Art of Opposites

Chapter 1 ~ New

Four years. That's how long it's been since I've seen my dad. And now my mom wants to move away from the memories of our life before what I call "The Incident". Why it took her all of my high school education to realize we couldn't be here anymore, I'm not sure. I guess she hadn't fully moved on.

We were moving to my mom's small hometown in California. She wanted to "reconnect with old friends" and "get over him". Him being my cheating father.

The summer before ninth grade, my mom and I came home from the park to grab her wallet so we could get some food. We didn't find her wallet, but we did find my dad with another woman.

My mom lost it for a week. My Aunt Kristin stayed with us and my mom didn't eat or talk, just locked herself in her room and did God knows what. I was so scared. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen to us.

But then she snapped out of it. I remember creeping down the stairs to eavesdrop on them in the kitchen.

"Are you sure your OK, Lana?" My aunt had asked, worry evident in her tone. Her and my mom were extremely close, so I grew up with her as almost another mother figure in my life.

"I'm fine." My mom replied with fire in her voice. "If he wanted to cheat on me, he obviously didn't love me. And I'm not going to waste my time on lies." I'd never loved my mom as much as I did then. I loved my dad, I did. But honestly, it was for the best that they got divorced.

My mom and dad got married because she was pregnant with me. And while they were best friends and loved each other, they weren't in love with each other. I talked to my dad on the phone once a week, but I didn't see him on a regular basis. He has a new girlfriend and I'm going to have a new half-sibling.

Old habits die hard, I guess.

To add to the summer that my parents split up, my ex-best friend Kaitlin Jennings decided to drop me. It started out slowly - not inviting me over or texting me as much - but one day she tripped me at our local pool. Her and her new friends laughed at me and let's just say I was more than pissed.

Long story short I called her a bitch. First cuss word of my up till then innocent life.

So then, it was my mom, Aunt Kristin, and I. Four years later and my mom's the strongest person I know. I had finally graduated that God-awful high school and we were leaving.

I wrapped tape around the last cardboard box on the floor of my bedroom. There were pictures of me with my mom and aunt, and even one with my dad. I went outside and put it in the back of my mom's new Acura.

I texted my mom where I was going before I started the 15 minute walk to get downtown. There was one other person I got along with besides my mom and Aunt Kristen, and there was no way I was leaving without saying goodbye.

We weren't in the middle of summer yet, but it was fairly warm. The sun blinded me, reminding me about how I had been happy to learn that where we were moving it rained quite often.

The bell above the door alerted my arrival to the small music shop downtown.

"Carrie, get your butt out here!" I yelled. A blonde head popped out from behind a curtain that led to the back room.

"Well hello to you too, Venice." She said with a smile and a thick country accent as she pulled me into a tight embrace.

Carrie was a twenty-two year old fresh out of the great state of Tennessee, and boy was she proud of it. I don't think I've ever seen her without her cowboy boots on. From the dead of winter to the pounding heat of the summer she wears those things.

"So today's the day, huh?" She asked as she pulled away, and I noticed she had tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped her cheeks and turned to rearrange a stack of CDs.