Just Friends

Chapter 1

Here it is!! My second book's first chapter, how exciting!

I've learned that I'm really bad at descriptions and I'm not going to try ever again... unless I have a good one, then I will.

Enjoy reading!

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I sit in the passenger seat of a car with my mom and little brother. She's driving us to a new state where we'll make a new start to our lives.

Oh, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself.

I'm Riley Parker. I have a red auburn hair color with hazel eyes and pale skin. I'm that quiet girl that either sits front and center or in the very back of the class, which by the way does not mean that I am completely shy and anti-social. The one that doesn't participate in class discussions and doesn't like going in front of the class for a presentation. I love skateboarding though.

I had a best friend but then we got into a fight and that evening, my mom told me that we were moving... far far away.

My younger brother Cameron sits in the back seat.

"I just don't understand why we have to move so far away!" The frustration has built up too much. She takes a deep breath, obviously annoyed.

"Because it's healthier for us to be away from the place we spent our time with dad." Cameron says plainly.

"I was tired of being reminded of him, ok?" She shouts. I, even Cameron who she wasn't speaking to, recoil in shock. She doesn't usually yell.

****

After about eight hours, not including rest stops, we arrive in a small city/town in South Carolina. We drive on a road along the beach then turn onto another road leading into a little circular part of the town. Our house is right in the middle of them, the biggest. We pull into the garage and get out. Amazed at how big this car room is, the two of us stare in awe.

"Come on. Inside, kids." Mom chuckles. We walk in with our mom. She had talked to the movers about who's room is where so when we went in, our boxes are being stacked in our new rooms. I spot one of the movers with a box that has my name on it so I follow him up the stairs.

He turns into a room, all white with a few flowers painted on one wall, probably where a bed used to sit. He turns around and smiles at me.

"Hi." He reaches out a hand for me to shake.

"Hello." I say shyly, shaking his hand. He walks past me and out the door. I look around the room which is actually pretty big. There's a big bay window in the center of the outside wall that has a gorgeous view of the ocean. The sun shines in perfectly, lighting up the room. The guy walks back in with a few more boxes.

He's carrying a big box with a small one on top. I grab that one and open it. It's a little gift box with a ballerina in it. You wind her up and she spins to Beethoven's Für Elise. My father gave it to me the morning before he died. It's my treasure. I wind it up and let it play. My mom walks in and smiles.

"You miss him, don't you." She asks softly. I nod to which she wraps her arms around me,  stroking my hair. We watch the tiny ballerina twirl to the music until it stops. She smiles at me then walks out. Cameron walks in and rests a hand on my shoulder then walks out as well.
That kid is weird.

****
We're camping in the living room tonight. A small desk lamp sits in the middle of our circle. Cameron lay asleep as mom and I talk.

"Remember when he got chased by that pig?!" I ask. Almost immediately, she starts laughing, hard.

"Yes! Your father couldn't stand he was laughing so hard!" She says, getting a laugh out of me.

"Yeah." I sigh. I start to think about my father. In his last few weeks, he was so joyous. He never lost his sense of humor.

Everyday, as a kid, we would play long hours outside, rain or shine. In the winter we would build igloos. During the summer, he put up a swimming pool. He would throw us across it and into the water. When it would rain during the summer days, we went out and ran in it. Thunder storms went by fast; we played sheriff a lot. He was the horse and I was the sheriff, being the only girl. Mom was the prison chef, she made too good of meals for a prison. Cameron was the bad guy who stole my stuff, a lot.

The last few days were different, though. He was either in the hospital or sentenced to bed rest. The day before his last I asked if it hurt. He said, 'not as bad as it seems, princess.'

Tears form in my eyes. I miss him so much.

"Get some sleep, baby. We have some shopping to do tomorrow, yeah?"

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Oh yeah, HAPPY EASTER!!

Unless you don't celebrate Easter. Then I'm sorry that tomorrow is Monday...