California

Chapter One

Seattle had always felt like home. Located on the northwestern part of the country, it was a pleasant city. It was mostly like any other big conglomerate of people: more cars than you could count, endless people roaming the streets and tons of 24/7 shops along the curbs. I used to think the sea, although hidden away by the skyline, always managed to make itself present, its dark blue vastitude far away in the distance.

It rained like crazy over there. Like, all of the time. The smell of drizzle never left the humid breeze and I rarely ventured the streets without and umbrella, just in case. I enjoyed it, though. The rain always soothed me in a way I could not explain and made the world look prettier, as if I was seeing it through a blurry, shiny filter. Of course the whole wetness of it all was kind of annoying, but I managed. 

I loved to walk down the waterfront. The piers had such a stunning view over the sea and the ferries, and Pike Place Market never let me down when I found myself with a sudden crave for some amazing seafood. 

Also, Grey's Anatomy. C'mon, that show rocked.

Anyway, those were the first things that popped into my head when my dad broke the news. He worked at this company which he had started from scratch alongside his childhood friends in his late teens. It turned out to be a big hit and their services were requested all over the State, and soon enough throughout the country. Because of my dad's success and dedication, we had a pretty good life. I studied in one of the best schools around and lived in this gorgeous apartment downtown. I had some friends, too, from when I was little, and I loved them. I was pretty satisfied with how my life was going: I would study hard throughout senior year, find some nice place to volunteer on the weekends and apply to Seattle University and study business, so I could help my dad run the family deal. 

The only thing was, all of that faded away in seconds. 

He came home that rainy night (surprise, surprise) with this goofy smile on his face that he only ever showed when he had good news. He dropped the car keys on the counter and sat down on the couch besides my mom, who was all curled up reading one of those legal thrillers she was so into.

They had a great relationship, my parents, always joking around and supporting each other. Of course they fought sometimes, but they always made up and managed to make everything okay. She didn't even lift her eyes from the pages as she reached the story's climax.

"Honey, guess what-"

She raised a finger and gently shushed him as she kept scanning through the lines. Once the chapter was over, her green eyes shifted to his.

"Oh, hi baby! I hadn't seen you there," she joked. "What was it that you were saying?"

"I have some splendid news."

I wasn't really listening. I was sitting on this incredibly comfortable armchair, absentmindedly watching the reprise of some HBO TV show that had just premiered last night. I had to, since it was all my friends could talk about in the group chat.

"You hear this, Liv?" He asked, drawing my attention.

"Sorry, what?"

"Did you hear the news?"

"Not really, no." I still kind of felt like watching the show, even though it was not that great.

I glanced at my mom and noticed her face was gleaming.

"Wait, did I miss something?"

"How do you like Los Angeles?"

We had been down there a couple of times back in summer vacation. It was pretty amazing how people loved the beach so much and found excuses to walk around in bathing suits all the time. It was a fun vibe, but I honestly felt a little relieved when we came back. 

"It's okay, I guess." I replied halfheartedly. 

"Well, you better go pack your things," he said, bringing shiny new keys out of his pocket. "As of next week, we're officially relocating."

I stared at him for a second, taking it in. It had to be a joke.

"Okay dad, seriously. What are these keys for?"

He looked at my mom with his smile frozen on his lips. Apparently he didn't expect me to react like that.

"These are the keys to our new home, Liv." He said, watching me with kind eyes.

I could never hate my dad when he looked at me like that. But I still couldn't simply nod as if everything was okay. Everything was not okay.

"You mean we're moving? Like, away from Seattle? For good?"

"Um, yeah." He was uneasy.

"Why?"

"Well, the company is growing more than we had foreseen. The guys and I decided that we need the partners to settle in different locations to better expand the business. I managed to get assigned to California!"

My mom smiled, amazed. She didn't seem as annoyed as I was. She didn't seem annoyed at all.

"We were very lucky, really," he told her. "Jackson had to go to Oregon, and Mike is moving to Tulsa. Tulsa, for Pete's sake!"

While they talked I stared out the window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass as the moon rose, partially covered by the clouds. I felt dizzy, as if I'd just been hit in the head with a club. I never liked surprises. In fact, I remembered crying at the surprise party my mom had thrown me on my fifth birthday. It still haunted my dreams. And now, moving to California with less than a week's notice had me feeling nervous all of a sudden. 

"I mean, how cool is that?" My dad pulled out his phone and started showing us pictures of our new home down there. 

I watched, still not over it.

I mean, it's not that I didn't understand my dad's position, 'cause I did, but I was entitled to some resentment. Seattle had always been my home, and now I had to leave it in only a couple of days. There was no way Los Angeles could ever make me feel at home.

"When do we leave?" I asked, unable to mask my sorrow.

"Tuesday." Dad replied, noticing my disappointment. We had to leave in four days. "Look, Liv, I know this won't be easy for you..."

I rose and dropped the TV remote on the armchair. I stormed out of the living room and slammed my bedroom door. I instantly regretted it, and waited for my dad to show up and reprimand me, but he never did. He only slid it open a few minutes later and told me dinner would be ready soon. I saw it in his eyes that he felt genuinely bad for me. But there was nothing he could do to make me feel better.

"Okay." I said, hugging my long pillow. 

He left and I couldn't help but feel a soft tear run down my cheek. Only then did it hit me: no more SeattleU Business, no more childhood friends, no more waterfront and no more soft, daily drizzle. I wept some more, and when the time came to finally eat I decided to skip it. I just lay there for the rest of the night, watching the rain pouring down while I pictured the constant sun and heat in LA. I thought nothing good could ever come out of it.

It turns out I was wrong.