A millions miles

chapter 1

The first few steps are always the hardest. When you take those first couple steps into freedom, you can feel it.The giant weight of being trapped lifted off of your shoulders, only to be replaced by another: What do I do now. Slowly and uncertainly, I lift my duffel bag and guitar case off of the pavement and look back at my home. But it's not anymore, I remind myself. Even if it is just a house filled with unpleasent memories, it was my home. One of the few things about my past life I'm actually going to miss. And maybe Ollie, the dog is pretty cute. It's not like I was abused or abducted or anything, I just felt more like a prop than a child in my family. So I left. And now here I am in the middle. Ten steps from the cherry red front door, ten steps from the cab that's going to take me to paradise. Otherwise known as New York.

" You getting in or not cupcake? Cuz it's already costin' you twice as much to get me out here in the middle of the night, and I'd hate to see a pretty face like yours go broke so soon." I'm brought back down to reallity by the impatient voice of the cab driver.

" Yes. Sorry I was, um, just-" I stutter nervously, but still don't move from where my feet are glued to the pavement.

" Do I look like I give a crap? Just get in." He flicks a cigarette out the window before rollinng it up and beckoning for me to move along. I sigh and walk aroung to the back of the cab to put my bags in, before getting into the back seat. The cab smells like smoke and old soda cans and chips wrappers litter the floor. We start moving before I can even shut the door fully, and the driver swears when he almost hits the giant mailbox.

" Damned rich people.." I hear him mutter. And despite my surroundings, I smile. I smile because I'm really doing it. I smile because I don't know what else to do, but most importantly, I smile because I couldn't agree more.

..........................

When I wake up, it's light again and my cheek is pressed against something hard and cold. The window, I realize is freezing. Which could only mean one thing.

" We're hear, girl and I'm tired and it's wintah, so get your high maintenance ass out if my cab so I can hit the bar." the cab driver, Albert I had inquired last night, stopped abruptly at the address I had given him.

"New York? Wow, Really?" I stated lamely. But what can I say, I'm in shock.

"Nah smart ass were in Antarctica." Albert snorts and opens the car door and moves around to the trunk. He lifts my things out and plops them onto the snow covered concrete before opening my door. I'm still frozen to my seat in excitement and Albert has to practically drag me from the car. I come to just before my face hits the snow. I land with a thud and sort of just lay there until Albert's face comes into view above me.

" Right, so , this is where you pay me and I get going and you start your plan book or whatever that shit was you talked my ear off about till you fell asleep. " I smile at the mention of 'my plan', and push my self up to stand on the sidewalk.

"Yea, I'm sorry. Here you go then." I reach into the pocket of my messenger bag and reveal fifteen twenties. I hand them over to Albert and after careful shifting through the money he turns and gets back into his cab. Guess i wasn't expecting anymore. I turn around and look up at the building in front if me. My first observation is that the place looks like absolute crap. But I mentally slap myself and quickly clear my head of the snobby thought. Some people might think I'm crazy running from the mansion that used to be my home, but they have no idea about the people that live in it. Just like I have no idea about the people that love here, I remind my self. Really, the scariest part for me is meeting my roommates.I mean, there's only so much waitressing as a side job for two years can get you. I hear Albert pull away from the curve and grab my bags off the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath, I shuffle toward the steps and place my finger on the doorbell. And then I push.