Player Next Door

Chapter 1

I despise change. 

So, why am I sat on a plane on my way to West Coast California?

You see, I was so happy in England! I had everything and everyone I needed. I had Eliza and Charlotte, my best friends ever; my theatre school which I adored; my small but comfortable house. And, I had Luke - the love of my life.

We decided that we'd have to break up, even though we still do love each other. England to California is just too far away, trying to maintain a relationship would be practically impossible. I really was going to miss him.

The way he tried to teach me how to play the guitar when I was thirteen. Awkwardly sitting behind me, his arms wrapped around my body placing my hands in the right positions on the strings. When I played Maria and he played Tony in West Side Story when we were fifteen. When we'd always partner up with each other when we had to do duets in front of the class and spent hours on end practising each others parts rather than our own; making my voice sound baritone and his falsetto...

You're probably wondering why I was being forced to move to California. Well, dad got a job up there and my grandmother and grandfather on my mum's side lived there. They didn't even ask me how I felt about moving. They assumed I'd be happy about it.

They assumed wrong.

"Isn't California where all those stars live that you love? You know, like - what's her name... oh yeah, Paris Hilton?"

...and she calls herself my mother?!

I know California is supposed to be amazing and everything, but England is where home is. Everything and everyone I had ever known and loved was in England. And it was all being taken away from me. It's just not fair.

Eliza and Charlotte didn't take the news of me moving very well all. They didn't even know what to do with themselves; I still remember them sobbing on the floor and smothering me in hugs. We met each other in dance when we were three years old. Thirteen years later, we were still best friends. I'll be lucky if I ever even see them again now though. I did tend to feel a bit like a third wheel with them but they didn't try to make me feel left out. I suppose having a boyfriend caused me to not talk to them as much as I used to.

Luke and I met each other when we started school when we were eleven. We instantly became best friends, although I had a secret crush on him. Everyone used to tell me he liked me but I didn't believe them. When we were fourteen, he finally got the courage to tell me, turning up on my doorstep on Valentine's Day with a guitar and singing a song he wrote about me. It was seriously the sweetest thing ever. 

I kept trying to tell myself that California would be an adventure. That I'd find lots of new friends. That I'd still go to auditions and there would probably be a lot more of them. There'd be flawless, stunning beaches where I could go to swim in the ocean, big huge shopping centres... or malls? And American boys.

Sitting on the plane, I let out a sigh in annoyance. We near enough missed the flight but made it just on time; however my family wasn't even sitting together. Unfortunately, I was sat in front of a seven-ish year old boy that kept kicking my seat, behind a man who was snoring, and next to two girls who I guessed were sisters that keep fighting with each other. This really could not get any worse. I was genuinely considering jumping out of the plane.

When I had first got on the plane, it had been quite chilly in England(as usual) so I just wore a pair of skinny jeans, a vest top and a hoodie on over the top. Stupidly, I never really considered what the weather might be like in California. Though, when I stepped off the plane, I instantly regretted my choice of clothing.

The sun was blazing down and the heat was practically unbearable. I took off my hoodie straight away; at least I had a vest top under it. I was not used to this weather whatsoever. Luckily I had a bobble on my wrist so I quickly put my hair up into a twisty bun. Looking around for my mum, dad and brother, James, I saw them walking away from the plane and into the airport. Wow, thanks for waiting for me, I sometimes wonder if I'm invisible!

I quickly scurried to catch up with my family and we went to pick up our luggage. There were lots of them, but most of our things were being delivered to our new house later on. We went outside and found a man holding a sign with the name 'Jenkins' written on it. I supposed that was for us then. We walked over and the driver helped us put all of the mega sized suitcases in the back of the small car. Unfortunately, it was only a five seater car, and considering I'm the smallest in my family, I knew I was going to have to be squished in the middle of James and my mum, whilst my dad was in the front with the driver.

Bloody marvellous.

I looked past my mum and out of the window. California was quite nice, actually. I didn't expect it to be, but it was breathtaking. The scenery was absolutely astonishing. Impressive buildings and palm trees everywhere. And it was definitely perfect beach weather. Deciding it would be best to take my mind off things, I blasted 

The journey to our new house from the airport only took about half an hour. It felt longer than that though. When we arrived outside the house, the first thing I noticed was that it was bloomin' huge. My previous house was quite cramped. Downstairs it had a tiny kitchen and living room and upstairs there were three very modest bedrooms and a bathroom. We couldn't really afford a big luxury house when I started the theatre school. We sold our old, slightly bigger house to pay for all of my school fees and bought the small house with what money we had left over. My mum and dad didn't mind so much, they were really supportive and they knew I'd make most of the opportunity. All that had gone out of the window now anyway.

Luckily, I had scrambled out of the car before James. Quickly, I burst through the door not even bothering to help with the suitcases. Running up the stairs as fast as my legs could possibly take me, I looked desperately around each of the bedrooms, trying to determine which bedroom was the biggest and I liked the best overall. I set foot in the last one and looked around quickly. It was perfect. Before I had a chance to take it all in properly, I heard James' footsteps behind me, so I acted quickly out of instinct.

"I'm having this one! Bagsie!" I practically screamed down his ear, pointing at the room.

"Thant's not fair! I-"

"I don't care." I said, cutting him off.

"But I was just about to sa-"

"But I said it first."

"Bu-"

"She's right James, she said it first. No buts. The room's hers." a slightly muffled voice came from behind him - my mum. Her face was hidden behind a cardboard box. That's another sibling argument won by yours truly.

James swore. Quite loudly.

"Language!" She shouted, stumbling backwards, the boxes contents almost tumbling out. She regained her balance just in time to reposition the box in her grasp. James stormed off in a huff across the hallway like a little child, looking for a different room. I, however, stepped into my new bedroom, swinging the the door shut behind me.

Mum let out a sigh, "Thanks for the help, kids!" she shouted sarcastically, stumbling down the hall.

I rolled my eyes.

Looking around my room, it was quite plain so far. There was a queen sized bed, a bed side table with a lamp already on top, a set of drawers, a very spacious wardrobe, and a dressing table with a mirror. The room was quite girly. It was quite pretty the way it was, but my head was exploding with ideas to make it more - me. There was a window at the side of the room with a glass door leading onto a balcony with the most amazing view I had ever seen. Luscious grass blanketed a vast garden lined with flowers of all colours, from blush pink to apricot orange. Beyond the garden was a breathtaking sea, turquoise in colour but shimmering thousands of shades of green and blue as the suns lustrous light glimmered down on the oceans surface. I actually felt like a real life Disney princess in a castle.

I could see inside the room. It was someone's bedroom. I was guessing it belonged to a boy considering the contents of the messy room. Wondered who it was that the room belonged to, I supposed I'd have to find out another time.

"Come on Acacia, James! We're going to meet the neighbours." I heard my dad's voice shout up the stairs.

I take that back. I suppose I'm going to find out right now.