A Girl and Her Boys

Chapter 1

Home, home again at least. I'm not sure if I missed this place, or just missed the thought of my childhood. The moment I left this small town and moved away with my dad, away from my mother and all my childhood friends and memories, I grew up. There's no doubt that I continued and grew up more the farther I got away from here. And when I got to my new life with my dad, I already had the mindset of a thirty-year-old, even though I was in 6th grade. Its now been 5 years, I've come back to my childhood, and am in high school. But none of it feels right. I am not home; I don't even think I have a home. My mom moved on when we left, she's now Mrs. Mortimer, no longer Mrs. Smith when we left. While my dad and I were away my parents must have gotten divorced because I had no knowledge of it ever happening.

My new stepdad is nice, better than my dad. And my mom feels like a whole new person. Maybe she's excited with a second chance with her daughter. Or maybe her new son Peyton caused her to have a change of heart and actually start caring about the people in her life. Because when she made me leave with my dad, she didn't seem to care one bit. She didn't care about herself, or her so called family.

Coming back here is weird though, I know what the town is like, and I know how everyone acts here. The rich part of town with stuck up kids and soccer moms. That's what my mom has seemed to become, except she's a lacrosse mom. Peyton plays lacrosse and he's my age, that's pretty much all I know about him. I don't know if he's nice or is going to beat me up at every chance he had. I don't know if he's short or tall, or if he actually wants a sibling. Will I just be a new problem in my mom's and new family's perfect life?

I mean of course my mom could have cared about me 5 years ago and kept me. She could have fought for me, and not sent me alone with him. For me to spend my next 5 years of my life in a new place, away from everything I knew, away from friends, and alone with him.

It's weird, coming home again. It's like I'm being born again. I have a new family I've never met; I'll meet all these people who I don't know. And start everything over again. I remember people from here before I left, but I didn't keep in touch with them. My old best friend and I haven't spoken in 5 years. I called her once when I left, but after that my dad and I started our new life, consisting of us forgetting everything about our old home, which is now my new home. It's honestly sort of creepy, coming back to your old childhood house after five years. Nothing has changed, not a single thing. Except for the fact that two new men are living in my house, and one of them has my old room.

I don't know what I'm going to want to do more now, stay here in this new place I haven't even been to yet, meet all these new people that I have already met but that was five years ago. Or do I miss my last five years, I had a home and a few friends, we would have fun, but we weren't besties. We didn't spend every moment together, even though I wished we did. I probably wouldn't be such a mess right now if we did. Then I wouldn't have had to spend as much time with my dad, if I was just out with my friends.

I should have run. I could have gone to the city and leave my dad, my childhood, everything behind me. I would have been free. But I was too chicken. If anything, my dad taught over those five years that keep what you have, because you never know what's around the corner. And I guess he was right, because he didn't know what was going to happen to him or his alcohol (that he cared more about) if he had kept me in his life. So now here I am, in a car, being shipped back to my mom's house or my old house. 

My long internal monologue was cut short by us pulling into the driveway of my new life. Mr. Mortimer was standing in the driveway waving and my mom waved back. Smiling at him and glancing over at me. I wonder why she said yes to taking me back, if she wanted me, she could have gotten me any of those 5 years. Was she still afraid to say no to my dad? Did she actually feel bad for leaving me and her new conscious told her to take me again? Is she as an afraid as I am to be home again?

I don't know what my life consist of now. Is this a normal life? I mean how normal can my life even be? Even when I was younger and had both parents they constantly argued, and there was constant screaming and alcohol around the house. My dad was here and there, same with my mom. I never had both of them with me.

So, I focused on school and movies and reading and anything to keep my mind off of my messed-up parents. They didn't want me, so I really could get away with anything. But I wasn't a bad kid, I didn't drink, use drugs, or anything like that. I'm too shy for that shit.

I'm still quiet, but I'm not shy. If you talk to me ill talk to you, I just don't go up and talk to people though. And I don't really care if you talk to me or not. I've got along just fine with a few friends, one messed up parent, and my schoolwork and movies my whole life. I am planning on continuing that. Except now I have a weird mom and a stepdad and stepbrother.

We all walk in together; Mr. Mortimer seems overly excited to have me here. And my mom just keeps her weird creepy half smile on her face. It's weird seeing her, its weirder than being back in my old house after 5 years. But her face I never forgot, because as my dad and I left our old life when I was only 11 years old, and as I hugged her and cried on her sleeve when I thought it was going to be my last time ever with her, she just stood there. No expression on her face, her eyes cold, and her arms just lazily draped around me. It felt uncomfortable. And I have no clue how this same woman with her smile and bright eyes was ever my mother.

I walk up the stairs to my new room, following behind Mr. Mortimer and my mom. We pass by my old room; the door is closed and there's some weird music and loud voices coming from the room.

"Peyton come out here!" Mr. Mortimer yells while knocking on the door, my old door. It's the first words I've actually payed attention to since I been here. My mom and Mr. Mortimer tried to speak to me, but I just nodded my head, too deep in thought to care. I guess I'm done with that now and have accepted this as my new life. That doesn't mean ill be happy with anyone here in this house. My mom abandoned me and left me with a psycho father, this new husband seems overly happy, and Peyton just seems like a hot mess already.

"What?" I hear yelled as my old door is opened. And there he stands the door half opened with his head and right side of his body out on the open.

"This is Lilly, your new sister." Mr. Mortimer says, my mom stands behind me and just stands there too, I don't know why. This is her son she's not the one meeting him for the first time.

"Stepsister." Peyton says quickly, earning a glare from his dad, and causing me to tense up. I mean I am his stepsister, and I am just showing up in all of their lives now. So yeah, it's weird.

It's now extremely awkward, I don't know if I should say something. Or do I just stand there like I am now?

I decided to go with the first option. "Ok nice to meet you" I say with a smile, he looks surprised. I say with a smile, he looks surprised. And with that I turn to face my mom, really the first time I have actually looked her in the eyes while I've been with her.

"Which room is mine?" I say looking at her, I'm trying to smile and I'm trying to show I am nice. I have no clue what she is thinking though.

"Follow me sweetie, and boys dinner will be ready in half an hour and all of you better be at the table." She says as we start to walk away and across the hall to my room. I remember this being the guest room, my grandparents would stay here, and it would always have that old person smell when they left. The smell would finally be gone and then they would come back again.

And then it hit me. My mom said boys. Meaning there are more than just Peyton.