That first month at Overtree House went by in a blur. From the moment we stepped out of the car and saw the massive building, I knew that my life would be very different. The house itself was beautiful. It obviously used to be a stately house and, according to the plaque on the wall by the front door, it used to belong to the Jacobs, a wealthy family from the 1940s who left the house to the local town when their last descendant died. The town then converted the house into a block of flats and rented them out. Most of the residents of the house go to or are planning to go to St Tiffany's, like us.
As we hauled everything we own up way too many stairs, I crossed a guy who looked, in one word, incredible. He had amazing dark brown hair and piercingly blue eyes. For a second, as he manoeuvered around me on the steps, he looked up at me and our eyes met for a second longer than normal. Then he looked back down, and I swear I saw him smile - shyly or slyly, I don't know. I looked back at Sam, who didn't witness this exchange, but even so, I winked at her. She gave me a confused look, then carried on stepping up.
We stumbled into on the flat. It was disappointing, I suppose. Too small for all our furniture, and very cold. Still, I stayed optimistic. I dumped the box I was carrying onto the floor and took a few steps forward. My shoes sounded very loud on the wooden panels. My hand reached out to light switch. I flicked it up. Nothing happened. Down and up again. Still nothing.
Oh great. No lights.
I sighed and turned back to my dad and Sam. Sam looked around the flat and her face fell.
"Um...is this it? Like, really?" I saw her gradually get more and more worked up. "Really? Like, really?! This is it?! It's TINY. And freezing, oh my god, it's freezing! We can't live here. Not here, Dad, in this flat. I mean, there's no light! Windows - there are no windows. DAD, SERIOUSLY. THIS CANNOT BE WHERE WE LIVE NOW!"
Her eyes were burning - she was furious. Her hands curled up into fists, her face was starting to turn red, eyes narrowing, forehead furrowing. But there was something behind that, something else. Her eyes were filling up with tears, she was shaken, upset. She was scared. She was shaking. Dad was too. He'd bought us here, to this place with no lights, no windows, no heat, no space. He was scared - he felt like he'd ruined everything. He'd taken us away from our homes, our friends, our lives, and he was feeling as if he'd done the wrong thing, that he'd messed it all up.
But he hadn't. He'd done what was needed – what was right. St Tiffany's had been Sam's childhood dream, ever since she was picked to play the lead in her school play. I, of course, played a small part. Much smaller than her's. She always had it better than me, I suppose. Anyway, Dad knew that Sam needed to come here, she'd always wanted it.
I needed to do something, before the two people I love most in the world crumbled before me.
"Guys! It's fine! Seriously. Okay, so it's not great, but we can make it work. We have only seen this room, anyway. The rest of the rooms could be better!"
So, as Dad tried to work out the light situation, me and Sam investigated the other rooms. The bathroom was cramped, but cleaner than expected. We looked at the bedrooms. There were only two.
"Dad!" Sam said with an edge to her voice. "There are only two bedrooms, and there isn't enough space for two people in either room."
"I know," he said, walking up to us. "To save money, we're renting a two-bedroom flat. One of you must sleep on the sofa."
Sam looked at me. I recognised the look on her eyes. She was angry, frustrated. When she was like this, she can be selfish and stubborn. "Well, I need to get good nights sleep. I mean, I'm going to Uni!"
Wow. Wow, that was low. She knew I could never get into University like her. Why was she being so mean? I was the only one trying here! I was trying to make it better, and Sam was just...well, being Sam.
"Fine, I'll take the sofa," I said reluctantly. How long will I be sleeping on that thing? Until I move out to live on my own, probably. How long away would that be? Years? It would be so uncomfortable too. But, right now, anything to make Sam feel better, I would gladly do.
"I'll be right back. The reason the lights are out is because the manager has switched the electricity off for this whole flat. I need to get him to put it back on," Dad explained.
Oh god. Without him here Sam will be even more unreasonable.
"So...where should we start? Our bedroom?" I asked. I was feeling quite tense.
"Ha ha...our bedroom? It's my bedroom," declared.
"Well, yeah, kind of, but my stuff is going to be in there too, obviously." Annoyance was twisting in my stomach.
"No? That's my bedroom."
I was starting to lose it. "Fine! It's your bedroom. But I have stuff too! If my bed is the sofa, but the sofa
is in the living room, the living room can't be my bedroom. I can't put my stuff in the living room. So, it's got to go in your room."
But...it's my room..."
"Oh my god Sam! I know this is a big thing for you, but you need to see reason. I need living space too! I've already said that I will take the crappy sofa, so be fair, okay?!"
She hesitated, and I had to bite my tongue before I said something I'd regret. But she reluctantly agreed.
* * *
We're sitting at the table eating a takeout meal from the Chinese restaurant in the nearby town. Even though it's two weeks after we moved in, there are still a few unpacked boxes scattered around the flat, full of things we don't have a place for or space for. Sam is quiet and loud at the same time, talking in sudden bursts but mostly seeming zoned out, in her own world. Dad is droning on about neighbours and plumbing and the electrics and his new job. I feel completely out of the conversation, as if I'm not there. My mind's on other things.
After a week of settling into our new flat and failing to find a job, I've started to get bored. I have a serious case of cabin fever, but I never want to go out. There's nothing to do. I've drawn loads of pictures, read every book I owned, took many walks in the gardens and many trips to the town. I've run out of things to say to Sam, especially as she never seems to want to talk, so I have to make a big effort to carry the conversations. I've watched and re-watched every episode of every show that interests me and I eat a lot of time out of boredom. I've run out of things to do.
So, after dinner, I decide to take a walk around the house. I've explored everywhere already, and even though it's such a big building, I've learnt my way around. But after I walk out of the front door, I feel so sick of the quiet, cold hallways that I just sit down in front of the door. I get out my phone and headphones and close my eyes as the music plays into my ears.
"Ahem..." A voice comes from above.
I open my eyes. Standing in front of me is the boy who I passed on the stairs on the first day. His hair looks so soft and unfairly beautiful. His blue eyes scan over me, then he unmistakably smiles, a happy, genuine smile.
He's smiling at me.
