Moving from my quiet farm home in Phoenix, Arizona to loud and crowded New York seemed like a terrible transition for me. I packed most of my belongings from home and brought them with me. It almost seemed like I didn't exist but Daddy and Papa still had my furniture and all of our family photos, so at least Katie would know that I existed once in her life.
When I arrived at my aunt's house, she came running to the cab. She hadn't seen me since I was little, so I couldn't blame her for being excited.
"There's my beautiful niece. How are you, Danny? Hope the car ride wasn't too rough on you."
"Hi, Auntie Liz. I'm okay and as for the car ride, I think I slept through most of it." I smiled and Auntie Liz laughed. I started pick up my things that were on the sidewalk thanks to the cab driver. Some of the boxes were heavy so I struggled with them. Auntie Liz immediately came to my rescue and picked up a few of the heavy boxes. She may not look it, but Auntie Liz was strong.
Auntie Liz led me upstairs to my new room after paying the cab driver and getting all my stuff inside. I knew it was going to be smaller than my old room, but it was still a good size for my liking. The walls were painted a light purple color and there was furniture fit for a kid already placed.
"Your fathers called a few days before you left and told me some things about what you like. I painted the walls for you so it would feel like your old room. I know it won't feel exactly the same, but I want you to be comfortable here." Sympathy was mixed with Auntie's words and I knew she felt sorry for me. I didn't want her to see the tears that were starting to fill my eyes so I quickly wiped them away and then smiled at Auntie Liz. In truth, I was happy to start over. Back home, I was just about to start second grade. School had just started in New York when I arrived and the elementary school was ready for, but Auntie Liz had me stay home for the first two weeks. It was just so I could get used to living in my new home.
Living with Auntie Liz wasn't as bad as I had first thought. I still missed Daddy and Papa, but they wrote to me when they could and I always replied. I remembered that I had to use a fake name when I sent a letter, but my handwriting was a bit messy so Auntie Liz had to write the addresses down on the envelope for me. My handwriting improved though. School was great. I made friends and got good grades. My teachers loved me. I had fun in elementary school, but then middle school came around and I lost my friends. I knew it would happen and wasn't very upset, but it still hurt.
Middle school came and went. I still got good grades and was still a favorite of the teachers. The only thing that was a bummer was being near the bottom of the popularity chain. I guess I sort of fit at the bottom because I dressed weird. I had taken an interest in dark clothes and started to wear them to school. It wasn't that big of a deal in middle school but in high school, it was a big deal. High school is where the social groups really count and because of my choice of clothing, I was picked on and was at the bottom. I didn't mind though. At least I wasn't the only one who got picked on at school.