daniela, come on. If I give you my ten dollars, then I'll have nothing. It's all I got," Ashton said with pleading eyes.

He would've had his older sister if she hadn't seen something with her own eyes. "I saw your piggy bank, boy. Twenty dollars now," upping the price and extending one of her hands for him to cough it up.

Ashton groaned, digging in his pocket for his tiny wallet. He carried it around everywhere, the leather damn near rubbing off. But he considered it his lucky wallet, and clearly it was because he stayed with cash.

Whether it was from his sister, his mother, or his father.

And speaking of his father, he loved his son. But he wasn't up for the vicious fight his ex-wife would've put him through for Ashton. Their father thought about his busy work schedule and figured Vivian having custody of their son was the best thing.

Daniela was well grown, so she could be wherever. It might take her a while to get her own spot since she had to put money into this move and upcoming bills, but she wasn't complaining about being with family.

There were so many things Daniela was leaving behind—some good friends and an on-and-off boyfriend she had to convince to do the long distance.

Jared was her world for a little while, the two dating for seven months. She knew there might be a strain on them with her leaving, but she wanted to be with her family. Besides, there were far better options for work for her here in Los Angeles, according to her Instagram.