The thunderous sound of a train stomping across metal and earth woke me up. The groggy feeling that I always feel in the morning washed over me. When I finally realized what was happening, I threw my blanket off me and cursed. I stumbled out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and socks, I didn't have time to change out of my night shirt. As I pulled on my shoes, the backs digging into my heals, my cellphone rang.
I ran towards my desk where my phone laid, lighting up my room and illuminating the piles of boxes that sat in the corner. I was a foot away from my phone when I tripped over my feet and fell face first on the ground, my wrist hitting the side of the desk on the way down. Thankfully the train, even though it was a ways away, was loud enough to cover the sound of skin and hard wood floor colliding.
As I laid on the floor, holding my wrist in pain, my phone vibrated again and fell off my desk, hitting me in the middle of my forehead. I ground and moved my hand towards my head, holding the area right above the bridge of my nose in pain. I focused my vision and glared at the ceiling as I felt around for my phone, which had slid off my head and landed on the floor beside me. I pressed the home button and my phone lit up, showing that I had three unread messages from my best friend, Marcia.
The first message was from about ten minutes ago and read "Ten minutes, bring snacks". The second one was just five minutes after and said "Five minutes and still chip-less". The last one was only from a couple seconds ago, it was the same one that made me fall, "Where are you?! It's almost here and you aren't! P. S. don't forget the chips".
I opened my drawer and grabbed the bag of potato chips that I had been hiding in there since yesterday. I stuffed the chips into a back pack along with a few cans of soda and climbed out my window, thankful that my room was on the first floor. I started running towards the hill by the train tracks when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered, not even looking at who was calling.
"Where are you?" Marcia asked in her loud mouthed voice. I gave a dejected smile but coughed and picked up my speed.
"Almost…there," I said, trying to catch my breath. Marcia huffed from the other side of the phone and I could already see her annoyed face with a hidden smile that would show as soon as she turned away.
"You better have the chips," she said and hung up. I laughed and shook my head, knowing that she was joking and not threatening me.
I had known Marcia since I was in kindergarten. My family had just moved to Texas from Sri Lanka, an Island that's just off the shores of India. I was put in an ASL class since I didn't originally speak English and that's how I met Marcia, she had moved to Texas from Mexico a couple months before I had gotten there. We eventually became friends when we could understand each other, before that we'd just smile at each other and run around on the playground.
When I finally made it to the hill the train zoomed past and the horn rang out into the night. Marcia was standing on the top of the hill cheering and jumping up and down. I ran to the top and joined her in only a second. I dropped my backpack and Marcia flung an arm around me. We smiled and jumped up and down together, arms around each other, as the train blared its horn yet again.
Marcia grabbed the chips out of the bag, opened them, and stuffed some in her mouth all while cheering, Marcia was the type of girl that could do that. I wasn't fat, I was skinny compared to most people, but when I stood next to Marcia there was a significant difference. Whatever she ate, it almost never affected her and if it did it went to her breast. That and her long black hair and Hispanic accent made her the most beloved girl in school.
I, however, had dark skin and dark brown hair. Most people believe that I'm Indian the first time they see me, but I have to correct them. Wherever Marcia and I went, she always got the looks. I wasn't upset about that, I didn't want a guy to go for me just because of my looks.
Marcia and I fell to the ground and sighed, the train washing air over us as it passed. We laid in silence for a while, the only noise coming from the crickets and train, until finally the train had passed us and all that was left were the crickets. We breathed silently for what seemed like forever. I closed my eyes and rested my arms behind my head.
"I'm going to miss you," she whispered quietly. I took my arms out from behind my head and rested my arms down at my side.
"I'll only be gone till summer," I murmured. Marcia moved her hand down to mine and linked her hand with mine. We stared up at the stars for a while before I closed my eyes again.
"Anika," Marcia said. I opened one eye and looked at her.
"Hm?"
"Can you name the constellations?" She asked. I opened my eyes and brought my free arm up.
"Those stars to the left, the ones that look like they're in a line, those make up the little dipper and the ones next to it make up draco," I said. Marcia closed her eyes as I droned on about the stars until she was fully asleep and it was just me. I stayed awake listening to music and playing solitaire on my phone. It wasn't until I saw the sun rising that I realized what time it is and that I'd stayed up all night.
"Oh god," I said and started to shake Marcia awake, "Marci! Marci wake up it morning!" Marcia stirred and rolled over, only to roll half way down the hill. When she got up she squinted her eyes and looked at me.
"What time is it?" She asked. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.
"Aw shit! It's 5:30!" I said. Marcia's eyes went wide and she ran up the hill as I push the chips into my backpack. I swung the back pack onto my shoulders and hugged Marcia.
"I'll see you in a couple hours," she said and took off towards her house. I ran in the opposite direction, pushing myself to run at full speed. When I finally got back and had snuck into my room, I began packing. Everything was supposed to be packed by last night and that's why I'd "locked myself in my room and packed all night". After about thirty minutes, everything was thrown into a box and my bed was stripped of the sheets. The only thing I had to do was say goodbye to Marcia.
"Anika bring out your boxes!" My mom yelled. I quickly tied my hair into a ponytail and walked out of my room and into the front yard where the moving truck was parked. Sitting inside the truck was Marcia with a frown on her face and a crease in her brow.
"Marcia?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"I'm your carry-on!" She said and launched herself at me, making me drop my box. I was barely able to catch her without toppling over, but somehow managed. Marcia wrapped her legs around me and through her hands around my neck.
"Marcia…can't breathe," I said. Marcia hit my head with a hand and got off me.
"Fine," she pouted and let go. I walked back into my house, Marcia following. My mom stopped us before heading into my room.
"Marcia, you can visit us anytime," my mother said. I smiled and hugged my mom, Marcia joining me right afterwards. We quickly let go of my mom and went to my room to get more boxes.
With Marcia helping the time it would've taken us to pack the truck was cut in half. Around noon the truck was fully packed and it was time to set off. I gave Marcia one last hug before I got into the moving truck with my brother who had come down from university in Washington. We were moving to Washington so my mother could be closer to my brother and we could have a new start, however that meant we were leaving home and moving to the small town of Forks. To be more precise we were moving to the La Push reservation so my mom could do research for a novel she's writing.
I stared out the window as we drove down the street and towards Washington. Silent hatred welled in me for my mother. She was making me leave my best friend, my home, and my life because my father got remarried. It's not all her fault though, there were other reasons but I didn't really understand them yet.
I still had to grow before I understood anything about why we really moved.
Hello! I'm writing this story for loveZaynMalik. I'm also re-writing another story and co-writing a couple while working on a few comics and school work. I'll try to update once a week but that's not a promise until June.