Goodbye Comfort Zone

Chapter 1 // Permanently

The next time i opened my eyes, the sky was lighted up with a bluish morning glow through my window. I checked the time on my phone which was charging next to me on my bed. Okay, correction ; the afternoon sky. But it was gorgeous all the same, just like every other day in California.

I rubbed at my eyes and pulled my pillow from under my head into my arms. I swear it felt like the last time my eyes were open was only ten minutes ago, but the last time my eyes were still glancing around the dark surroundings of my room was nine hours earlier when i finally pulled myself away from my phone and fell asleep at three in the morning. I love weekends. I plugged in my earphones without getting out of bed and turned on my music. I stared through my open window as the lyrics of the song playing came to my mind as naturally as my name would come to my mind when asked.

Got introduced to you by a friend.
You were cute and all that, baby you set the trend, yes you did oh.
The next thing i know, we're down at the cinema, we're sitting there, you said you loved me, what's that about?

I loved the singers. I loved them from the day i heard them on the radio in my brother's car. I just lay on my bed and replayed the same song over and over again, singing along to the lyrics i memorised so well. I could never ever get tired of those songs. What i didn't understand, was why most of all the songs ever produced were love songs. The earth doesn't consist of love and only love. The universe is way too big to be containing only love. I mean, i only ever needed my family and my phone to live. I sighed and jerked my phone out of its charger plug.

"afternoon ." i yawned and slipped into my chair at the table. For lunch. I always woke up too late for breakfast and i was completely okay with that. My whole family was used to my bedtime's-at-dawn-rise-and-shine's-at-noon routine during weekends. I didn't have such a big appetiete anyways. I looked at my parents sitting across from me after glancing at my plate that held a toast crusted chicken sandwich. My mood immediately downgraded at my parents uncomfortable gazes. They were staring at me as if they had something to say but didn't want to. I frowned in alarm. There were so many possibilities as to why they were staring at me like that, and i didn't want to even think about those possibilities. "what?" i asked with my eyes wide open, turning to my brother sitting next to me when they didn't reply. "what's wrong?" i whispered to him, but he held a similar gaze. Frustrated, i repeated myself. "what?" still no reply. I gave up. It was probably some weird thing they wanted me to do as a favour or something along those lines. I discreetly rolled my eyes and took my lunch plate as i got out of my chair and started to walk back up to my room to eat there when my dad called me back. "wait! Hayley- sit down please." i silently smiled to myself with my back facing them. I knew that would work. It always would. I tore the grin off and turned dramatically, as if i was annoyed, and plopped back onto my dining seat. I raised an eyebrow questioningly and had to wait a few moments as my dad nudged my mom and she took in a deep breath and made me promise i wasn't gonna get mad. Now i was starting to worry but mostly things my parents found crazy were things that were totally normal. Then, just like a wave crashing onto the brown beach sand, my mother's words came tumbling out. "Your dad's company is moving, and we need to move too. We're going to New York...permanently."

When my mother finished, she seemed relieved, but all i understood from that sentence was that we were moving. Away from the house i spent living my past seventeen years, away from school (even though studying sucks, school was still...well, school.), away from California, away from Jean. This was a lie. Its not true.

"you're joking." my fist trembled. I shook my head vigorously. To other people, i know this wasn't really a big deal. Moving cities for the first time in your life, besides the fact that all friends would be lost, other kids didn't give a damn where they live. But to me...california was all i had. I wasn't really a social person, i stayed holed up at home doing nothing and i loved my house. More than any other normal teenager would. Because my house was practically my life and i did not know why other people didn't share the same reasoning i did. Okay maybe i knew i was weird. But that didn't change anything. It was where i made my memories, had fun with my brother, grew up for God's sake. I was always overly sensitive for that type of stuff, don't ask me why. My mother opened her mouth to explain, but i already knew what was gonna come out of her mouth. I'm so sorry, hon, but... I know how much you love Cali but... I shook my head to shut her up before she had the chance to even talk. "don't even start with the excuses. And start trying to find other ways that don't involve me leaving Cali."