Chloe's World

I move next door to the sweatiest boy on Earth

I can't remember the last time I've gotten a full night sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes I see those headlights, coming at me. Every time I'm close to drowning in the darkness I'm awaken by the sound of two cars crashing together.

So when my Aunt Robin asked me if I could sleep in the car, I just gave her a death glare. How could she be so stupid to ask that question? I can't even sleep in my bed. How could I possibly sleep in a moving death trap?

My Aunt Robin smiled, which shocked me. When most people saw my death glare they tried to stop their souls from jumping out of their bodies. So yeah, the smile was something new.

"You really do look like your father," she sighed.

I don't know what kind of reaction she was expecting. Was she expecting a smile back? That wasn't going to happen. Was she expecting me to start sobbing? No, that wasn't going to happen either. Hasn't she realized yet that I haven't said one word this entire trip? Hasn't she realized that my emotions were off?

But she wasn't wrong. I did look like my dad. My long flowing hair was the same shade of dark brown his was and my eyes were the same cold sea green. I even had his freckles that were splattered all over my face.

But I wasn't going to say anything to my Aunt Robin's realization. She stated an obvious fact. Good for her. But that doesn't earn a reaction from me.

My Aunt Robin let out a sigh, though this one was sad. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

Wow. I guess my facial expression was grimmer than I thought it was.

"I just thought you were tired. I mean you look..."

Horrible, is what she wanted to say. I couldn't disagree with her on that one either. There were shadows under my eyelids, making it look like I had been punched in the face twice. If you ran your finger through my hair you would immediately get stuck on a knot. I was wearing clothing similar to a hobo, stained flannel, faded sweatpants and converse that were suppose to be light blue but now looked more like a dark grey.

But I didn't want to say anything to her. So instead, I pressed my head against the glass and watched us drive through my new neighborhood.

My grandma had stayed with me as long as she could in Maryland. Sooner than later, she had to go back to her house in Florida. I wanted to go with her. In fact, I had begged her. But she knew that it was best for me if I went to live with my Aunt Robin and her fiancé in New Jersey.

In my gut, I knew that she was right. She lived in a retirement community with a bunch of other old people. If you were young you became an antelope in a lion's den, immediately surrounded by grandparents who desperately wanted to pinch your cheeks. For my health, I needed to be around kids my own age.

But I didn't want to live with my Aunt Robin. She was a cop which meant that she'll always be quoting the law and will be expecting me to be following the rules. That will never happen. I can already see the tension starting to build between us. The only good thing about her occupation is that she probably won't be around that much.

And then there was Ned. I met him once, last summer right after he proposed to Robin. I hated him. He was the typical nerd. His bubbly yet irritating personality gave me the urge to slap him in the face. I wasn't sure how long our personalities could rub against each other before a flame started.