Contemporary Life // FILLIE

New Home

Millie's POV:

"Remind me again, why did we have to move? I had so many friends back in Indiana." I complain from the backseat of my family's minivan as we drive along the many highways only to eventually end up in a small town called Cumming, Georgia. Won't this just be the most exciting road trip ever? No, it won't. I was being sarcastic. "C'mon sis, it'll be a fresh start! New people, new town, new school." Charlie lists off, sitting on the other side of our little sister Ava. "I'd rather have a consisted lifestyle, thanks." I snicker back, but he just shrugs while smiling cheerfully, thankfully ending the conversation there. After about ten minutes of painfully staring out my window at the endless fields, I decide to plug in my earbuds to my phone. If the universe won't save me from misery, music sure will. I rest my head against the car window as Ed Sheeran's Castle On The Hill smoothly plays in my ears, blurring out everything else in this no-good world. Sure, a fresh start might do me some good.. but leaving those friends and him back in Indiana? Oh, that'll do me anything but good. That's something I'm certain about.

Within a few more hours of listening to the album Divide on repeat, our car finally pulls into a concrete driveway with cracks galore. "Well.. here we are!" Dad announces while gesturing towards the fairly big house, considering our old one practically looked like a worn down shack. "Yay.." I unemotionally say, making Charlie chuckle lightly at my 'enthusiasm'. "Millie, could you please be happy about moving for even an hour? Or at least act like it?" Mum complains as we all shuffle out of our minivan. "Sure," I reply, remembering there isn't much of a choice when it comes to my mother. "Where's all of our boxes?" Ava asks, looking around the trunk. "A van brings them, Ava. By the way, when will it get here?" I question my parents, not really wanting to sleep on the floor tonight. "They should've already put all of our boxes inside actually, they arrived a little earlier than us." Dad informs us before walking up the small path leading to the front dark wooden door, unlocking it with a key from under a nearby pot. The rest of us follow him into the house, the first thing you see being a welcome rug with coat hangers on the wall followed by the living room about 15 feet away, a staircase to upstairs against the right wall, and the stainless steel kitchen with a marble island to the left. Oh, and basically boxes covering every inch of the soft beige carpet coated on the floor, except for the kitchen's dark hardwood flooring.

"Welcome home! The first one to call a room gets it!" Dad exclaims, sending all three of us on a mild rampage up the stairs to pick the best room, almost toppling over each other in the process. I first sprint into a room that's the farthest away from the others and lock the door just to make sure I can really decide without one of my siblings sprinting in and calling it for themselves. I look around the medium-sized, light purple painted room with the same beige carpet on the ground, only to spot the best thing a room could offer: a bay window.

{Imagine The Brown Paint Is Light Purple And Floor Is The Carpet}

I quietly squeal to myself as I look at the bay window's features, more specifically the easily open-able windows that I can sneak out of whenever... but hey, it's a cool chill space too. I quickly run back over to the door and unlock it before opening it just enough for my head to peak out. "I call this one!" I shout down to my parents before hearing a faint 'Okay' back. I close the door again, for once excited about this whole moving thing. "Guess it's time to move all my shit in here.. yay." I remark before rushing downstairs to find my siblings doing the same, taking various boxes up to their rooms as our parents unpack our kitchen supplies.

After carrying up boxes upon boxes to my room and hanging up all of my tops and dresses in my walk-in closet, folding all of my bottoms and neatly placing them into the drawers that also reside in the closet, I decide to take a small break after the two-hour job. "Hey Mum, I saw a Starbucks on the way here. Do you mind if I go check it out?" I question as I hop down the stairs, putting on my jean jacket while doing so. "Nope, just take the minivan and don't be too long. We still have a lot of unpacking to do." She explains before tossing me the car keys that I catch and instinctively twirl around my finger as I walk outside and jump in the car. I pull out of the driveway and begin my journey by backtracking the roads we were on before, humming the tune of Happier while doing so. Just because I listened to music the whole time doesn't mean I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. After 10 minutes of backtracking the streets I finally end up in the Starbucks parking lot, thankful that this small town even has one. As I stroll into the worn down coffeehouse, I'm hit with the familiar scents of coffee and creams.

"Hi can I get a tall Caffe Mocha, please?" I ask the red-headed barista, the girl looking about my age. "Sure thing.. hey, aren't you the new girl in town? Um.. the Browns, right?" She guesses while making the drink. I nod agreeably, "I'm Millie." I introduce myself while holding my hand out for her to shake, which she does. "Sadie, Sadie Sink." She replies while smiling before handing me my Caffe. "Here, how about I take my lunch break and we can talk? Y'know, get to know each other. It's not too often this town has a new girl." Sadie suggests while already taking off her work apron and checking out. "Uh.. sure." I answer as she leads me to a table for two in the corner of the shop. "So, are you going to NFHS?" Sadie asks, her hands folded on the table. I shrug, "Probably. I just moved in today so.. I'm not really sure." I answer before taking a sip of my drink. "Let's hope so, then you'll at least know me." She mentions while gesturing towards herself. "Agreed." I add, smiling lightly. "Where did you live before coming here?" Sadie questions curiously. "I lived in Hawkins, Indiana. It was pretty great there.. I had a lot of close friends and.." I trail off, not wanting to finish the sentence so I just shrug. "Well, if you want.. I could be like your guide to this messed up town." She insists while giggling, making me join her. "Yeah, I'd appreciate it." I reply, still giggling slightly. "No problem. I should probably head back to work but here's my number.. feel free to call or text me for whatever. It was nice meeting you Millie." Sadie explains while writing down her number onto a napkin before getting back to her job, leaving the napkin on the table for me. "You too." I add before stuffing the napkin in my jacket's pocket and heading home.

By the time I pull into the driveway the sun is setting and the temperatures are dropping. I trudge inside my some-what moved in house, slide my chucks off of my feet, toss the keys onto the kitchen counter, and thankfully make my way into my room without getting noticed by my parents. When I walk into my room my bed is suddenly inside it with the backboard against the wall along with new various shades of purple bed sheets. I sigh as I trudge over to my bed and allow my body to fall back onto it, my muscles instantly thanking me for resting. I take my phone out from my back pocket and the vandalized napkin with Sadie's number on it, making a contact for her before texting the new number.

mbb: hey it's millie

sadie: hey, whats up?

mbb: just bored, you?

sadie: pizza with the squad

mbb: the squad?

sadie: yeah, a bunch of guys from NFHS. i get along with boys better than girls i guess. :P

sadie: i could introduce you to them tomorrow if you want, most of them are pretty chill.

mbb: sure, but wait most of them?

sadie: you'll see. i gtg, they're starting to eat my half of the pizza!

mbb: haha, good luck with that.

I chuckle at Sadie's last text before inevitably clicking off my phone. Sadie seems pretty cool, definitely easy to talk to. If her friends are anything like her, then I think this town couldn't be as bad after all. I then decide to do some more unpacking and decorating, putting a few pillows onto the bay window, hanging my silver M on my door, and finally making sure I have all the supplies listed on the high school's 'needed supplies' list even when I'm starting school in the middle of a frigid November. After all of that happened today, I call it a day and decide to get a good night's sleep for once in my new bed sheets, in my new home, in my new life.

This wasn't too good of a chapter but I promise it get's better by the chapter, including the next one.