Chapter One: The New Girl
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Tanner Kistner stared at that line waiting for the meaning to jump out at her. She repeated it over and over again. First slowly then faster but she just couldn't grasp the meaning. She needed a break. Tanner glanced out the window and saw the beautiful dark night with the moon and stars brilliantly gleaming in the endless sky. She glided to the open window and climbed out of it to relax on the roof. Tanner enjoyed the night, somehow, she felt free from her problems and free from her family, and it always reminded her that someone was watching over her.
The concentrated silence was soon broken by the shuffling footsteps of her mom in her fuzzy blue slippers coming into Tanner's room. "What are you doing!" her mother yelled
"Uh…nothing!" Tanner quickly ran into the room to shut her book.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop reading your Shakespeare books? I don't know why your grandmother got you those. Every time I see you, your nose is stuck in that stupid book. Why not open up a science book or a dictionary. And why were you on the roof! It's not for sitting on it's to cover our heads! Kayla would never do such inane things! Can't you be more like your sister?"
"I don't want to be like her!" Tanner sighed.
Her mother rolled her eyes in annoyance and scanned the room. "Why haven't you unpacked your boxes? Everyone else has unpacked but you." She nagged.
"I'm sorry mom," Tanner said sarcastically. "But, I don't see the point."
"Not again.' Her mother moaned to herself.
Tanner continued, "Dad's just going to get based some where else and we're just gonna have to pack up and move our stupid stuff again…so what's the point."
Mrs. Kistner had enough and calmly said as she went into the hall, "unpack the boxes, stop being a drama queen, then go to bed, you have school tomorrow."
Tanner sat in the middle of her room angry and alone. "School" she thought, as her stomach churned. Another couple of months of being lonely, and neglected by her peers, being labeled as the "army brat" or "the drama freak". She looked at the unpacked boxes cluttering her room and went to work of unpacking the short lived memories all over again.
Being finished, she plopped herslef onto her bed staring at the dull white ceiling. A tight ball formed in her throat as she tried to hold back her tears. Her mom didn't care. In fact she only cared about work, money, reputations, Tanner's father and older sister. But Tanner decided that she didn't need her mom to care. She could get by caring for herself.
Tanner awoke the next morning to the blaring buzzing of her alarm clock as the rain hit against the window like tiny hard rocks. She glanced at the time and groaned at the thought of getting up. It was 6:45 a.m. and she wasn't exactly feeling "like a million bucks."
Being half awake, she slid out of bed and dragged herself to her closet on the other side of the room. She stared at the hanging clothes of bright colors in the closet. The day wasn't the day for yellow, or pink, or orange. It was a dark day and she wanted everyone to know that. After 5 frantic searches of the perfect outfit, she finally found a grey pullover and a pair of her favorite ripped jeans.
She sauntered to the bathroom to take a warm shower and to brush her teeth and hair. She finished and observed herself in the mirror as if she was waiting for her features to some how magically change. She was beautiful, but no one ever told her, so she never thought so. She took after her father: tall, dark skin, and sculpted. Tanner admired her father, he was strong and brave and he looked like a king when he stood tall. She remembered so long ago when she was six: she was looking up at her father with awing eyes. It scared Tanner that her dad showed no emotion, but that one afternoon, he went down on one knee so the hovering body was now eye level and smiled. Tanner knew that from then on, the intimidating officer was deep down, a loving father.
She turned and watched as her sister Kayla entered the room. Deep down, Tanner envied her older sister. She was perfect in everyway. Perfect body, face, hair, perfect personality, friends, and every where she went she had a perfect boy friend.
Kayla took notice of Tanner's studying glare, "What?" she glared back.
"Nothing." Tanner sighed.
Rolling her eyes, Kayla brushed shoulders with Tanner ask she glided out the bathroom door. Tanner turned and followed her sister in to Kayla's room.
Kayla opened her closet door as Tanner took a seat on Kayla's bed. "What do you think I should wear?" Kayla said throwing two different outfits on the bed. "The white turtle neck and the brown pinstripe pants, or the yellow cardigan and the jean minni skirt?"
"Who cares Kayla, either one looks fine on you."
"Yeah, but I don't want to appear that I try too hard to look good, and each single garment gives a different impression."
"Well, why don't you wear the white turtle neck then…I think it makes you look smart but cool." Tanner advised.
"I think you're right Tanny." Kayla pondered and put the cardigan and the skirt back in her closet.
Tanner walked out the door to leave Kayla to dress. She thought about what her sister said as she walked down the stairs, "I think you're right Tanny."
How she hated that nickname her family dubbed her when she was younger. She approached the kitchen when she smelled the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, blueberry pancakes, and Canadian bacon…Kayla's favorite. "Smells good mom."
Tanner sat down at the table and stared at her glass of orange juice sitting on the fall leaf decorated place matt. Ever since Tanner could remember, Kayla's favorite meal was always made on the first day of a new school because it would always make her calm down. Otherwise, she'd have a panic attack over something that might go wrong. The slamming of the plate in front of her broke her train of thought. "Eat up." Her mom said in monotone.
Her mom walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up to Kayla to come down for breakfast. Tanner sat there scarffing down her food. "Slow down or you'll throw up your food Tanny." Her mom warned.
Tanner gnashed her teeth in annoyance. Tanny. It's TANNER! She wanted to scream. Kayla came thudding down the stairs. "Oh Kayla! You look so cute!" Mrs. Kistner exclaimed as Kayla rotated a 360 degree turn.
"How do I look mom?" Tanner said knowing she wasn't going to get a sincere answer.
"Oh…you look nice Tanny." Her mom said still admiring Kayla's ensemble.
"It's Tanner!" She huffed under her breath.
Tanner glanced at the stove clock. 7:00 and school started in half an hour. "Uhh…not to ruin your guys' fun, but I think we should be going now." Tanner stood up and emptied her plate in the sink.
"Oh but Kayla didn't even get to have breakfast."
"I'll be fine mom." Kalya said picking up her backpack, "I'll get something at school."
"Oh okay…you two have a great day at school!" Their mom said as she waved goodbye to them.
Tanner thought to herself: another new city, another new town, another new side walk to another new school where I'll, once again, be the new girl.