TEENAGE FEVER

01

Moving to a small town near Los Angeles was not what I had planned to do this senior year. I'd also never planned for my parents to divorce but I saw it coming for a while now. When they'd told me they were splitting up I thought we'd move to downtown New York, or to the empty apartment next door. But of course not. My dramatic mother moved us halfway across the country.

"I'm so proud of you for not cracking under all this," my mother said as I came down for dinner the night we moved. There were some boxes in the kitchen that could be seen from my seat in the dining room. I swallowed and nodded at her, my eyes moving over the food. She'd ordered Chinese.

"It happens," I said, like she'd done something simple like broken my phone when actually she'd ripped my life away from me, practically. She pursed her lips for a moment before she nodded at me again. I grabbed a plate and began to scoop some noodles when I sensed my mother's lack of motion. I looked up at her. "What?"

"You know you can talk to me right?" She reached for my hand and placed her warm one over it. I stiffened, wondering why I'd come down for dinner when I could've been decorating my room.My mother tilted her head, her green eyes (which I'd inherited) boring into mine. "Maddie. You know that right?"

I nodded quickly and released my hand from hers, using it to grab the spoon so I could scoop more food onto my plate. She sighed, rubbing her tired eyes before she stood up.

"I'm tired from all that driving," She said, grabbing her plate, "I'll be in my room if you need me. Goodnight."

I nodded again. I couldn't talk to her, really. Not after what she had done. I watched her walk away and my eyes fell on the clock. It was only 7pm. What an early night. The sun hadn't even fully set. I sat in the dining room alone, munching on my food for a bit before I pulled my phone out.

For about a week now I had resisted the urge to check my Instagram, afraid of seeing my friends moving on while my life was crumbling apart.

I went to my best friend's page. Already the last photo we'd taken together, about two weeks ago, had been pushed down. There were pictures of our other friends hanging out at our favourite diner and the skate park. Neither of us could skate; we mostly went there for the boys.

Thinking about the boys brought back one thought in specific. Steven. As soon as my mom had told me we were moving I'd broken up with him. I wanted to make living my old life behind easier. Without any ties from before. Apart from Addison, my best friend.

Except she wasn't texting me back.

I sighed and stood up, setting my empty plate into the sink. I stood there for a moment, about to wash it but not moving, when the doorbell rang. I looked up, brushing my blonde hair out of my face.

When I opened the door I found a gorgeous brunette standing on the other side. She had lilac purple eyeshadow on and dark purple glitter under her eyes. She smiled at me casually but like a supermodel at the same time. I tried to smile back and failed.

"Hi," She said to me, "I'm Jenny. I brought you a pie."

She held out the pie in her hands which had steam rising up from it, a sign that it was still hot. I smiled at her and took it in my hand. It dawned on me that she was the first teenager that had come over and I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I'm Maddie," I told her, "Is it wrong for me to assume that you're the only other teenager in this town?"

She chuckled at that and tilted her head at me. "Yes it would," she said, "The parents wanted to see if the new girl in town was a rebel or not before they let their kids around her."

"And since you're here," I concluded, "They don't think I am."

"Well I'm not someone you'd call angelic," she chuckled, "But yes. I'm the first test subject. Is your mom home?"

I thought about my mum, who was probably knocked out on sleeping pills and shook my head. She grinned deviously and stepped inside. "Great!" She said, "Now I can show you around."

I checked the time on the wall clock we'd put up this afternoon as Jenny walked down the hall to the kitchen. The living room and the dining room merged into one room with the kitchen being opposite the dining room. I followed her, my feet loud on the hardwood floor.

"Now?" I asked.

She shrugged, "It's barely 8pm. And there's a party on the beach. It'll be a great way to meet people before Monday."

"I've met you," I said, shrugging weakly.

She chuckled again. "Nice try Goldilocks. Get some shoes."

I looked down at my outfit. I was in leggings and a baggy t-shirt that had Captain America's shield on it. That would do I guessed. Jenny herself was in a tight black knee length skirt and a black bandeau, a leather jacket covering her bare shoulders. Oh Lord. I probably looked crappy compared to her. Most of my clothes hadn't been unpacked though so this would do.

"Sure," I said finally, sighing in defeat. Jenny watched me walk up the stairs in silence and I found myself wondering if I had seriously made a new friend so quickly.

A few minutes later we were walking down the street, away from the large house we lived in. Jenny pointed out her house which was directly across the street from mine. "I've lived in Oakland all my life," she said, "This is the first time the neighbour across me doesn't suck in the first few minutes I've met her."

"What was the other girl like?" I asked, shrugging.

She gave me a long, serious look before she laughed. "She was 49," she told me. "You're the first girl close to my age to live there for a while."

"Damn," I said because I didn't know how to answer that. But it gave me an idea of how small this town was.

She tilted her head as she walked. Jenny walked with this confidence that made me realize that despite her height (she was kinda short), she probably intimidated alot of people. Yet, when she said her next words, her vulnerability hit me.

"You're also probably the first female friend I've had in a while," she said honestly. I thought about home. About Addison and how she hadn't texted me since my parents divorce. About breaking up with Steven. About losing so much.

And then I thought about now, that moment and this person who was willing to let me in. I smiled at her.

"I'm flattered," I told her, "And I'll do my best to not mess anything up."

And I meant it.

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this chapter is dedicated to XLonelyLightsWritesX because of how much she inspires me with everything she does. And I mean everything.

I know it's short but it's just a sort of teaser before we fully enter the story. I'm excited!