The Bad Boy and The New Girl

Chapter 1

I watched a raindrop trace its path down the car window as we pulled into the driveway of our new house. The drive to Bluedale had been long and uninteresting, and we hadn't stopped in hours. I opened the car door and swung my legs outside into the cool autumn drizzle, stretching them out after being cramped in the backseat amongst moving boxes for what felt like an eternity.

My parents got out of the car and crossed the gravel driveway to the front porch. From my position in the backseat, I watched my mother unlock the front door of the suburban mansion. Sure, the house was beautiful, but Bluedale was the last place I wanted to be. I desired nothing more than to be back home with all my friends, where everything was familiar and comforting. But home was 7 hours away, and now I was here, in an unfamiliar town filled with unfamiliar people, about to start my senior year of high school. Alone.

"Madeleine, aren't you going to come and see your new home?" my father called from the front steps.

I rolled my eyes and hopped out of the car onto the driveway, slamming the car door behind me. Reluctantly, I began walking towards the house. I yanked my headphones out of my ears and the music instantly quietened to a tinny bubble of noise, underscored by the crunching of gravel beneath my feet.

"Would you turn that off please?" my mother snapped once she was within earshot of the music. I switched off my phone and shoved it into the back pocket of my jeans.

"Look Maddie, we understand this is a difficult time for you. It's a big change, but your mother and I know-"

"-that I'm going to be fine," I interrupted, "I know. You already said that like 3 times on the drive up here."

My father smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry Maddie. But you really will. You'll make friends in no time and I'm sure you're going to have a great year."

I just smiled. I appreciated that my father was at least trying to provide some comfort, especially considering his job was the sole reason that we relocated hundreds of miles away from home before I could even finish high school. But it was still hard, and I wasn't sure I entirely believed what he said.

We all entered the mansion and wandered around, exploring our new house. The final room I came to was my new bedroom. It was much bigger than my old one, with an ensuite and walk-in closet, but it felt colder, less homely.

As I walked further into the room, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the large bay window. I was a mess. This morning I had tied my long, dark brown hair into a scruffy bun, which had now descended into unprecedented levels of messiness. My oversized jumper was covered in food crumbs from snacking in the car, and my ripped jeans and scuffed converse didn't do anything to clean up the look. I hastily brushed off my jumper and let my hair down, sliding the velvet scrunchie onto my wrist, before heading back out to the car to help carry in the boxes of stuff that was considered too fragile or important for transportation in the moving van.

The van arrived fairly soon after, and the removal men helped unpack our furniture and boxed up items. The rest of the day was uneventful, spent moving furniture and beginning to unpack boxes. Around midnight, I collapsed onto my mattress with a blanket, and despite the lack of an actual bed, fell soundly asleep almost immediately.

-

The next few days consisted of unpacking and getting settled into the new house. With our furniture, it was beginning to feel more like our house, but still not like our home.

The better parts of these days were spent on the phone with my best friend from back home. Keira and I had grown up together. She moved in next door to my family when we were both 6, and we had been practically inseparable ever since. We had been in all the same classes throughout school, and we'd been looking forward to senior year together since we were kids. I can't imagine what it's going to feel like having to experience all the senior traditions like dances, big sports games, prom and graduation without her. Without any of my friends. I know we'll stay close, but it'll be so weird doing all of these things without them, especially Keira.