Not Like Before

Chapter 1

A/N: For those of you who don't know, this is a sequel to my story, "Fake Smiles and Cut Wrists" and this will not make sense unless you read that one. Enjoy :)

Laura's POV

Today is Friday, August 23, 2016. My family is packing up all of our belongings, and we're finally leaving the state of Ohio.

I hate it here. School got so bad last year that my mom pulled me out and homeschooled me. But it's fine now, because my dad finally quit his worthless job. That sounds harsh, but the pay wasn't great, the hours sucked and everyone there treated him like dirt.

But the thing that really pushed him to quit was him getting offered his old job back, but with a better position and higher pay.

So we're moving back to Georgia! I'm more than excited, I miss my friends and I'm tired of everything being so unfamiliar. Three years of this place and I feel just as lost now as the day we got here.

My mom and dad never sold our old house, it was already paid off and in their name so it'd be more of a hassle to sell it than to keep it.

But that turned out to be a good thing, because now we can move back into our old house and my parents won't even have a house payment anymore. It's a win win.

Although all of this is very exciting, I am a bit nervous. It's senior year, we're 17 years old now and I haven't spoken to any of my friends since the summer after freshman year.

I broke my phone about two years back, right before moving. And like an idiot I didn't get anyone's numbers.

My ex boyfriend, Chandler, gave me his number but I ended up losing it.

I hate calling him my "ex boyfriend" because we'd never would've broken up had I not moved. I wonder how he's doing all the time.

His parents would've gotten out of jail by now. I really hope he's still living with his guardian, Andy.

"Laura come get your stupid stuffed animal out of my room!" My brother Elliot yelled.

He's talking about my sock monkey, George. The only friend I was able to take with me from Georgia.

Sad, right?

"George is not stupid! Chandler got me that for Valentines Day!" I yelled at Elliot and grabbed my sock monkey from off his floor.

"Don't you think it's time to get over him?" Elliot asked.

"Don't you think it's time to stop sleeping with mom every time you watch a scary movie the night before?" I taunt. He rolls his eyes and pushes past me.

"Mom! When are we going?" I yelled, coming down the stairs. She was in the kitchen.

"Soon, stop yelling." My mom answered, throwing a cereal bar at me. I thanked her halfheartedly and went outside to see what my dad was doing.

He was standing in the back of the U-Haul truck with his hands on his hips, panting, having just loaded up my brother's bed.

"I'm so happy we're leaving this place." I told my dad. I didn't want to guilt him, but I've been dying to get back to Georgia the second we got here. I feel like the better half of my high school experience was wasted. It was isolating to say the least, no friends, no family, I couldn't even find any of my friends' social media.

I found my friend Zay's instagram account from when he was in middle school, but it seemed inactive.

My dad smiled at me.

"I know you are, sweetheart." My dad said. "Go get everything you're taking in the car." He followed. I nodded and went and got my sock monkey, pillow and small blanket.