Different

Chapter One

High school? Sucks. Senior year? Sucks. Boys? You guessed it. They really, really suck. It doesn't help that we had to move the summer before my senior year. You'd think dad would take a second and consider his daughter and her social life before just up and moving across the country but nooo. Of course not. Why would he put his family before his career? That practice died when mom did.

I pried my eyes open, finding the cracks that lined my new ceiling. I liked our new house better than the others we had stayed in. It was a smaller quaint little home that gave off a cottage vibe, something I enjoyed.

Although I would much prefer to simply stay in one place like normal people.

Sighing, I got out of bed and tried to shake the negative thoughts going through my head.

   Dad wasn't the bad guy here. I knew that, really, I did. It was just hard not to be mad at him for having to move. Sure, his career was important to him and it supported us and blah, blah, blah, but I was still selfish enough to be angry. At least for a little while.

It was the first day of the last year. I could do this. I was good at being the new kid. Lord knew I had lots of practice.

"Freaking Oklahoma," I grumbled as I stumbled into the bathroom.

Whoa. I looked at myself in the mirror. Okay. Great. I picked up a limp piece of brown hair. I usually had great hair, but today it was nothing but a curse. Whatever. Who even cared anymore? I pulled my long limp tendrils up into a ponytail, using two of the elastic bands to keep the thick curly strands in place.

I had brown eyes to match the hair and I was often told that they resembled the eyes of a doe. Whatever the heck that means. I knew I was pretty, but it wasn't something I really flaunted.

   I wasn't the type of girl to have lots of boys in and out of my bed. Hell, I hadn't had a boyfriend in over three years. Perks of constantly moving.

I pushed boys out of my mind and made my way down the stairs, stopping in the kitchen. "Morning, dad."

"Mornin'." My father was a serious looking man with graying black hair and glasses. He reminded me a lot of an old professor or perhaps a librarian.

   In reality, I had no idea what he actually did, like day to day, but I knew it was some sort of government work. When I was a kid I would pretend he was a spy and we'd play all sorts of games. He wasn't like that anymore. He was more somber these days, more stressed. He took a long drink of his coffee and continued to scan the paper, as if he totally agreed with my silent claim of his boringness.

I rummaged through the various boxes scattered around the kitchen, trying to find the toaster. When I finally got the damn thing out and hooked up I realized we didn't have any bread to toast.

"We have got to go to the store," I said, slamming the fridge.

Dad nodded distractedly. "Yeah I can go tomorrow after work, maybe Wednesday."

"Wednesday?? Dad, today is Monday. Come on, don't do me like that. We need groceries like yesterday, not Wednesday. I'll just run to the store after school today." I hefted my school bag onto one shoulder.

Dad looked at me with his deep green eyes. "Alright. You do that. Have a good day at school. Good luck!"

   I scoffed. "Yes. Please, wish me much luck!"

"Oh, and honey?"

I stopped halfway through the door. "Yeah?"

"Don't forget to get my yogurt."