As Long As I Live

Chapter 1

Even though I wasn't the type of person to be into the whole romance thing, I still liked to picture myself being happy with someone while listening to stupid love songs. That's pretty much my hobby at the moment. It may not make sense and be a totally waste of time, because trust me, it is, but it's normal to want to feel loved sometimes. My bad that I can't control my feelings.

     As I was in my own little world looking out the window, like always, my mom tries to say something to me. I had my earbuds in, so I couldn't hear what she said. I take them out as I look at her. "Hmm?"

"You didn't hear me?"

"No," I held up an earbud, "sorry."

She sighed. She doesn't like it when I have these "eardrum killers," as she calls them, in my ears all day. She calls them that because I seem to have bad hearing, due to the loud music I blast in my ears. I'll have her know, though, that my hearing aids are perfectly fine. Sometimes I just pretend not to hear, so she'll leave me alone. It works sometimes.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can always turn back."

     I look out the window and give a frustrated look. "I can do this, Mom." I continue looking out the window, regretting that I answered, because honestly, I didn't want to go. I couldn't leave my mom, but it's actually for the best. I haven't seen my dad since I was 5, but it wasn't his fault or my mom's. Things just couldn't work out for reasons I can't even explain.

     She gave a weak little smile, meaning she believed my lie. She can be very gullible, so she doesn't really know when I'm telling the truth or not. It'a kind of a good thing, because I get myself out of situations, but it's also a bad thing, because I want her to stop me from going. I'm going to be living with a complete stranger out in Alexander City, Alabama and leaving Seattle. I don't even know his birthday, where he works, if he has a new wife and kids; nothing. I guess it's okay. At least we'll have something to talk about, so it won't be awkward.

     We arrive at the airport and I get out of the car and grab my luggage out of the trunk. I then look at the entrance of the airport. 'I'm only doing this to go to college,' I tell myself. My dad had agreed that if I finish school living with him, he'd pay for my college. My mom insisted that she would take care of it, but I said that it was fine with me. I wasn't really thinking straight, obviously.

     I feel so nervous inside as I look at the people lined up next to each other holding people's names up. I see my last name, Kirk, and look at the man who notices me and has this shocked expression on his face as if I were Beyoncé walking around an airport. I'm guessing that's my father, and that shocked expression was for seeing me so grown.

     I smile and walk up to him. He opens his arms and I go in between them. Next thing I know, I'm hugging my real father for the first time in my sixteen years of living.