Listen to the video while reading! Song for the chappie: Thanks For The Memories by Fall Out Boy
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Highlight: In Which She Is Hit By A Wave of Nostalgia
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I looked up at mom's apartment one last time, before getting in the taxi.
"Where to, miss?", asked the taxi driver, chewing on a cigarette.
I wrinkled my nose, and looked out the window.
"The McAllister Airlines please. And can you please put that cigarette out?"
"Why should I?"
The nerve.....! I don't need this. Not now.
I placed my hand on the door handle, ready to get the hell out of there.
"Whoa there, little miss.", he said, and turned to look at me. I finally got a look at his face, and was actually surprised at what I saw.
He actually had some looks, I have to admit.
"What?", I say, with a little more venom than I intended.
"I know the cab reeks of the scent of cigarette, but this cigarette isn't actually lighted.", he said, holding up the cigarette to me, with one end of up chewed up.
Oh. Great. He made me feel stupid.
Besides, what kind of cabbie would use the terms, "reeks"? It's not judgmental like, it just seems a little.... civilized, I guess. Or maybe I am judgmental.
I released my hold on the door handle and then rolled my eyes.
"Whatever. Just drive."
He dropped the cigarette into a trash bin then started driving.
My gaze was then directed outside the window, and I watched the buildings pass by. It was the last time I'd see them, I guess.
I'd miss this place. All my happy memories were created here, but all of my worst ones were also created here.
That was made New York so endearing. I loved it here, even though I had to leave. I never wanted any of this to happen. But this is something I can never forget something I can never forgive.
Forgive, but never forget. God, I remember my younger years as a teenager, in which I always acted impulsively (I still do, but more so before than now), and did things without reasonable thinking.
"You from around here or just visiting?"
I made no effort to reply.
At the back of my mind, I faintly hear him mutter, "Rude, much?".
Jerkwad. You don't know me. Don't judge me.
I sighed. What is wrong with me? I'm becoming too mean.
"Sorry. I was, uh, thinking. I've lived here all 16 years of my life."
I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye, then went back to window gazing.
This reminds me of the time my family and I went star-gazing. The sky was an endless black ocean, freckled with different stars of different lights.
Memories like those are innocent. They remind me of things that have been, and could have been. Those were regrets, wishful thinking, but also the anchors to my hope.
I could say that my family is another source of my strength. I guess that could be true.
I love my mom, I really do, but sometimes, I think... she loves me a bit too much. Her love is too destructive, too dangerous.
I guess that's what love is. It destroys.
"We're here, miss."
"Thanks."
I handed him my fare.
"Hope to see you soon, hottie.", I say, and wink.
"Uh, what?"
"Bye!"
I grabbed my suitcase and ditched the cab, not missing the flush of pink staining his cheeks.
I giggle as I run away. My friends and I used to this. See which of us got the most number of boys flustered. Those were the good ol' times.
As I climb the airplane, I'm hit with a wave of nostalgia.
I was going to leave this place for good.
Almost all my firsts were here.
My first laugh, words, walk were all here. First date, yes. First kiss, yes.
First...... Nope, haven't done that. I'm not that eager, excuse me! I don't want to be a mother anytime soon!
I just wish......
Maybe if my life wasn't so messed up, none of this would've happened. Or maybe it's luck's fault. Too many what-ifs, too much doubt.
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"Oomph!"
"Weak.", taunts a boy and his friends.
Her fist clench, but there's nothing she can do about it. After all, everything they said was true.
"Get away from her!", yells another boy.
He fought them, and they ran away, like the cowards they were.
"Are you alright?", she asked him.
"Yup! As long as you are."
She smiled at him, and from that moment, they were friends.
They played together for a long time.
She wasn't sure when they stopped playing, but when they did, she felt an emptiness wider than the gap her parents gave her.
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He was my first love.
But nothing in this world truly stayed, especially not love.
Maybe if love stayed, the world would be a better place. Ugh, another what-if.
The airplane's intercom crackled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for choosing to fly with McAllister Airlines. Destination: Beverly Hills, California!"
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Teen Fiction『 I don't dance. 』 At least, not anymore. Dancing was a huge part of me, like my parents and my siblings were. I loved dancing, I really did. Dancing wasn't just a way to express for me, it was also away to be able to move my body gracefully, or t...
