Chapter One – "New Places & New Faces"
(A/N: Oh my goodness, second chapter already! :') Thank you SO SO SO much to all the people that reviewed, followed and read my first chapter. Really guys, I am so stoked that you've responded in a way, especially for my first story! Like seriously, I thought I'd get 1 review and 10 reads, at best. You guys are amazing ugh bahahaha 3 )
I had never been good at packing. Since vacations were a rare commodity for my family, my skills were underdeveloped. Even my school bag was a wreck, books and food askew. Truth be told, I'm quite the messy person, maybe that's a contributing factor. I knew my parents would be willing to vouch for that.
But for now, I was placing much loved items into bags to take with me to our pristine lakeside holiday in nowhere. In goes skateboard. In goes basketball. In go clothes and underwear and shoes.
With my immediate life now snugly wrapped up in bags, I was almost ready to go. There was only one thing which was still left to be handled – my guitar.
It was no secret I loved music. Headphones were always wrapped around my ears, echoing a tune to my eardrums. I could sing, I could dance, I even mastered the guitar. Albeit, my hobby was a wasted one. I'd always aspired to be an overnight internet sensation, until my father bellowed that I had a one in a million chances of making it.
A macabre way to look at it, I thought. My music was a secret vice I had, a trait my parents profusely discouraged. They can take the music from me, but they couldn't take the music from within me. So, in the style of a superhero, I had to hide my music as a secret identity.
"Austin, hurry up! We've got to get moving if we want to get there before lunch!" My father hollered from outside.
Backpacks dangled off my back like vines in a jungle, while I juggled the other bags on my arms and all the while, trying to not tumble to the ground in a heap.
I hurried down the stairs, my game face on. My skin glowed red as the weight was threatening to buckle and send me toppling to the ground. No, I was going to do this. I was going to get these bags in the car in one trip only.
Two trips are for the weak.
The red station wagon sat in the driveway as my parents shoved their belongings into the back. I raced along the stone path cutting through the front yard, making sure not to tred on my father's precious grass. I reached the car, and threw all my items in like a massive, fiery baggage explosion.
"Oh come on, now I have to rearrange that!" My mother grunted, as she set to work restoring the bags' immaculate order.
That was that. My guitar and bags were stuffed in the car, and I had nothing to do but wait. I walked to the curb and sat, my hands holding up my apathetic expression. The sun shone on the parts of my body left exposed by my red v-neck, slowly warming me up. Not to the vacation though, just literally warming me up.
"Austin!" A voice called out to me in the distance.
Immediately I rose to my feet, as a breathless Elliot clambered down the sidewalk with a friend in tow. He reached me in three easy bounds, and encased me in a bro hug.
"Glad we caught you before you left." Elliot grinned.
"We?"
Suddenly, a meek Cassidy stepped out from behind Elliot. Her blonde hair lay tame down her front, as she smiled widely. My heart hammered, and it took a lot of strength to keep it from beating so erratically that it would burst from my chest and punch her in the face.
"I'm so bummed that we can't chill these next few weeks Austin, but I'd be happy to hang when you get back?" Cassidy offered, extending her hand to solidify the deal.
Did she just ask me out?
I tried to keep my calm (badly) and accepted. My parents then beckoned me to the vehicle, meaning it was time to go. With rushed farewells and a bittersweet embrace from Cassidy, dad drove out of our suburban cul-de-sac and continued on down the road.
The green got more and more dense the longer we traveled. The terrain grew bumpier, and the sun further concealed itself in the clouds the longer we drove. My iPod sat in my lap, my head rested against the window. My parents held idle chit chat between one another while I zoned out, drifting continuously through sleep.
The groggy feeling was shaken as the car jerkily came to a stop. I had to blink to reacquaint myself with my eyes, as I took in all that I could see around me. We were finally here.
I didn't normally see things as 'precious' or 'beautiful', but that is what this place was. Sheltered by a cascade of evergreen trees, the lake extended far beyond what our eyes could perceive. Mountains and summits rolled off the water and stood tall at the end of the vast lake, towering above everything and were sheltered within the clouds.
There was even a boat ramp into the lake.
Awesome!
There were six unique houses ingrained in a clearing just at the edge of the lake, to our left. The plateau in which they were built on offered a picturesque and stunning glimpse into the water. There were new faces unpacking into their respective houses, their beings I couldn't ascertain from this distance.
The house closest to us is the one we eventually stopped in front of. It was a beautiful three story lake side cottage, white weatherboards and ivy slowly making its way to the roof. The roofing tiles were the colour of chocolate, and sat comfortably above a balcony that adjoined to the house.
Green foliage grew in patches all around, with a barbeque pit and tables set out on the edge of the plateau for everyone to utilise. Space was vast and flora was in utmost supply. Everything simply was better than I could have imagined.
"Welcome to Ridgewood, honey." My mother's saccharine voice coddled.
The car idled for a moment before dad turned it off. I swung my door open and eyed down the lane way of the other houses.
Each was occupied, and had a tenant to occupy it for the duration of the vacation. I could see why; this place was amazing. But I eyed the families walking to their cars and to their houses, unloading and unpacking. Much to my surprise, I saw a few kids that looked my age. Sure, there were a few younger ones too, but that meant there were probably cool,- I mean lame kids toys I could use.
"Austin, get here and take your stuff out of the car!" One of my parents called, but I didn't respond. I was glued to my spot, absorbing this strange and new place.
My eyes darted everywhere, but my vision was stuck in one place in particular. Our faux neighbours. The whitewash house that was next to ours. The white house was the smallest, that much I was certain. But it wasn't the house that held my attention – it was the girl that stood there.
Her frame was rigid and firm, staring intently out to the lapping waves of the lake. The rocks jutted out the end of the plateau, but she saw straight past them. She looked fragile, like the wind could knock her over if a draft were malicious enough to attempt it. Her dark brown hair held a loose curl, with a lighter brown tipping the ends. Her eyes were darker than her hair. She looks very peaceful, and at rest with the world.
Then she turned her head slightly, and saw me staring at her.
Crap.
As nonchalant as I could manage, I meagerly walked back to my parents and grasped my guitar case, then cradled my other bags in any other crevice on my body. I barreled into the house, and followed the creaky floorboards up to the staircase. I trekked up to the third story, but tripped into the room I decided was mine.
My luggage spilled all over the floor, as an agonising pain shuddered through the leg that I fell on. A sea foam rug held most of my bags now, with exception to my guitar case that slid all the way over to the window seat, opposite the balcony.
I gingerly put weight on the sore leg, and hobbled over to the balcony and opened the door. A warm breeze flooded the room, taking my attention away from the throbbing in my calve.
"Nice pants!"
First, I looked at my pants. They were black pants with a silver chain attached to the waistband. Bewildered, I peered down to the ground to find a guy staring back at me. His outfit spoke volumes, screaming an assortment of crazy colours. I wasn't sure whether his comment was a joke or not.
"I guess this is the part where I let down my hair and you climb the tower." I shouted back, as we both laughed.
"I'm Dez, I live down there!" The red head beamed, pointing towards a modern, architectural masterpiece.
"Hold on a second!" I nervously shouted down, afraid this stranger would actually scale the wall to meet me in my room.
I passed my parents and met with Dez in the clearing of my house and the little white house next door. Dez seemed glad to see me, and he seemed like a good kid. And by kid, I mean teenager that is probably my age.
"And you are?" Dez gestured, squinting his eyes at me.
"Oh, right, I'm Austin." I introduced myself, as we shook hands like businessmen would.
That is, until Dez grabbed my arm and started contorting it in all different directions.
"Dez, what are you doing?" I whined.
"Oh, you know, I just thought that we should have a handshake. Like all the friends do." He nudged me with such force, I almost toppled over.
"How many friends do you have, exactly?"
"Oh, you'd be the first." He said, completely deadpan. Like it didn't bother him at all.
I think he and I are going to be good friends.
Dez offered to show me around, a kind service on behalf of my new friend. We bantered and chatted like we were old buddies. That's the thing about Dez, he seems all crazy and intimidating at first, but he was one of the easiest people to talk to. You can never run out of things to talk about with him.
"And this is a tree. It has leaves, sticks and everything!" He cheered. I laughed while shaking my head.
"Better than the trees in Miami, I say!"
We stood on the very edge of the plateau, with the jagged rocks pressing at our backs. Our views were locked on the houses, and the backdrop of green trees behind it. Dez was rambling about who else lives here, but I found myself tuning out. Instead, my eyes kept flitting to the girl in the white house. There was something not quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Dez said, looking possessed. His face was inches away from mine.
"Ahhh!" I screamed, edging away.
Dez was frozen. Not a word escaped his lips, until I realised that was my cue to say something.
"No, I am currently unattached to anyone. Why..?"
"Research." Dez shrugged.
Then my eyes flitted back to the girl. This time however, she was sitting on her front porch. She remained focused, staring into nothing. But when our eyes finally met, hers widened in terror. She turned her head away instantly, retreating back inside her house.
Either she was shy or I looked like a sea monster.
Still, I didn't expect to like it here at the lake house. In saying that, I had only been here for about an hour, but the sentiment still stood.
It was a shame that I had to get out and sneak back home to Miami.
(A/N: Hey again! :) Okay, I know I only posted the first chapter like three days ago or something but I have this story planned ahead, and I'm just in love with it. So, here is a very early update ahah.
As a little bit of fun, I thought I would leave the title of the next chapter here so you can guess it's meaning while you wait for me to get the next chapter up.
"Parents & Potato Salad"
Remember to review, and tell me what you think the title means! :P
Also, I know I hate it when I read stories and it says that the character has a secret and you're like "wow, that's so cool! But how come it takes us the whole story to find out?" I can assure you, Ally's secret will be brought to light in the next chapter.
So guys, it would mean the world to me if you could leave a review and tell me what you think! Favourite and follow if you think I deserve it, but I'm always happy to hear what you think! (Good or bad. :D)
But, as always, thank you for being so amazing and reading thus far! I hope you enjoyed it, and sincerely wish you guys to follow this story to the end. :) That's all for now I suppose, bye guys! xx)