Hi folks and friends,
I'm going to do my very best to update this story weekly. I'm currently planning 14 chapters. I haven't forgotten about my incomplete works, but inspiration comes when and where it does. This isn't very original, but it's been stuck in my head, so I thought I should write it down.
-Bess
August
Rationally, Troy understood why his family was uprooting their lives in Lubbock and moving five hours away to Albuquerque. University was expensive, mortgages were expensive, cars were expensive. Everything was expensive. It made sense, and it had all fallen into place so seamlessly. His mother was going to be a partner at her new law firm; and one of the best schools in the city was looking for a new basketball coach. His dad would be making nearly fifteen thousand more dollars a year in this new position. The mature and rational side of Troy's brain accepted that this was the right decision for his family. He only had one year left in high school, so it didn't make sense for his family to stay in Lubbock when so many opportunities awaited them in Albuquerque.
But the upset, teenaged version of himself sat passive aggressively in the passenger's seat of his mother's SUV. That part of him could not understand why they needed to force him away from his friends, his senior year, his whole life. He would have to start over. And then he would have to start over again in a year when he started university.
That part of him was furious and sad. So, so sad. That part of him sat silently seething to stave off tears, hoping his mother could feel the angry energy emanating from his body. His forehead was pressed against the window, listening to the crunch of asphalt under the tires and watching the never-ending landscape pass them by. His father was somewhere ahead of them. He was driving their U-Haul and planning to meet the movers once they got to the new house.
At the rate they were traveling, Troy expected that they would arrive in a little under 2 hours. Their new house was nice. It was a 10-minute commute in either direction for his parents to their new places of employment. It had a sturdy old tree and a treehouse from the previous family. His dad even had a basketball court set up in their sprawling backyard. His new room was bigger than his old one, and he had his own bathroom now. But what were material things when he was miles away from the friends he had known since childhood? He would miss his school's annual fall festival, and basketball season, homecoming, and prom. He would miss the excitement of ripping open envelopes with his friends to see which universities decided to accept them.
Troy hated it. Nothing good was going to come from this move – for him at least. That was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.
…
"Honey," his mother's voice floated around him, rousing him from slumber. "Honey, we're here."
Troy turned his head slowly to see his mother smiling at him, bright-eyed with excitement.
"The movers and Dad got most of the stuff inside, but there are a few boxes in the living room that haven't made it up to your room yet. Let's get going," she encouraged, patting his knee. "Hopefully, we can find the bedding before night."
His mother looked so happy. Troy could see the hope sparkling in her blue eyes. Maybe later in the week Troy would be happy for her as well, but for now, he rolled his eyes and sighed before vacating the SUV. It was too difficult to see her joy when he felt so heartbroken. His own hopes for the future left far behind. He didn't understand how his parents could be so happy. They had left their friends too and their work communities. They left their favorite bistro and the park around the corner where their mom liked to jog in the mornings. Maybe they weren't as sentimental as Troy, or maybe they saw something in this move that he couldn't. But they had been all smiles since learning that they both got jobs and found a picture-perfect house. Smiles that greeted Troy now.
"Hey, Bud," his dad called from right inside the house, grinning at his son. "Help me out will ya?"
It wasn't really a choice. Under normal circumstances, Troy wasn't a brooding, moody teenager. As his parents' first and only child, they had lucked out to have a helpful, responsible one. He did his chores without much fuss, and he helped where he could. But today, Troy would rather sulkily take boxes up to his new room and avoid interactions with his parents. Nonetheless, he nodded at his dad and walked toward him.
"Thanks, son," he patted him on the back. "Let's get this TV mounted. You hold the mount steady, and I'll drill in the screws. Once we do that, I should be able to lift it up onto the mount."
Troy didn't respond verbally. He simply stood and held the mount still as his dad requested. All-in-all it only took about ten minutes to get the TV on the wall, and once they were done, Troy was left to his own devices. As he walked out of the living room, he realized if his parents were oblivious, or if they were both choosing to ignore his sour mood.
He shuffled through the boxes piled in the living room until he found several of his own. He stacked two on top of one another and carried them upstairs. After several trips, he was exhausted. He flopped backward onto his bed, arms outstretched. Outside the window he could hear kids playing. It was that kind of neighborhood – picturesque. He sighed, thoughts of his new life consuming him. In a week he would start his senior year at East High. This year wouldn't be as simple as memorizing a new schedule and finding his classes like it would have been in Lubbock. This year he would have to learn a whole new system. A whole new school culture. New dynamics, new school staff, and new friends.
Before he could be consumed by the thoughts, get lost in the minute details of how he was going to navigate a new life, his mother was calling his name.
"Troy, we have company."
Just what he needed. Who could the company be? They had only been in the house for an hour. Begrudgingly, Troy rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes and stretched before getting out of bed. As he descended the stairs, he was greeted by his parents standing with an unfamiliar family.
"Troy," his mother beamed, wrapping an arm around him. "These are the Montezes. They live next door, and they've invited us to dinner."
"It's nice to meet you, Troy," Mr. Montez held out his hand to Troy. "I'm Luis. This is my wife Estefania."
"Stef," she interrupted with a laugh, placing a gentle hand on her husband's bicep.
"Stef," Luis corrected good naturedly, "and these are my daughters Victoria, Gabriella, and Ana."
They were a beautiful family. That's the first thing Troy thought as he took in their appearance – all dark-haired and smooth, tanned skin. Two of the daughters looked about Troy's age, the third just entering her teenaged years.
"I'm Troy," he waved awkwardly after releasing Luis's hand. "Nice to meet you all too."
"We're so glad you all will be joining us for dinner," Stef smiled at Lucy Bolton as she spoke, "it should be ready in about 30 minutes. Nothing fancy. Just lasagna."
"Well, that sounds delicious," Jack smiled broadly, "and we appreciate the invitation."
…
The Montezes had a house that was just as beautiful as the one Troy had just moved into. The smell of a homecooked meal wafted through their expansive foyer. Beautiful, old architecture like wood trim framed their large windows; and subtle but intricate wood detailing accented the railing that led to the second floor. Troy took it all in as Ana flitted around his family – acting as designated greeter. She was every stereotype of a budding teenager, and it made Troy smile. She spoke sarcastically and rolled her eyes. She made offhand comments about acne and smelly classmates after gym.
Troy nodded and listened attentively to her as his parents were swept into conversations with Luis and Stef.
"So where are your sisters?" Troy inquired casually.
"Eww gross," Ana rolled her eyes.
"What?" he replied with a laugh.
"I'm used to guys wanting to date Victoria the minute they see her."
Troy held up his hands in surrender, "Hey, I'm just making conversation. I'm not interested in dating anyone…yet," he added as a cheeky afterthought that made Ana giggle.
"They're both setting the table and finishing dinner. Mom asked them to take care of it so the grownups would have a reason to sit in the study and drink scotch, or bourbon, or whatever it is they drink," she told him flippantly.
The corner of Troy's mouth upturned in another grin, "And how did you avoid helping?"
"The trick is," she held up her index finger and pointed at him to emphasize her point, "You have to make everyone believe that you are incompetent in the kitchen."
"No one believes that," their conversation was interrupted by Victoria. "It's just easier to let her believe she has us all fooled." Victoria told Troy.
"Tori!" Ana protested impetuously before crossing her arms.
"Oh don't pout," Victoria instructed, tugging at one of Ana's long braids teasingly. "You didn't really think that was why you got out of kitchen duty, did you?"
"Yes," Ana's lower lip protruded sulkily.
"She gets out of kitchen duty," Victoria explained to Troy, "because she is the baby, and we love her!" She then pinched one of Ana's cheeks before pressing an affectionate kiss to her younger sister's temple.
"C'mon," Victoria turned her attention to Ana and threw her arm around the girl's shoulder, guiding her toward the dining room, "dinner's ready." She looked over her shoulder and offered Troy a smile that encouraged him to follow them.
The center of the Montez dining room housed an oak table that could easily seat ten. Despite this, it was just as warm and cozy as the rest of the house. Troy was sat with his mother on one side of him and Ana on the other.
"So, you'll be starting at East High next week?" Luis's asked from the head of the table. The question was directed at Troy. Conversation had been casual and pleasant but had quickly turned to discussions of the upcoming school year.
"Yes, sir. I'm a senior."
"Oh!" Victoria perked up a bit. She was directly across from Troy. "I'm a senior too."
Stef interjected, "I'm sure Tori would love to show you around, Troy. She can make sure you have someone to sit with at lunch," her voice was light with the joke.
"No problem," Victoria answered easily, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Do you have your schedule yet?"
"Not yet," Troy answered. "The guidance counselor said I need to take some placement tests to make sure I'm on the same track I was on back in Lubbock." He wasn't looking forward to a day filled with test-taking.
"Well, hopefully you won't get homeroom with Darbus. She's…" Victoria paused as if searching for the word. "Eccentric."
"And she hates athletes," Ana chimed in.
Troy rose his eyebrow speculatively, "What makes you think I'm an athlete?"
"Please," Ana's brown eyes did what came naturally to her as she rolled them, "your dad coaches basketball and you're all muscle-y. Of course you play the sport."
Jack laughed, looking around the table, "She's not wrong."
Tired of being the center of attention, Troy lifted his eyes to Gabriella who was seated beside Victoria. She had not spoken much throughout dinner. She was quietly pushing her food around her plate, taking occasional bites, but looking like she was mostly lost in her own world.
"Will I be seeing you around too, Gabriella?"
She looked up at him, her doe-eyed gaze reminding him of a deer caught in headlights. Her fork clattered lightly against her plate. Apparently, he had caught her off guard.
"Do you go to East High?" he clarified his question – albeit unnecessarily.
Shyly she nodded, "Uh…yeah. I'm…I'll be a sophomore." She tucked a curl behind her ear before looking back down at her plate.
"You won't be seeing me around. Your loss," Ana captured everyone's attention – much to Gabriella's relief. Troy watched her visibly exhale.
Everyone laughed at the youngest Montez's humor, but Troy let his gaze wonder to Gabriella again, noticing the flush on her cheeks was still present even as her attention was drawn back to her plate.
"I'll be in eighth grade this year," Ana continued.
Troy indulged her, "All right! The big fish. Are you excited?"
Ana nodded proudly.
Troy sort of hated to admit it, but dinner with the neighbors was nice. He hated to admit it because liking his neighbors meant he had one less reason to dislike Albuquerque. Troy's heart was already softening to the place. He was glad that his parents were finding commonalities with Luis and Stef – even if that meant reminiscing about when their children were young or bemoaning the current perils of their teenaged years.
Dinner ended, and everyone dispersed – the teens congregating in the living room. Victoria and Ana chatted amicably, sharing suggestions with Troy of how to make it through his first week of school. Gabriella was quiet most of the time, never offering comments unless questions were directed at her. However, she smiled softly when she noticed Troy's gaze falling upon her, but Troy got the feeling that she was much shyer than her sisters. Where the other two seemed passionate and lively, Gabriella seemed the opposite. Gentle and comforting, a softness about her.
She was quiet now. Snuggled in a corner away from the rest of the group. She had her legs tucked up in her seat with a blanket on her lap. Troy also took note of the stationary supplies – floral print papers, cream-colored envelopes, several colorful pens, and a book of stamps – she had scattered nearby and the thoughtful expression on her face as she wrote.
It was too enticing not to ask, "What are you working on, Gabriella?" his curiosity got the best of him. He didn't even care that he had completely ignored Ana's question. He watched as Gabriella's fingers fluttered and stilled against her paper before looking up at him.
"I'm writing a letter to my cousin Lina," she told him, her eyes shifting uncertainly to her sisters. This didn't go unnoticed by Troy, but he didn't know what it meant.
"Where does she live?" he was intrigued by the quietest Montez daughter and wanted to learn more about her as well. He had learned that Victoria was a cheerleader and that Ana played soccer, but he didn't know anything about Gabriella yet.
Troy watched as she bit her lower lip, giving him the impression that she was nervous about their conversation.
"She lives in Ensenada. It's in Baja California. We call and email each other too, but she loves handwritten letters," the upturn of her lips and the sparkle in her eyes exhibited a genuine happiness that he had not seen from her all night. She must really love Lina.
Troy's blue eyes gazed upon her in wonder. She was interesting. There was something about her that was unlike the rest of her family, but Troy couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that made her different. Maybe it was her curls. She was the only one who's black hair hung in soft waves down her back. Or maybe it was the pretty blush of her cheeks whenever he spoke to her. Or maybe it was something entirely different that he would need time to figure out.
They looked at one another, both smiling softly. Both oblivious to Ana and Victoria. Soon, unexpected tinkling laughter filled the room, interrupting the moment shared between Troy and Gabriella.
"We better head home."
Troy turned at his mother's voice to see her standing in the doorframe.
"We don't want to outstay our welcome."
"You are welcome any time," Stef's laughter mixed with his mother's.
"We will take you up on that offer," Jack came into view and answered for Lucille.
Troy stood to leave with his parents, "Bye," he waved to each of the Montez daughters in turn.
Jack ruffled Troy's hair as they made the short walk back to their house. The night was warm and still alive with the remnants of summer break – distant water splashing in a pool, laughter from front porches, young children's squeals of delight.
"Well, I think we've found your girlfriend," Jack joked, a laugh bubbling in his words.
"Those Montez girls are lovely…and so sweet," Lucy encouraged, wrapping her own arm around Troy, "I wouldn't mind seeing one of them as your first girlfriend.