my everything -matthew espinosa-

chapter one

"Flight 425, now landing to Centreville Virginia," the intercom said. I paused my music and took out my earbuds. This was it.

Oh, if I forgot to tell you, my name is Lacey, I'm 16 and I am moving to Woodbridge, Virginia to move in with my cousins because my parents died in a car crash. Yeah, I'm not excited at all. I used to live in Arizona and now I have to move across the country to move in with my cousins that I've only met twice. Fun. I have to leave all my friends and move to a state that I've never been to once.

I reach in the storage apartment above me and take out my carry on bag. I then walk off the plane and to the luggage pick up. There, waiting is a family with a sign with 'Lacey' written on it.

"LACEY!" They all shout while I walk over with a fake smile on my face. They tackle me in a hug while I struggle to keep my balance.

"Stop, stop!" I manage to say while fake laughing. Did I mention I'm claustrophobic?

They all reintroduce themselves which is a good thing, because I forgot who they were. There's Jenna who is 7, Michael who is 10, and Kira who is 13. Then there's my aunt Kathleen and my uncle Jerry.

"Let me pick up my luggage," I say as I see all four of my pink suitcases coming out the luggage railway. Well, if I'm moving I might as well pack as much stuff as I possibly can, am I right? The kids help me with my stuff and before you know it I'm in the car, driving through unknown land, to a house that I'm forced to now call home.

"We're home, we're home, we're home!" Jenna shouts as we pull into a driveway.

It's a huge house. I was used to living in an apartment all my life as an only child and now I move into a mansion with 3 other kids? This is all happening so quickly. Just a week ago I was comfy at home in Arizona, talking to my mom and dad about anything that popped into our heads. Then the crash happened, and it not only affected my parents lives, but it affected mine as well. Ugh, too much negativity. Maybe I should look at this as a new beginning.

I look at the house in front of me and take a huge breath before walking in. I am greeted by two calico cats. I bend down and check the names on their tags. Chloe and Roxie. I pet them as they nuzzle up against my legs.

I've always wanted cats but my parents were allergic. I guess that's a positive thing.

I look at the clock. 4:00. Wow, my flight was supposed to arrive at 4:45 and now I'm home at 4:00.

"Kathleen?" I ask her as she walks through the door.

"Yes dear?" She responds while feeding the cats.

"Is there a football game tonight?" I curiously ask while looking out the window. Hey, it's a Friday night and I just moved here, so I might as well go out and socialize so I won't be a loser when I start school. Plus, I love football. We had a team in Arizona that was entirely girls. It was so much fun. But I heard here that girls don't play football. Which sucks.

"Yes, do you want to go tonight with Kira? She's a cheerleader and the school is only a couple blocks away!" She exclaims.

"Sure!" I say while walking up the stairs to my new room. It's huge and has a beautiful balcony overlooking the front yard. I love it already. I open up all the separate doors and realize that I have my own bathroom. Wow. And my own walk in closet! I'm pretty sure I look like a 5 year old on Christmas morning as my uncle opens the door.

"How do you like it?" He smiles.

"It's great, I love it." I say.

"Good to hear. This used to be the guest bedroom but now it's yours," he says before walking out and shutting the door.