TOXIC

Chapter One

The sunlight hits past my curtain into the boxes in front of me. I could see and feel the tiny dust tickling my nostrils as I exhale. I hope this is the last time we move in. It's been exhausting moving in and out for years and I hope we are all settled here in California. Moreover, I am loving my current bedroom which I no longer need to share it with Peyton. It really sucks having to share your room with somebody else.

I unpack my stuff and arrange them in my room. I'm not an organized person, but the first days of moving in I'm usually quite tidy. I want to make my room at its best version for the first time, as for the rest of the days I'll just let it be what it wants to be. As I'm sorting my books on the shelf, I hear footsteps rushing to my room.

"Maddie, mom wants you to help her load the kitchen stuff."

"Why don't you just help her?"

"I'm busy with my room, duh!"

"Well me too! Duh!", as I gesture my hands to my cupboard.

"Just this one time, please? I'm FaceTiming Adrian and I really don't want to make him wait." Peyton puts her puppy eyes on and pleads as she slowly fades away.

"Fine.", I sigh and run downstairs.

When I arrive at the truck, there are no boxes left. I go to my mom's and ask her where the things are and she looks at me weirdly, pointing into the window where everything's in place in the kitchen. She then pulls me and introduces me to my new neighbor.

"So, this is the younger one, Madison. Madison, this is Mr. Edwards, our neighbor next door. He helped us unload all the boxes earlier.", she speaks as she puts on a flirty smile and sips another drink. Classic Rosie.

I look upstairs and see Peyton putting her thumbs up. That bitch really knows how to make my introverted self forcefully converse and interact with people.

"Hi, Mr. Edwards. It's nice to meet you, I'm Madison."

"It's nice to meet you too. Wow, you actually look a lot like your mom.", he looks at us both, amazed.

"Well, a lot of people say that the three of us look a lot like siblings.", Rosie fakes a laugh as she couldn't conceal how proud she is of her expensive treatments. Little does he know she's actually my stepmother.

"I guess I'm done right here. Oh, if you guys need anything don't hesitate to come by, okay?"

"Alright, Mr. Edwards. Goodbye.", Rosie and I waving at him.

I run upstairs directly into Peyton's room, my inner rage trying to unleash itself. She's sitting on her bed, reading a novel with loud music banging the whole room.

"What was that for?", I turn off the speaker next to the door.

"Socialize. Why? Why are you giving me that kind of reaction?", pretending to be confused.

"You know how nervous I was? I nearly shit myself."

"Relax. I know it was going to happen, but I thought it would be worth it after you met him."

"Are you out of your mind? Do you think I have a TASTE for old dads? EW! What the heck, Peyton."

"Old dads? What?", she peeks through her window and notices something that catches her eyes.

"I mean if he's a real hot daddy though, I don't see why not.", she continues admiring from her window with a grin on her face. This girl is seriously sick.

"You're disgusting.", as my curiosity makes my way to her bed and finally peeks through the window.

Turns out it's Mr. Edwards' son, Randy, that Peyton's been crushing for the past 30 minutes. Well, I mean he looks okay, and really her type. He's got deep brown eyes, perfectly tanned skin, golden-brown hair, and an adorable smile. I'm pretty sure Peyton's head over heels for his muscular arms that he's showing off through that black tank top.

"Don't you think he's hot?", she speaks without stopping her admiration.

"Um, no."

"You're gay."

"I might be.", as I leave her bed and walking my way out of the room.

"Hey, Maddie.", suddenly she sounds concerned.

"I know you have a hard time socializing with other people. But I do hope you can change, you know? I mean, you're scared of pretty much everything and I just don't want you to end up being an old virgin and never finding true love." Ouch.

"I'll figure it out.", I walk my way out as I try to hide the pain in her words. It hit me hard inside.

I know what she said is true and that she just wants the best for me. But growing up I've always been like this. I find peace in being alone and distant from the crowd, that is why I've never gotten into any high school dramas. I do have friends, actually. Though we're not so close, I prefer it that way, because I only befriend them to survive high school. Moreover, I move a lot, therefore not making any of my friendships last long.

To be honest I'm happy in my comfort zone right now. At least I have Rosie and Peyton as my best friends. Most people think I live a Cinderella life with an evil stepmother and step-sister, but it's nothing like that. They are the most genuine and loving people I've ever met in this world. Also, Rosie's a really cool mom, that's why we get along very well.

After finish unpacking all my stuff and taking a shower, I go downstairs and have dinner with my family. Henry cooked a fancy menu for us all, a grilled steak with mushroom sauce. Yum, my favorite! I've always known dad would be such a very good cook.

We spend the entire night chit-chatting at the table. Random topics keep on coming up as we speak. I love this part of the day, getting to spend my time with the whole family. No matter how hard a day has been, simply getting connected to one another at this table is the absolute best feeling.

Tomorrow's the first day of high school and it's my senior year. Finally. I don't really care about being the new kid though, for I'm already used to being one. Peyton's experimenting with new make-up looks and trying on some of the clothes she bought a couple of days ago. She does want to make an impression and having an iconic entrance tomorrow.

I walk to my bedroom and turn on my sleeping lamp. I'm actually quite nervous about tomorrow. Springdale High literally is the most prestigious high school in town with all the rich kids there. I'm pretty confident I have the brain to compete against them but I don't think I can fit in. Peyton would most likely get a new boyfriend the first time she steps into the room, but me? Uh, thinking about it makes my insecurity fuel my brain.

I cannot stop overthinking through the night. I've changed my sleeping positions numerous times and I still can't get rid of my thoughts.

I reach for the picture on my nightstand and caress the boy in the frame. I really miss him. He's the only one who cared for me and helped me went through my hard times, especially when my parents were always fighting before the divorce. He would always cheer me up and make me smile again. Sadly enough, we didn't even get to say our goodbyes when I first moved out. What remains about him is just our old picture together. I wish he were here to comfort me, with those calming green eyes and charming smile. I wonder how he is. I can only imagine how he looks like right now, probably still the same as I could remember, just a little older and taller.

I put back the picture and find myself smiling again. I love the fact that I can just feel okay by thinking of him. I glance at the picture facing me for the last time and smile.

"I miss you.", as I close my eyes and fall asleep.

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Hey! What do you guys think of my first chapter? Do you guys like it? Please comment what you think and vote for my story, it really makes my day a lot. Thank you!!!