The Art of Balancing » work in progress

CH. 2 : "Haven't you ever seen somebody skip?"

I don't blame my dad at all for the fact that it's my first night back in Pearwyn and I'm completely alone.

I'm sure, had I not managed to lose and break my phone, that there were countless of apologetic text messages and voice mails just waiting for me. And if I'm being honest, I was kind of enjoying myself, apart from the voice in the back of my mind that told me all about the rapists and murderers just waiting in the woods to end me.

I had spent my first hour carefully examining each room in the house and had trouble recognizing them. It was like it wasn't even my childhood home; it was bittersweet.

I wasn't angry at anyone for the fact that my mom's old library had been converted into a playroom for Mac, or that my old ballet studio was now an office for Sasha. I had to accept the fact that they had total right in doing what they did.

Now, when I went to see what they had done to my old room, that was when the butterflies in my stomach started to go bat shit crazy. I was tip toeing down the hallway of the third floor, peaking my head in each door as the wide, cream colored one at the very end stared straight at me, like it was mocking me.

My thoughts were something along the lines of: what if they had converted it into some secret sex chamber? Oh my God. Oh my GOD.

They didn't. In fact, it looked like nobody had even placed a finger on it. The walls were still a pastel pink with cozy lemon stripes. Butterflies and dance slippers were plastered on the wall, my shag carpets were in the same place I left them, and my furniture was the same princess set it was 10 years ago. Holy nostalgia.

Anyway, once I finished sorting through my boxes of stuffed animals and tutus 6 year old me left behind, I began to unpack. I was going to have to beg to redo my room once Sasha and Reid got home, but I figured that would be an easy battle to win. Honestly. Making a 16, almost 17, year old girl live in a room fit for someone obsessed with unicorns and sunshine is cruel and unusual punishment.

So after two hours of placing things where they used to be and new things where they were going to be, I slipped into some cropped leggings and a fuzzy gray sweater and headed down the stairs. Then the doorbell rings and I brace myself for a forest lingering rapist.

I turn on every light in reach as I stomp toward the foyer. I approach an antique mirror hanging on the wall and quickly throw my hideous plane/train hair into a messy bun. I was ready to take this murderer down. I may be 110 pounds of scrawny girlness but I gave a mean kick to the groin.

I twist the knob, opening my mouth to scream on cue when I see Graham Bryant standing in front of me.  I figure he's come here to drag me over to his house, but before I could ask, he thrusts his iPhone into my hands. I raise an eyebrow.

"Uh.. Hello?" I say into the device, turning on my heels and walking back towards the living room. I turn around in time to see Graham closing the door and following behind me. 

Well, just make yourself at home. It's not like I look like Frankenstein's bride and I definitely didn't invite you in or anything.

"Vi, honey, I am so sorry about all of the chaos right now!" Reid sighs tiredly. "Graham told me you broke your phone, which makes sense as to why I hadn't heard from you at all."

"Yeaaaah, about that..." I widen my eyes in embarrassment. You'd think I'd have a lot more coordination from years of ballet, wouldn't you? I'm a failure to ballerinas everywhere. Seriously.

"I'll take you to get a new one tomorrow." Reid says after he's finished laughing at my mishap of course. Such an understanding father, truly. "Have you had anything to eat since you've got in?" He asks suddenly, making my face heat up like he was standing across the room. I couldn't lie.