Exhale

Chapter One

Chapter One

Present Day

I pressed my forehead against the cool, foggy window of the passenger seat as I watched trees and houses rush past me in a blur. Rain was pouring down, beating on the roof of our minivan; the sound could easily be mistaken as a drum.

As tear-like raindrops streaked the window I watched as they seemed to race each other down to the bottom of the glass. The annoying sound of the windshield wipers continued to mix with the sound of my mom's grief stricken sniffles. I didn't blame her for crying. It was all too sudden. Everything was too sudden. The death of my father was not expected, but it could've easily be considered my fault he died.

I flicked my eyes over to her as I silently observed her current state. I was surprised she could still drive. I had offered to drive, but she had declined, saying how it would help her clear her mind and not think about it.

Tough luck.

She sensed my eyes and glanced over at me for a split second before returning her eyes to the road, developing a soft smile on her face. "I look like a wreck, don't I?" she questioned, fiercely wiping the tears from her face.

I shook my head. "Nah, you're fine."

"You're too kind," she laughed, trying to lighten the gloomy mood that had been looming over us. I don't think I saw my mom cry so much in a single week.

Last week everything had been fine. Things were going well for us, we were happy, and Dad was even home for my birthday.

My birthday. The day I wished had never arrived. Oh, how I wished I had never been born. Maybe he would've still been alive if I hadn't been here. My birthday was now the day of his death.

It had been one week since the funeral. One week since everything had changed. One week later and here we were now on the way to who-knows-where, to try and make a new life. There were too many memories where we were originally. We had previously lived in Salem, Oregon but were now moving to Plano, Massachusetts. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere, a couple hours away from Salem Massachusetts. Ironic, right? Population, 700 residents, and the high school I'd be attending had about 350 students. A town where most likely everybody would know everybody and everybody's business. I couldn't even find the town on the map.

After Dad was killed Mom decided to leave the town they had met and married in. She said that staying there would only make the pain worse. So, of all the places she chose to move us, she chose Massachusetts. The Main reason though is because one of her friends owned an insurance company and had offered her a job paying about 100,000 dollars a year after hearing that she couldn't stay in Salem because of the incident. So here we were now, not even halfway through Nebraska as I silently thought about the life I was leaving behind. Being on the road for a day and a half had really done a number on my mood.

Don't get me wrong; for years I'd been wanting to leave Salem. I hated living there. The heat was awful, the winters were terrible, and my parents had a hard time with job opportunities. But I'd miss my friends, my extended family that lived there, and the country. I had no idea what I'd find in Massachusetts. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. The thought of not knowing anybody or not knowing my way around was kind of nerve wracking. Let's face it; by the time we'd get to our destination I'd be a total mess.

As we boarded back onto the expressway from our rest stop, I watched as other cars merged from the acceleration lane and wondered where they were headed right now. The rain continued to pound on the roof, gradually coming down more as puddles and not as droplets.

I released a long, heavy sigh as I tilted my chair back and closed my eyes. I never dreamt of being fatherless. If we ever were supposed to move my father should have been with us. Here we were now, though, just my mom and I.