“This is it”, I thought as my mom pulled into the driveway of my house. No, not my house anymore, my sister’s house, my step brother’s house, my stepmom’s house. My house was in the next town over, My new life was in the next town over, My new school was in the next town over, and my new friends were in the next town over. I came back to my old house to pack up my things, and was planning on never coming back. And I lied to my stepmother when she asked if I was going to visit now and then. All I wanted to do was have a real life with my real mom and not a fake life with my fake mom. If my dad hadn’t passed a year ago I would still be living with my “family”. Family is a word I don’t use lightly, and I feel that everyone else around me just throws it around. My stepmother calls me her real daughter and it makes me cringe every time I hear her say it.

When I was finished packing I wanted to leave as quickly as I could. I felt that if I stayed there a moment longer I might never leave.

Back in the safety of my new home, I spent the next two weeks trying to find a new school and staying home. I live in a one story house with my mom, and my mom’s boyfriend, David. My room is supposed to be a guest room, so it looks awkward when you first look at it. My bedspread is green with white leaves and the dresser, nightstands, and entertainment center, are all different boring shades of brown. Books, pictures and nostalgia are sprinkled over the boringness of the awkward guest room.

About a week after I moved, my mom found a really small high school school called Silverfeild. There were roughly twenty people in each grade and in the eleventh grade there were only 18 including me. I toured the school and instantly fell in love with it, I hoped to stay there until I graduated. I moved quite a bit and just wanted to stay in one spot.

When the first day of school came around I was scared and forgot how hard it was to go to a new school, especially when everyone else knows each other. I drudged through the first part of the day and then lunch came around.

“Hi you're new right, I’m Harley” said a confident girl with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a sporty ponytail.
“Yea I’m Kaden…” before I could finish Harley said “come sit with us” very cheerfully.
“ok sure” I said forcing a smile. She led me to a table filled with kids. I sat down next to Harley and a short boy with dark hair and Hazel eyes (he probably looked short because I’m so tall). He turned to me with a smile that could light of New York City and said “Hi I’m Chase I saw you looking pretty lonely today”
“I’m Kaden and it is the first day and I don’t know anyone”
“I’m sure you’ll fit in great here” he said before getting up to say something to his friends. I didn’t want him to stop talking to me, but there was nothing I could say to him without looking like a weirdo. I must of been smiling because the girl with jet black hair from across from me said “oh my god you’re crushing on Chase?” She said it in a mocking but playful way, but I couldn’t help but blush.
“I just met him how could I be crushing on him already?” She giggled  and said “I don’t know but you seemed pretty happy when he talked to you. I’m Sheyla” she said happily. I introduced myself and we spent the rest of lunch talking about who to talk to and who not to talk to. She even made me a list; I don’t know what's more strange, the fact that she made the list or the fact that I find it super helpful.

Liam, Samantha, Megan - are all very nice
Harley and Emily- way to outgoing
Alexis, Evan, Chase, Mykayla, Toby, David- sporty
Lynn, Maddy, Kate - rude
Kolbee, Jacob, Duncan - smart

We hung out the rest of the day and thankfully she’s in all my classes. After school we said our good-byes and I drove home to find David left a little snack out. He’s sweet but a pushover, I took it happily and retreated to my room.

The next day I drove to school in my bright-yellow slug bug thats makes me look like an annoying cheerleader. I parked the automobile and started walking to class, not thinking that anyone would want to talk to me.
“Hey Kaden over here!” Sheyla was sitting with a group of girls at a brown picnic table. It looked like Emily, Lynn, Samantha, and Megan. When I got over there it seemed like they were talking about a girl last year that they all hated. Nothing important so I kind of tuned them out and started thinking about who I think I’ll be friends with in this new school.

When the bell rang we all shuffled into the small school and I set my stuff down at a small wooden desk in my world history class.

When Lunch came around I sat with Emily, Lynn, Sam, Megan, and Sheyla. I think I can call them my friends but I’m afraid if I do then that they won’t feel the same.

They were talking about a party that someone was having at his house later that day but as usual I wasn’t paying attention. I heard my name so I had to snap back in.
“You coming to David’s party later?” Megan said with a smile.
“Literally the whole school is coming, granite there's barely anybody here.” Lynn snickered.
“Course!” I said it smiling a bit to much. Parties usually aren’t my scene, but I wanted to make a good impression on my new classmates.

I spent the next 4 hours picking out an outfit for the party. Even though I don’t go to parties often I still love clothes and it’s a perfect opportunity to show everyone that I have a fashion sense. I finally picked out a fabulous white mini dress with black knee high leather boots.

I got in my perky car and drove to Chase's house fashionably early because being late oddly scares me.

Sure enough I got way too early and had to spend about 20 minutes with Chase and his “bros”. David tried to talk to me a few times but I rudely brushed him off.

After years of being bullied it’s hard to treat nice people nicely. To me I think that they're being nice to me in pity or they just want something from me… I know it’s all in my head but all my life people have been rude to me and it makes it hard to take a compliment.

Finally Sheyla arrived along with other people and then the party began and our friends showed up.

“Have you seen Maddy’s dress? It looks like she bought it when she was 10 and then many years later somehow got it on.” Lynn said in a mocking tone.
“At least she didn’t show up like winter is coming.” I said surprising myself as the words left my mouth. But they all laughed and started gossiping about other people in a similar manner.

I went to the bathroom and on the journey there I ran into Chase.

“Hey, having fun?”
“Well this isn’t really my thing but out of the 3 parties I’ve been to this one makes the top of the list.”
“Want to go outside? I get the feeling you’d like that better than in here.”
“You read my mind.” I said trying to act cool. What are we going to do outside? Is he just going to talk to me? Is he going to kiss me? My mind raced with a million thoughts while my face smiled dumbly at his brown eyes and short blonde hair.

We exited his humble abode into the backward and it was beautiful. There were hedges cute perfectly, roses, snapdragons, lilies, and so many other flowers that I don’t know the names of. He led me into the middle of the garden and surrounding us were hundreds of red, pink, and white roses. He was talking about how his friends were obnoxious and loud and I couldn’t agree more.

In the middle of our conversation he suddenly asked me “You must’ve had tons of boyfriends in your old school.”
“No not really, most of the guys there were jerks.”
“Well it seems you just have the worst luck ever.” He said that as he leaned in for a kiss. I didn’t know what to do so I leaned in and kissed him.
We immediately clicked and spent every second that we could together. I started to notice that my friends were getting bored of the topic except for Sheyla.

Sheyla and I could talk about the same topic forever. It was amazing how much her and I have told each other in the short one and a half months we’ve been friends. We understood each other perfectly, we complimented each other perfectly, we knew everything about each other and trusted each other. I felt so lucky to have such an amazing best friend and knew that we would be friends for as long as we could.

After two months Chase had another party but this one was supposed to be “a night to remember”. So Mykayla, Lynn, Megan, and I started getting ready at Lynn’s house. Sheyla said that she’d meat us there which oddly has been happening alot lately.

We got there and cars were already lined up all the way down the road. I split up with my group to find Chase when when I couldn’t find him anywhere I started up the stairs to his bedroom.

I peeked inside and saw two people kissing the boy was blonde and the girl had jet black hair. Why did those two colors seem familiar? Curiously I turned on the light to see Chase and Sheyla right in the middle of the room… k-kissing.

They saw me and I ran faster than I have ever ran before, faster than I will ever run again. I ran downstairs and out the door and walked 3 miles until I got a call. From Sheyla and then another one and then another one another one another one… one...one..one.

I ignored each call, i didn’t know what to do so I decided that I needed my father. And so I started towards our favorite spot it was ironically close. It was a tree right next to s cliff. It looked over the entire city and it took my breathe away.

I made it and walked sluggishly towards the tree and sat. I sat for hours thinking about Chase, Sheyla, My dad, my mom, my new school, and my friends. I decided it was time to go so I got up and slipped.