Welcome To New York #Wattys2016 (Book 1)

Chapter #1 "Welcome To New York"

I don't know what's worse; having to drive 18 hours and 29 minutes: approximately 1,283 miles to New York to get to Juilliard or having to wake up at 3:00 am in order to not catch traffic. At this rate, I'll be entering Juilliard University tomorrow. I got accepted at the last minute, something about having all requirements of having the potential to get in.

"Abigail, are you ready," my mom Mercy calls. I roll my eyes as I sigh. I hate when she calls me that, but it's the name God gave me so I'm used to it. I grab my small briefcase and hand it to her as I have my backpack on me already. "Yes Mom, I am" I whisper when I get to the front of the door as I escape the passages from my dad's room. "Have your schedule, your books everything?" I nod and then look up at her as she looks at me like I'm missing something. "Your legs," she asks me. "Oh right," I said remembering that I can't maneuver New York without my crutches.

"Aye Aby," she says with annoyance.

"What," I ask

"Huh, I don't know how you're going to handle living alone," she snarls at me. There she goes again with her ridiculous remarks, it drives me crazy.

"Mom, can you just trust me," I ask with the same annoying tone. "Trust isn't given overnight Aby, you know that," she says with a slight attitude to her comment. "Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," I say with a certain tone of sass in my voice.

"Just get in the car, we have a long drive ahead of us," she says. I obliged immediately getting into the Honda Civic. I took the time to text my best friend Jasmine. I look through Kik to find her contact and notice that my two exes are still on there, both named AJ, but they're spelled differently. One is Ajay and the other one is just AJ. AJ or Tiger, as I like to call him is really respectful and he was the best boyfriend I've had since my first one in 8th grade.

Now Ajay or Nano I like to call him wasn't all that respectful because he cheated on me with another girl from his hometown. I sighed because I still haven't blocked them yet. Tiger and I only talk when we're on the verge of tears. Nano and I only roleplay well at least we used to. We even had a daughter in one of our role plays.

Sighing I text her "On my way to New York I'll text you when I get there." When I sent the text message it left a light D next to the message. I had a feeling this would happen since it was so early in the morning.

We don't get there until 9:29 pm which doesn't allow us to sign up at the university for my room. "Guess we'll have to sleep in a hotel tonight Abs," Mom says with a sigh; does she seriously want to get rid of me that badly? I nodded trying not to be so mad at the fact that I can't sign up until the morning. We are at the DoubleTree hotel provided for us by Hilton. As I step down from the car I can already smell the sweet aroma of the hotel cookies fill my sinuses. I take a deep whiff and then grab my crutches; the smell getting stronger once we walk in. Mom and I get the chocolate chip cookies. I personally hate the macadamia nut cookies, so I get chocolate. I then rush to press the elevator button as my Mom comes walking behind me.

"Let's see what we're getting you into," she says with a smile. "Now, see that's more like it," I say to her. She looks at me with this weird expression on her face that reads "What the hell are you talking about" I just brush it off and put my music on my phone. I used to share a phone with my sister but ever since I turned 18 last year I begged my parents for a phone of my own. I also wanted my parents to give my IPad it's own phone number since I use it more than my phone.We get into room 327 and put our stuff on the tables. "Oh man, what a day," I say breathlessly. "What are you talking about, I'm the one who drove you here and have to drive back to Miami; which is another 18 hours and 29 minutes" Mom complains.

I sigh "Then you better get on the road then; you don't want to catch any traffic" I suggest to her.

"You crazy girl, I'm sleeping here tonight," she says tiredly, as her head hits the pillow.

"Alright goodnight Mami," I say as I turned off the light and get into bed. I mumble to myself "Don't come crying to me that you wanted to be home early," and fall asleep almost instantly after her.

I wake up the next morning and check my iPad first. I notice a note next to the electronics; I pick it up and read it out loud.

"Aby, hope you had a good sleep, woke up early to get a head start on driving back home Love you –Mom''. Along with the note, I found directions on how to get to Juilliard by car. She left her car with me and she has to suffer because she will be stuck with my dad's jeep.Well, let's just say I'm better off walking. Once I start driving I will forget how to get back home. So I'm afraid if I start driving that I'll forget the next time I get behind the wheel.

"Sorry Mom," I say aloud to myself "it's safer walking." I start going out of the hotel having to put on a GPS because I wouldn't know how to get to and from school. I won't be living elsewhere because I'm living in the school. Just to get from point A to Point B is hard for someone like me. Who doesn't even pay attention to her own two feet when she walks; sad I know but it's the hardcore truth.

I get to the school in the nick of time, as I run up to the registration area, and bump into somebody; tall I may add. I feel the back of my head thumping. Rude New Yorkers don't they know that I have a VP shunt that can malfunction at any moment? God, forbid knock on wood. Oh wait of course they don't because they don't know me.

"Hey you son of a bitch, watch where you're fucking going; don't you know I'm walking here," I ask the person who rudely bumped into me. As he gets up and says "I'm sorry ma'am it won't happen again" he says with sorrow in the tone of his voice.

"Yeah, damn skippy it won't because if it does I swear to God; you'll be going 6 feet under," I say as I look up at the rudest person alive and realize who I was just talking to... "Oh my God, I am so sorry Joe, Mr. Jonas; Mr. Joe Sir Mr. Joe Jonas Sir" there they go; fangirl powers have taken over my soul. My "Poor Unfortunate Soul." For those of you who got the reference, I am sorry but when you meet one of your heroes; or your heroes brother for that matter you tend to get all weird.

"It's quite alright I should've looked up when I was walking," Joe said as he looked down on me; wow I really am that short.

"I was just dropping my girlfriend off and now I'm headed back to my brother's apartment. Knowing that his girlfriend dumped him and I have to be the one to fix his broken heart & manage his diabetes."

I look down at my dog tag that reads "A Little Bit Longer" on the front and "I'll Be Fine" on the back with Nick Jonas's name written at the end.

"Well, tell Nick I wish him the best of luck," I say with a warm smile. Joe looks at me with a face that read "How'd you know I was talking about Nick?" I sigh answering his question with another question "Don't you know a fan when you see one?"

"Touché," he says while smiling.

"I'll let him know," he said while extending his arm for me to shake. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name," he says after that.
I look at him and smile, "I'm Aby."

"What a lovely name it's a pleasure to meet the father's joy," he says with a genuine smile. "I'm Joe, but I'm sure you already know that," he says laughing a little.

"Yeah, I'm a huge fan," I say trying to keep my composure; folks this doesn't just happen on the streets of "The Big Apple." Something had to be set up for me to be talking to Joe Jonas right now.

"Thanks, anyway I'll see you around," he says leaving the other direction. "Oh, and I forgot to say "Welcome to New York" he hollers at me.