"Mom, do we have to introduce ourselves to the neighbors tomorrow? Isn't it their job to come and greet us?" I whined, attempting to persuade my mother otherwise.

All she did, though, was roll her eyes and continue to unpack the moving truck. She hefted up a box in her frail-looking arms. It was my book collection and must have weighed a ton, so I took it from her. As I grabbed the box, I nearly dropped it, which would've left me bored for months. All of my other boxes were in my new room, on the second floor of our new house in Sprawl City. I climbed quickly up the plush stairs, the soft carpeting muffling my heavy steps. My new room was just around the corner, across from my older brother's room. He was already done unpacking, so he was probably out making new friends and skateboarding. Several other boxes were piled up in my room. More things I needed to unpack.

I looked around the room – my room. The walls were pristine and white, the same colour as my room back in Denver. But the walls of this new room had black trim and were void of posters. On the far most side from the door, there was a single window, and a fairly large one at that. I could already see it coming together. My bed would be under the window, my desk at the foot of it; there would be a small nightstand next to the bed; a dresser next to the closet, so all of my clothes would be in one place; on the wall across from the nightstand, there would be my bookshelf, chock full of suspense, fantasy, and dystopian novels.

"Perfect," I whispered to myself, finishing the assembly of my room.

I was done after about three hours, since most of my furniture just had to be hauled up the stairs. I finished right before dinner. Fletcher still wasn't back from his adventure, but I had just received a text from him, saying that he was only a couple blocks away. I discretely texted him back, saying that it was dinner time and mom was getting impatient. Which she was. She had ordered pizza, but was making me wait until Fletcher got home to eat.

"Where is that boy," mom muttered to herself, thin hands resting on her hips.

"I just got a text from him a little while ago. He said he was like a block away," I reassured, showing her the text. "He's probably just out making new friends."

Just then, the front door opened to reveal my gregarious older brother, Fletcher. He looked tired, probably because he had been skateboarding. He leaned his rickety board on the wall, a large grin plastered on his face, showing off his perfectly white teeth. He looked younger than he was with that goofy smile, but he never cared. It didn't really matter to him if people thought he was a thirteen-year-old, because he would just tell them nicely that he was, in fact, fifteen. It was actually funny to watch when he had to explain that to people.

"Fletcher Lamar, where have you been?" mom questioned, arms crossed over her chest.

Fletcher grinned sheepishly and spoke lightly. "I found a skate park close to here and must've lost track of the time. I'm sorry that I'm so late," he said, playing up his childishness.

Mom sighed, and I almost let out a snicker. Almost. I could keep my mouth shut, though, when the situations demanded it, and this situation certainly did.

"Fine," mom said in a voice as sweet as honey. "I just ordered pizza for tonight, if that's ok with you, Fletcher. Since it's our first night here, I went ahead and splurged a little on stuffed crust."

"Mmm… Stuffed crust," Fletcher and I said in unison. Stuffed crust was our favorite.

After I was done with dinner, I went for a short walk. Despite it being almost seven o'clock, it was still light out, being as summer vacation had just started. It was actually the last day of school for the kids in the city. The air was warm that night, which I was glad for. I didn't want to come home a Popsicle. It was pretty peaceful for a city, for there were practically no cars on the street. The only downside, though, was that you couldn't see the stars from Sprawl City. You never could in big cities like that.

I had been walking aimlessly for some time but eventually came across a park – no, a skate park. I had always loved watching people skate, but I've never done it myself. Fletcher would never let me, because it was "so dangerous". There was also a taco truck right outside of the park, so I went and got a snack before heading over to the fence that separated the skaters from the rest of the world.

"Cool," I said in awe, watching the boarders flip and spin in midair. They were awesome, much better than Fletcher or any of his old friends. I wondered what it felt like to skate, since I had never been. I bet it felt exhilarating; the wind in your face, being able to see everything ahead of you after a jump, the feel of a board beneath your feet when you land on solid ground. Everything about it just seemed, well, amazing.

"Wild Grinders!" one of the guys yelled, throwing his board down onto the cement and taking off.

I couldn't see what he looked like, though, on account of the poor view from where I was. He went off a jump full speed, gaining some major air. I had to look up to see him, and when I looked up, there were some pinpricks of light behind him. The stars were finally coming out, and for the first time that day, I felt true, unadulterated happiness. I walked back to my house quickly, not paying attention to my surroundings very much. I cracked a small smile when I entered my new house, walking up the stairs and into my bedroom. I dreamt of nothing, and yet, everything, just taking it all in again. It was wonderful.