Does He Do It Like I Do It

Chapter One

My father parked our Bentley in the driveway of our new house and the moving trucks followed shortly after. I sat in the backseat, my forehead up against the window. I exhaled slowly. I'm sixteen years old and no sixteen year old wants to randomly move at almost the end of their first semester of their junior year. I left behind friends, my position as captain on the cheer squad and the feeling of comfortability because everyone knew who I was. We left Albany New York to move to Rochester New York and it's not even the better side of it, towards the suburbs. It doesn't look like the hood but it isn't a gated community either. Kids were riding their bikes up and down the street. A group of guys were standing on the corner and it was pretty obvious the reason they were there. 

Our new house was white with big windows and a closed in porch. A giant tree was in front of one of the windows that I hope wasn't the one to my bedroom. I always enjoyed some fresh air every now and then. Their was a backyard that I wasn't really complaining about. I remember my friend back in Albany would always chill in my backyard on the weekends when it was warm outside. We didn't necessarily do anything but it was nice to sit under the sun and just live in the moment. 

I saw my father coming towards the car from the moving truck. He saw that I was still on the backseat and opened the door next to me, making me quickly pick my head up off the window. He looked at me with an amused expression. I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my smile. My father and I have always had the best relationship. I felt he knew who I truly was and he understood how it was to constantly be trying to make my mother happy. It's tiring but it's nice to have someone who gets it. 

"A little dramatic, are we Snookie?" My father jokingly asked, calling me by my nickname he gave me.

"I just don't understand why we had to move," I said with a sigh.

"We've been through this already. The office near here is hiring a new psychologist and they are interested in me. This area is the best fit for us financially until we can save some more."

"Because you lost your job or because of mom's spending habits?"

My father stifled his laugh. "I'm going to admit that she definitely has some issues saving money but it wasn't just that. We were living a lifestyle fit for an income that we just no longer have." He grabbed me by my arm and pulled me out of the car. "Try to be positive, okay? This neighborhood doesn't look too bad. Maybe you'll make some friends."

He gently rubbed my shoulder then went back towards the moving truck to regulate the workers on where things are going to go. I leaned up against the door of the car and took a deep breath. Maybe my dad is right, I should look at the brighter side of things. 

"Hey! You just moved here?" I heard a voice say. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the car so I walked around it and noticed a girl sitting in a chair on her porch in the house next to ours. She had straight hair that stopped at the top of her breast but with the humidity I knew it was weave. It was a nice style nonetheless. She got up from the chair and jogged down the steps, coming over to the fence that separated her front yard from our driveway. She leaned up against the fence and flashed a brace filled smile. I returned her smile.

"Yeah, just got here a few minutes ago. I'm Roxanne," I said introducing myself.

"My name is Jodeci."

"Like the r&b group?"

She rolled her eyes. "Girl, my mom is somethin' else, okay? Don't ask me why she is so obsessed with the group, but yeah. Imagine being teased having people sing Jodeci songs to you all day at school."

We laughed together and I began to relax. Maybe my time here won't be too bad. 

"Is that all your hair?" Jodeci asked, referring to my messy bun on top of my head.