Gabriella walked out of the terminal feeling completely numb. She so badly wanted to run back home, hug her mother, and be told that everything was going to be alright, but she knew that was impossible. She waited by the door of her gate for people she had never met before, who were supposed to be taking her in, housing her, as if she was a homeless dog. Only a week ago she was sitting in her house playing monopoly with her mom, while eating milk and cookies, and now she was in New Mexico. She wanted to break down crying right there and then, but she needed to be strong for the both of them.
She heard her name being called from across the terminal. She looked up to see a middle aged woman running towards her waving her arm in the air she sighed, picking up her carry-on, began walking over towards her, trying not to convince her that this was beginning of the end.
"Gabriella, my have you grown. It feels like you where in diapers yesterday," She said, which Gabriella found quite uncomfortable. She looked toward her right and saw a tall man running towards her. She figured that this was her godfather.
"Gabriella, it's been twelve years too long," The man said wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading her towards baggage claim. She couldn't help but feel at ease, they were so kind and welcoming, if she was going to be forced to live with someone, she was glad it was them. From what her lawyer had told her, the Boltons went to college with her parents, eventually moving to New Mexico and becoming next-door neighbors. She never remembered living in New Mexico; then again she was only four when she moved. Gabriella packed as much clothes into her two suitcases as she possibly could.
The one thing that she loved about living in the city was that if you looked hard enough you could find some truly original things. Once, she was in a tiny boutique with her friends, when she found a shirt that read 'made in the 80's' across, with music notes surrounding it. There was no denying it that she loved the 80's the music, the big hair, leg warmers, and the brat pack; something her mom shared an equal obsession with. Thinking of her mom, Gabriella began to smile, remembering all the good times they had.
Her mom had bought
Gabriella her first pair of legwarmers, which would soon be one of
many. Gabriella quickly ran towards her stereo and threw in a CD, one
that her and her mom had listened to many times.
She told me her name was Billie Jean
As she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes
That dreamed of being the one
Who will dance on the floor, in the round.
People always told me,
'Be careful of what you do,
And don't go around,
Breaking young girls' hearts'
And mother always told me, Gabriella sang to her mother,
'Be careful of who you love, Her mother sang back towards her
And be careful what you do,
'Cause the lie becomes the truth' They finished together
They grabbed each other's arms and began spinning is circles. Eventually falling to the ground, laughing. That wasn't the first time they had done that. That night they went out to there favorite Japanese restaurant, and talked about the importance of the Beastie Boys.
If her mom taught her one thing it was express herself in every way possible; whether it was through dance, song, or writing. Gabriella remembered when her mom began dating Richard; he was a famous dancer from Julliard. And even though she questioned his sexuality at first, he taught her everything he knew, which led her to be picked for the leads in all her shows. Eventually, she became the top of her class.
The only thing she would miss more than her mom was her friends. They were all similar in different ways, and that's what made them all so close. They would spend their Friday nights getting lost in the city, seeing plays, or just spend the night at their apartment listening to music and baking with her mom.
And then Gabriella remembered her apartment; it was the largest studio apartment she had ever seen. With the music notes that covered the walls, those large windows that looked over all of New York, she wished more than anything she was there now. But she knew that was far from possible, she knew right now, as she was leaving the airport, it was most likely being sold off to the highest bidder, and those note painted walls would soon be covered with ugliest shade of blue that she could possibly imagine.
Mr. Bolton carried one of her suitcases, while she took her other. As soon as she saw the Boltons' car, she was in shock. It was a white Cadillac Escalade, and she was so used to the yellow taxis she saw in the city so often. Yes, there were other cars as well, but seeing one of this size was new to her.
"Big, huh? Jack insisted on it. Men and their cars, you know," Mrs. Bolton quipped, opening the truck for Gabriella's luggage.
Gabriella loaded up the rest of her things into back and them climbed into the back seat. The SUV was completely custom-installed, with DVD screens on the back of each chair. She continued looking around and noticed the Playstation 3 underneath the chair to her right, she looked up and saw a custom installed sunroof. It was obvious now more than ever that the Boltons had money, and a lot of it.
"So, Gabriella, we've decided to enroll you at East High," The still nameless middle-aged woman began
"Thank you Mrs. Bolton, for everything." Gabriella said extremely grateful
"Oh, please call me Tanya. Mrs. Bolton makes me sound so old," she said, then laughed along with Jack. Gabriella didn't really find it that funny.
"You know, your mother and I were extremely close in college. We were roommates in freshman year, and you should've seen our dorm room, it was amazing. Aside from the size, your mother decorated perfectly. The both of you look so alike, it's scary," Tanya said.
Gabriella smiled. Everyone always said that she and her mother looked alike. Some even said they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. They even had a habit of sharing clothes, something that didn't bother Gabriella one bit. Gabriella snapped back into reality as they pulled into the Bolton household's driveway. This was the beginning of her new life, whether she liked it or not.