Tainted Growth (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter One - Better Now

Chapter One

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It's almost been two years since I've moved out of Jason's house and into my father's an hour away from Los Angeles.

However, I've almost completely forgotten about my bad times there, and have continued to live life to the fullest capacity ever since I've gotten to know my father, made new friends at Clement Private High, and controlled my self-esteem.

It's almost as if those memories were more of a distant nightmare, rather than being an unfortunate reality in my life. Gladly, I was able to move forward from that mess, and develop a loving relationship with my father, Joshua Sumner.

At first, I was quite timid about it, not believing that my mother actually had an affair with my father (or believed father) with his brother, therefore consummating me in this whole fiasco. Yet, as I was able to get to know him further through travelling and private talking, I realized that he was truly sorry for abandoning me as a child to my parents, and that he really wanted to make it up to me by catering to my every wish, and ultimately leading a toxic free life. With that in mind, I honestly was happy with everything at this current state, and I couldn't wish for anything more besides for my parents to come back to life.

Unfortunately, stuff like that can't happen as easily, so I was here to cherish every moment I had with my lasting father. Even though my brother wasn't here to celebrate this accomplishment, I so hoped that in the near future he'd be able to accept all of my father's misdoings, ultimately leading us to become a whole family again.

I always cringed at the memory of leaving everyone behind. I remember that the day after the whole party mess that Jason created, everything was sorted out in a blur as my father disenrolled me from Kinsgley High School, found a new private school for me, and immediately tied up all his business connections so he could move back to his house an hour away with me.

In less than a week, I was able to disappear from all of my so-called "friends" without a trace, and therefore enrolling in a new life as I started in Clemont Private High. Of course, the first few months were hard to get used to, but it was definitely better than the toxicity I was used to with all the people I met in Los Angeles.

It was better for me this way.

"Sam? Girl, are you alive?" Savannah Naples said by snapping her fingers loudly in my face, causing me to blink in disbelief that I was thinking about my past again. I shook my head, realizing that it was the second time this week that I've done that, and it was weird considering I thought all of that was behind me now.

My blonde friend pursed her small pink lips, her light blue eyes lighting up in satisfaction when she got my attention. "We've been trying to get your attention for like three minutes now. Are you okay?" I stared at her, watching her fix her maroon colored beanie on top of her head. I smiled to myself, knowing that it was in direct violation to our school uniform, but also understand that if a teacher were to call her out, Savannah wouldn't hesitate to throw some hands.

That's Savannah's personality for you. She was a petite, short blonde girl who I became friends with instantly once I transferred to Clemont. She was working on the school's homecoming banner (while getting paint all over our maroon uniforms) and demanded that I helped her hang it up despite not knowing me. I remembered being all flustered but obliging her request, and ever since then, I joined the Planning Events committee and became close friends with her. After weeks of knowing her, I figured out that despite her blonde, bubbly persona, she had quite an anger problem and occasionally threatened to skin someone now and then.

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth as I replied, "I'm okay. Sorry, I zoned out for a little bit."

"Daydreaming about me?" My other friend, Liam Walters said droopily as he stretched out along our cafeteria table, his maroon blazer flapping open to reveal his untucked white button-up that had a few ash marks on them. His bushy dark eyebrows were scrunched together as his brown eyes looked teasingly at me, "I mean, I am pretty sexy to look at."