i inhale then exhale sharply. i try to focus on my breathing as the plane set off. i always hated travelling. mum said moving to a new town would be good for me, i would get away from the "bad energy" in philadelphia, but i feel the exact same.
whilst only being 18, ive gone through a lot and my therapist said moving away is best for me because i get a fresh start from everything that's happened in philadelphia, but we will save that story for another day.
we had moved to new york as mum had a few friends who had kids around mine and my brothers age so she was hoping the move wouldn't be as dramatic because we will already have people we could rely on. also my best friend, olivia, of 14 years lived in new york. we met when i was 4 but she moved because her mum got a promotion in her job, but i always kept in contact with her and facetimed her every day.
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we got off the plane and it was so busy and it took me by surprised each other and i complained about the the luggage taking forever. my brother placed his hands on my shoulder "well youre going to have to wait a bit longer kiddo." even though he was only four years older than me he saw me way younger than i was, well to be fair, i do get babied a lot by mum, which had its perks... sometimes.
after a long line waiting for our luggage and car to come, we were finally on our way to our apartment. i looked out the window and admired the beautiful city, even though i'd never been, i always felt some sort of connection to new york, it was hard to describe, that's the only reason i wasn't too stubborn about moving.
we got out of the car and went to the lobby of the apartment complex. mum spoke to man at the desk introducing us. i wondered off and walked up akd down the lobby waiting for mum to hurry up. i blew into my hands trying to heat myself up. "ariah, alex." mum called and my brother, and i went over. "i got the keys." she sung making alex and i chuckle.
"if you guys need anything, don't hesitate to ask anyone as the front desk." the man smiled warmly to us and we said a soft thank you.
we went into the elevator and we were on the 15/20 floors. it was a beautiful apartment complex, it was all dark brown and black interior. "i'm so excited!" mum shrilled. mum must've noticed me staring off into the distance "hey," she snapped me out of my daydream "remember," she placed her hand on my wrist "a fresh start." i nodded.
we got out of the elevator and it led us straight into the apartment. we've always been really fortunate so we were able to get the apartment decorated for us before we moved in. "i want you guys to unpack your rooms first then the living room, i'll do the kitchen and bathroom and we can leave the guest bedrooms for now."
"alright mum." alex nodded and we both made our way upstairs the small fight of stairs. the first bedroom was mums, then it was alex's then mine. alex and i made our separate way with our boxes in our hands.
i place my boxes gently down on the floor and exhale. i put my hair into a low pony tail and open the first box. i look into it and see it's all the things that go into my dresser. i pick it back up and place it on my dresser and put all my things away.
i open the next box that's got all of my sentimental things in it. i felt emotions rush over me and i close the flaps up and tuck the box into the corner of my closet , "i'll save that for another day."
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i sat down at the dinner table with mum and alex. "so guys, how do you feel about new york so far?"
"i love it, my rooms ready and i can't wait to meet some new people tomorrow." alex seemed like he was bursting with excitement.
i poke at my food with my fork "ariah darling?" mum lowered mt tone.
i looked up at her "it's going to take some getting use to." i nodded my head softly.
"it will start to feel like home as soon as you see olivia." she chuckled trying to make me feel better.
