I never thought moving to a new town such as Riverdale would make my life a living hell.
"What are the odds that I can get out of this town as soon as possible," I spoke into my cell phone. The air swirling my hair around felt like ice. It was the beginning of December, and I was standing in front of my new house. The outside looked like it had been freshly painted in a coat of red paint. I always hated that color. The color always left a bad taste in my mouth. And I'd rather not have the house stick out like a sore thumb. But there wasn't a lot that I could do to change it now. My parents could barely afford to move in the first place, let alone repaint the house.
"With the way things are, the odds are not in your favor." A high-pitched voice boomed through the phone. This was Ashlyn, one of my best friends. When my parents decided that we needed to move, I was separated from her. I promised her that I would call her and keep her updated on what's going on in my life. After all, I did have to move across the country to a small town called Riverdale.
Why couldn't my mom move to a big city where there are a lot of jobs? Why Riverdale?
I released a huge sigh, the air turning into a frosty white as it escaped my lips. "Well, crap. I was hoping my odds were better." I turned my gaze towards the street. At any moment, my mother would be speeding down the road and slam on her breaks in a hurry to get to me so she could let me into the house.
She had forgotten to give me a key to my own house.
I don't blame her though. After all, I did drive myself here, and I haven't heard much from my mother since she arranged all of this. My mother is a busy person. She has a million things on her plate, especially with the way money was coming through. Let me say, it was barely enough to afford a milkshake.
"Think of it this way. At least your out of the drama back here. You can start fresh there." Ashlyn paused for a moment, making it appear as if she was thinking. "And there's always a possibility that you might meet a guy that truly cares about you, unlike the people back in Vincent."
Yeah, she has a point. I just hope the people here are at least nicer than back at home.
"Good point. But I highly doubt that, especially in small towns such as Riverdale." I paused, hearing the sound of an engine in the distance. It sounded all too familiar to my moms old rusty truck. "Ashlyn, I gotta go. My mom's here."
"Okay, my dude. I'll call you later." I didn't hear the beep of an ending call over the sound of my mom's truck pulling into the driveway. The engine died with a rattling sound as a lanky woman stepped out of the truck. Her curly brown hair was pulled back in a bun with a few strands hanging out of place. Her black jacket looked too big on her and nearly went past her butt while her brown boots clung tightly to her ankles. She looked like she was going eighty miles an hour just to get here.
"I'm so sorry sweety. I didn't know your dad dropped you off so early." My mother ran to me, embracing me in a tight claustrophobic hug.
"He didn't mom. I drove myself here." I motioned to by resting car in the driveway once she let go of me. All of my luggage was leaning against the driver's side of my door.
"Oh honey, why didn't you tell me sooner? Come on, let's get you inside. You must be freezing out here." My mom shoved her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys before abandoning me in the driveway. I struggled to keep up with her pace as I grabbed my stuff and headed inside the house.
I nearly hit the back of my heel on the screen door as I waddled into the house. The inside of the house looked a lot more pleasant than the outside. The kitchen had tan walls with wooden cabinets everywhere you looked. Below the cabinets were the marble countertops that had the same shade as the wooden cabinets. I dropped my stuff towards the corner of the kitchen as my mom went to the sink to wash her hands. She seemed disheveled like she met up with someone that she didn't want to see.
My mom didn't say a word as she started shuffling through the cabinets for a cutting board and a knife. She was rummaging through the fridge when I turned my attention to the window closest to me. Part of my vision was cut off by the blinds over the window. I had to push the individual blinds apart to make out the whole view.
Through the window, I noticed a pair of people. One was a guy with unnaturally red hair with a strong build. He wore a blue and gold jersey with the name 'Andrews' on the back in gold lettering. Blue and gold must be the colors of the school he's attending. He looks like he could be a senior in high school. The other one was a girl who was a lot shorter than he was. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that went down in curls. Her big eyes looked like they were smiling everywhere she looked. Her pale pink cardigan hung loosely around her shoulders. It looked like the two of them were in a hurry to go somewhere.
"Gwen, why don't you go out and explore the neighborhood. You don't want to be on your computer writing stories all day." Mom, I would rather be doing that than going into the outside world. She knows how I feel about social interaction. I turned my gaze away from the window to meet my mother's green eyes.
"Mom, you know how I feel about that. Can't I just save the greetings til tomorrow? It's where I'm going to get them anyway." I said, implying the dreaded first day of being the new girl at this new school. My mother's eyes went back to the cutting board, slicing tomatoes into thin circles.
"It's always to introduce yourself before then honey. Who knows, you might make some friends that go to the same school as you." She paused for a moment, waiting for the inevitable response. But she seemed surprised when I didn't say anything in return. "You know I heard that there's a famous place that's similar to a Steak and Shake. I believe it's called Pop's, or something like that. I'm not really sure. Why don't you go there and get us some dinner." I eyed my mom for a moment.
Why is she asking me to get dinner when she is clearly making it right in front of my eyes? Oh well, I'm not going to question it. There's probably a hidden reason behind it.
"Is there anything in particular that you want there?" I asked, making my way to the edge of the kitchen counter. My eyes scanned the counter, not trying to pinpoint a particular object.
"Umm...a strawberry milkshake." I nodded.
"Okay, I'll be quick." I grabbed my phone and my bag and headed out of the house into the great beyond.
It took me twenty minutes to find this place, even with Google Maps. How the hell is this place so popular if it's hard to spot? I guess it's a local thing. I stared up at the blaring red sign that read "Pop's Chock'lit shoppe." Just the light itself was painful for me to look at. But the sign was one of the only things that got my attention when finding my way over here.
The exterior of this place looked friendly enough. Its green walls with framed red windows made it look more modern than it originally looked. It had the feel of the shop from the movie Grease where Danny and Sandy go to eat when they are with their friends.
I swallowed a lump in my throat and gripped the strap of my bag. My mom's probably expecting me back soon, so I need to suck it up and go get her milkshake. Putting my eyes to the ground, I stomped my way into the shop making sure to avoid hitting people in the process. I didn't lift my eyes until I was completely encased in the building.
It's orange walls and tiled floor almost looked red with the way the light was showing. There was a considerable amount of people here, even a line towards the front counter. Looks like I'm going to be waiting here for a while, which means that I'm going to have to waste some time. My eyes scanned the area, surveying the possible places where I could be farthest away from civilization. There were only a few seats that weren't occupied. Everywhere else had at least two people sitting down.
God this place looks like the place for couples.
I let my eyes scan around as the line dwindled until I was at the front counter. A man with dark skin and a white hat tilted on his head. He had kind black eyes that looked slightly aged from a long time. What's the possibility that he could be the owner of this place?
"What can I get you?" The man's voice was deep as his tired eyes looked me over. He clearly looked surprised to see me here.
"Umm, do you guys have milkshakes here?" I asked hesitantly. My eyes scanned the menu above him, searching desperately for the word 'milkshakes'.
"We do. It's what we are known for." I nodded, showing that I understood his words. Good. So this was the place my mom was talking about.
"Okay, then may I get a strawberry smoothie?" I asked politely, attempting to put on my best smile. He nodded without saying a word, punching in digits into the cash register. I didn't waste any time pulling money out of my pocket and giving it to the man. He took it willingly.
"It'll be a moment, It'll be brought out to you when it's done." I nodded as a thank you and turned to face the rows of seats available, taking another look at the possible places I could sit. My eyes landed on a group of four people. One of them had short raven hair that went past her shoulders in a straight stylish fashion. Her purplish-red lips looked thin but seemed to expand when she smiled. On the other side, I could make out the back of a head with an oddly shaped beanie. Beyond the hat was dark black curls that looked like it went everywhere. I could feel my stomach rise to my throat.
Blonde Ponytail.
Blue and gold jacket.
The two people I saw earlier were sitting at that table.
Panicking I sat in the closest seat that was available, which to my luck was closer to the group than it was further away. I could feel their eyes on me as I rummaged through my bag in search of my laptop. Occasionally I stole glances in their direction, hoping to get clear that they weren't looking at me anymore. But whenever I did, one of them was looking in my direction. It almost seemed like they were interested in me.
It's probably because I'm the new kid.
After what seemed like forever I grabbed my laptop and placed it in front of me, wasting no time booting it up and logging into it. If I was going to wait here awhile, I needed a distraction from the feeling that everyone is looking at me. Once I got a new word document, I felt my anxiety ease a little. Writing stories is my way of escaping reality. It's a way to help me cope with everything that has happened to me. This way is safe for me to get lost in my own head.
Taking the first thing that came to my head, I let my fingers take over the keyboard. I could feel the words flowing out of me as my fingers played the keys like a piano. My words formed into sentences, which turned into paragraphs. I let myself express my feelings and suspicions on why I moved to Riverdale and the possible reasons why my mother was acting strangely when she was cutting those tomatoes.
"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before." My mind was forced back to reality by the sound of a female voice. It sounded friendly, almost too friendly if I think about it. I removed my eyes to face a pair of dark eyes with black eyeliner outlining the top lid and a friendly smile.