Me and you against the world

1

First day of school. Fun, right? No. You could say it's fun if you were looking forward to making new friends but in my situation, it was going to be the worst year of my life.

Hi, I'm Margaretta and I prefer being called Margie. My father is a cop, which would've been cool if he was the kind of cop I wanted him to be. Before we moved here, when we were with him in Dutyhub, he never had time for us. He was always out there struggling with criminals.

Seriously though, how can you give criminals more attention than you do your family? That's bonkers!

His job got more dangerous and more dangerous until it reached the point where criminals were threatening to look for us and kill us. Due to fear, he sent us to some far away place where the criminals would never dare look. Yeah, the place was that unnoticeable.
Welcome to Riverview, my new home.

He ordered us not to interact with anyone because we didn't know if they were also criminals. That's the part where I can't make friends.

I was sure I'd be a loner for the rest of my life. Just great!

That fateful morning I was taking breakfast, across my mom, in awkward silence.

"I've got a surprise for you," she suddenly said as she looked up with a smile. Her eyes were twinkling mischievously, which made me nervous.

Well, the statement was unexpected. I was expecting a lame question like, "How do you feel about the first day of school?" or in my case, "Are you okay?" But that... that filled me with butterflies in my stomach.

I walked groggily behind her as we made our way to the garage. Most people would've said the weather was awful because it was gloomy but I happened to like the chilly breeze. Stuffing my hands into my jean's pockets, I watched as my mom pushed open the garage door. My eyes widened and I gave her a bear-hug, jumping up and down like a maniac.

"You got me a car! Thank you, thank you, thank you," I squealed. She hugged me back softly then whispered into my ear, "Do you want me to tell you why I bought you a car?"

Her tone mirrored the mischief in her eyes. I could sense a cringe mommy-joke coming my way but there was no way to escape it.

I pulled back from her, huffing in slight annoyance. Couldn't she pull off a normal surprise like normal parents? Maybe say you're welcome, warn me against car accidents and I'd be on my way.

I decided to play along, "I've asked you a million times to buy me a car and you've always said no. Why now?"

I watched as a goofy smile spread across her face and after a moment of cruciating silence, she said, "In the school bus, there are a lot of people and hot boys. I didn't want my baby hooking up with strangers, so I bought you a car to ensure you don't come back home pregnant."

"Mom!" I yelled, stepping forward and smacking her arm as hard as I could. I knew it! I knew she'd find a way to ruin the whole thing.

I folded my arms like a kid who was about to throw a tantrum, brainstorming for good come-backs. "Well- well I hope you didn't exchange numbers with the person who sold you this car!" I barked. It was so weak, even I cringed at it.

"Sorry, I'll come up with-" I started but my mom interrupted me with her laughter. She bent and clutched her stomach, gasping for breath. I frowned at the exaggeration.

"Mango-dear, I knew you were off your game but not this bad!" she stood, wiped a fake tear from her eye then tossed me the car keys, "Shut up and check out your new car before you infect me with your lameness."

My face was flushed with both embarrassment and anger. I caught the keys swiftly despite my emotions. The temptation to brag about my athletic skills filled my chest but my mom's mocking laughter convinced me to keep my mouth shut. What if I blurted something that made my skills look like trash? I couldn't risk it.