Chapter 1: New day...are you kidding me? New everything!
There are days when everyone wants to crawl under a rock and stay there until the sun sets, and today is my day. Going to a new school is hard, especially when it is all the way across the country. And to make it even better,I am moving from the big city of New York, to a small town in Wyoming. The town is Auburn, Wyoming. The most deserted town on the face of the earth! Well, okay, maybe not the WHOLE earth...but pretty damn close! I mean, out of all the places my mom's work chooses to send us here!
My mom worked as a defense attorney in New York. Now she has a chase in Wyoming and she just thought that it would be the perfect chance to move somewhere else and meet new people! Yeah right! What kind of sixteen year old girl wants to move to a deserted town in the middle of no-where! None! Zip! Zero!
As I sit in the back seat of the moving van, I watch the desert zip by me at 45 miles per hour. Prickly cactuses, half dead flowers and dry cracked open ground. Yeah...this is paradise. I roll my eyes just in time for my mother to look in her review mirror.
"Sweetie, I know you don't like this now, but I'm sure you'll make new friends!" there was a short pause as she decided what to say next. "Better friends!" she says enthusiastically.
"Mom..." I sigh and feel tears well up in my eyes again, and I fight to keep them in. I never cry. Ever. I try to hold a strong persona so no one but my best friend knows how I feel. "I will never see my friends again! Please can we go back!" then one lonely tear spills over my cheek and I quickly wipe it away. My eyes flicker to my mother's rear view mirror to make sure that she didn't see me crying. Her eyes are staring straight at me through the mirror,
"I'm sorry sweetie but we already bought the house and sold our old one. We cant go back now." She continues to watch me from the mirror and then asks "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"No! Please pull into McDonalds or something...I want a shake..." I hesitate while wiping the next tear from my eye before it has the chance to escape. My mom pulls into the nearest restaurant and steps out of the car. I open my door and look at the small restaurant. The walls are made of old plywood and the roof is worn out by the weather. The windows are small and the shudders are a faded red. Then, my eyes drift the the large, wooden, sign on top of the restaurant.
"Kevin's Chili Shop? I said McDonalds or something!"
"Sorry, sweetie. But you are gonna have to deal with it." She rolls her eyes. My mother may be beautiful and giving, but when she gets aggravated you don't mess with her.
"I'm sorry mom but you know I don't like chili." I say, trying to be nice. Now, I know what your thinking. 'She's a brat. She gets everything she wants.' Well, that's not true. I usually don't get everything I want and I am certainly not a brat. Surely you know how I feel. I mean, I'm moving to the middle of nowhere and I'm leaving my friends and family in New York.
Mom sighs,"Certainly there is something else in there other than chili. Now let's go eat...and maybe they will have a vanilla shake for you too!" she says, the smile returning to her face.
"Alright." I say, then ask, "Are we almost to our house though?"
"Yup. Only a few minutes away" she says as she turns away to go into the restaurant...and by restaurant I mean a shack were you eat. The door squeaks open and I step inside. The place doesn't look so bad on the inside. I guess it just looks like a small town eatery, I think to my self bitterly as my mom and I sit down at a booth.
"Howdy." says a girl about my age. Without looking at us she continues, "What can I get for you-" Her eyes finally drift to us and she realizes that we are not familiar. "Well I'll be" she whispers and leans on the table, "Are y'all new here?"
"Yes" my mom answers, "We just moved here from New York City and-"
"Mom." I pipe in, "how about I talk?" she nods her head. I stand up from the purple booth and put out my hand. "I'm Avril Gavery." She takes my hand.
"Nevaeh Terri" She replies, "Were you from?"
"New York City. My mom and I are moving here today. You live near here?"
"Yeah! I live right down the road. I'm guessing I'm y'all's neighbor 'cause the house next to mine got sold last week. What grade are you in?"
"Senior year. I'm seventeen, how about you?" "Same, except I'm eighteen" then she turns around quickly to face my mom. Her shoulder length, curly brown hair wacking my arm. "Hello Mrs..." she pauses, trying to remember my last name.
"Gavery" my mom clears up, "but you can call me Linda, or miss G if you would like."
"Sure thing Miss G." Nevaeh responds, "listen, I have to get back to work. Do you want to order anything?"
"Do you have any milk shakes or ice cream?" I ask nervously.
"No. Our closest thing to ice cream is the usual, vanilla milk." she explains while looking through the old fashion menu.
"I'll have that then" It can't be that bad, I think.
"You have very pretty brown eyes, Nevaeh." my mother interjects, right as Nevaeh turns to leave.
"Thanks Miss G" she says blushing and rushes into the kitchen door.
"She would be a nice friend to have, Avril"
"Yeah" I agree, "She's nice" I twirl my dark red hair between my fingers and sigh as I look around the room at all the people. There are some good looking boys. Most are muscly, but others are tall and thin. There are blonde boys, brunette boys and redheads, like me. But none of them really catch my eye.
"Here you are Avril." Nevaeh interjects into my train of thought. "One vanilla milk. I hope y'all like it! It's our specialty here. You could never find something like it anywhere else!" She states confidently.
"Umm, what, exactly, does it taste like?" I ask with a nervous smile plastered on my face
"It tastes just like vanilla ice cream. I promise!" She states enthusiastically, but doesnt leave the table. She leans on the table and her voice sings the words "Well what are you waiting for? Try it!" I roll my eyes and grab the clear cup . I press my lips to the cold glass and tip it up. My tastebuds explode into fireworks of joy as the milk runs over them. Reluctantly, I set down the glass and wipe the milk off my face. I hear Nevaeh giggle at my expression. "it's great isn't it!" she laughs.
"Nevaeh, I can honestly say that I have never tasted anything like it."
"Seriously? It was that good?"
"It was the best thing I've tasted since ice cream." I giggle.
"Thanks" Nevaeh laughs.
"Nevaeh! One chili and cheese omelet please!" yells a deep voice from across the aisle.
"Coming, Rhodney" she says then turns back to my mom and I. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck at your new house!"
"Thank you" mom says. Nevaeh smiles and walks over to Rhodney.
"Are you ready, Avril?"
I swallow the last drop of my vanilla milk and gently wipe off my face. I sigh. "Yes mother" I answer politely.
As we drive down the road, my eye gaze at all the elderly couples, waving at us as we go by.
"Mom, why are they waving at us?" I wonder.
"Southern hospitality, sweety."
"Oh". How could I not see that? Duh!
Suddenly, we pull onto a semi-populated street and my mom beams,"We're almost there! This is our road."
All the houses on the street are small and made a dark brown brick, which makes the house whose driveway we pull in to, no different. It is a small, dark brick house with large windows and two stories. The front door is made completely of glass and surrounded by many, colorful, kinds of plants. I step out of our van and stare in awe. The house is beautiful. You can tell it has been underestimated because of its size. "Mom" I whisper. "It's..." I trail off in thought.
"Beautiful" she finishes for me, "Just beautiful".