• Chapter 1: News


    I walked into the kitchen that night, as my mom was at work. Dad was laying on the couch drooling as he was asleep with the television on. I saw a small piece of notebook paper on the refrigerator door with mom’s handwriting on it. I walked up to the fridge to look at the note. I wide eyed it as I read. The note said:

    Lauren,
    I had to work late tonight. I should be home around 1 AM. Also, tomorrow, me and
    Your father need to talk to you. I love you! And, don’t stay up too late.

    I worried a little, but mom probably just got another promotion. Dad and I get to choose one thing of our choice, from the mall, whenever mom gets a promotion. In a small town like Mayfield, Kentucky, you don’t really get many shopping sprees to get expensive things. I thought about what I would get as I laid in bed, I thought until I fell asleep.

    I woke up the next morning from my dog. She jumped on the bed and licked my face until it was dripping. I pushed her off of me, and she jumped off of my bed. I walked downstairs, mom was already awake making pancakes, while dad was sitting in his “lazy” chair watching football. Dad doesn’t even have a favorite team, he says “In football, you don’t need a favorite team, it just matters who wins, and seeing the losers scream and cry.” That is his enjoyment in football. For me, I look like a girl to love sports, watch them, and play them, but I am clumsy. If I were to play a sport, I wouldn’t even be playing it. I would be the girl in the hospital the whole season with two broken legs.

    I walked over to my dad, gave him a kiss on his head and told him “Good Morning.” Then, I walked over to my mom, gave her a half-hug, as she calls it. She says never to give her a full hug when she is at the oven, its too dangerous. But, I stood next to her for a few seconds and watched her flip a pancake. She opened her mouth to say something, but I already turned around to go back upstairs.

    Upstairs, I dropped onto my bed and reached my arm over to my nightstand to grab my cell phone. I brought my phone to life, and I had two unread texts. I had one from my mom, last night, saying that she was on her way home, and that I better not be reading the text, because it was late. I had another from my friend Tracy asking if I can go to the park with her this afternoon. I ran downstairs to ask my mom if I could meet up with Tracy, my mom said “Okay-” Then I gave her a hug, grabbed my shoes, but then realized I only had one. I stomped up the stairs and grabbed my other shoe from my dog. “Mom! Zoë put a hole in my converse!” My mom yelled back “Maybe you will get another pair for your birthday or something.” I just put on some socks and my torn up shoes as I mumbled to myself. I headed out the door, hopped on my bike, and headed for the park.

    At the park, I found Tracy, and her boyfriend Jake. Tracy noticed me and ran to me, shoving out of Jake’s arms. She gave me a hug, and called Jake over, even though he wasn’t an inch away from Tracy. To me, boyfriends are not all that. I can live without one. I don’t need boys in my life, all they do is watch sports, keep you from your friends, use you, break your heart, and hover over you. They don’t even let you breath, who wants that?! I know I don’t, I talked to Tracy about Jake and she said that she doesn’t love him, at least not yet. Tracy and I always tell each other advice, our secrets, and our motto is “Sisters Before Misters!” I would call Tracy my best friend, but I don’t want to put my other friends down. Well, my other friends are only Becca, and Heather. I’m not very popular in my school. I’ve never been a girl hoping to become popular though. Summer is coming, and I am hoping to make new friends though.

    Around Five o’clock, I arrived back home. My parents were sitting on the couch as if they were waiting for me to come back. My mom looked me in the eyes as if something was wrong, and that’s when I began to worry.
    “Mom, is there something wrong?” I asked in panic.
    “Sweetie, just sit down, you may like this or dislike it.” My mom said dramatically.
    “Uh.. Mom, are you pregnant?”
    “Oh! No! No! No!”
    “Then what is it?”
    My dad sat up from his slouching position and began to speak.
    “Lauren, your mom got another promotion.”
    “Oh! Awesome!”
    “Yeah, It was a great promotion, she got a raise too.” My dad said.
    My mom began to speak in a soft voice.
    “Lauren, we are moving to Chicago.”
    “What! When?” I asked in a loud, shocked voice.
    “In two weeks. Your father and I decided to move about a week ago.”
    “Without my permission?” I sternly asked.
    “This is our decision, not yours” My dad declared.
    “You can say bye to all of your friends, we will send E-mails to your teachers.”

    I marched up the stairs and found a small piece of candy on my pillow. My mom knows that I like to be treated like I was in a hotel, but I just swiped it off of my pillow and called Tracy.

    “Hey Trace.”
    “Oh Hey Lauren. Why are you calling? I just saw you like an hour ago.”
    “I have something to tell you.”
    “You finally said yes to Travis?!”
    “Ugh.. No.”
    “Then what is it?”
    “I’m moving, my parents just told me”
    “Oh.” Tracy whispered.
    “I’m going in two weeks.”
    “Where are you moving to?”
    “Chicago.”
    “That far?”
    “Yeah.”
    Then there was a long pause.
    “Well, I have to go Lauren, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
    “Ok b-”
    Then I heard a beeping sound in my ear.
    She hung up.

    That morning, I found myself with my phone under me. I checked my missed alerts. I had a call from Jake, a voicemail, and one text. I checked the voicemail, it was from Jake. He thought I said something bad to Tracy to make her cry. The text was from Travis, he heard I was moving, and texted me saying “I know it has taken me a long time to say this Lauren, but I love you.” I just rolled my eyes, and picked myself up out of bed. I hurried to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I put some clothes on, some jeans, a Green Day T-shirt, and my hoodie that my mom says was made out of a tablecloth. I brushed my teeth, straightened my hair, grabbed a pop tart out of the pantry, and wrote my mom a quick note that said:

    Mom,
    Going to Tracy’s for a bit. Love ya,
    See you around dinnertime.
    -Lauren

    I put the note on the kitchen counter, left the pen with it, and rushed out the door. I hopped onto my bike, and sped to Tracy’s. I arrived at Tracy’s house, knocked on the door, and her mom answered. “Oh. Hello Lauren. Come on in.” I smiled and said “Thanks Mrs. P.” For some reason, the first time I went to Tracy’s house, in fifth grade, her mom said to call her Mrs. P. It’s probably because their last name is so long. I mean, I can’t even pronounce “Peteroliani.” Tracy’s mom and I sat in the living room for a pure five minutes, in awkward silence. She never says much to me. After those long five minutes, Mrs. P told me that Tracy was still asleep. I tip-toed up the stairs and walked into Tracy’s room. I don’t really know how she sleeps in her room, because it is so bright. She has her orange, purple, and green walls, her bright blue comforter, and her giant poster of Zac Efron; she always claims that the poster is just an old memory, that she doesn’t want to give away. I defiantly wouldn’t be able to sleep, so every time I come over, we sleep in her living room, or her brother’s room, if he isn’t home.

    I decided to surprise Tracy with my visit, so I stood on her bed, and started jumping. She ended up flying in the air a few times, but she managed to wake herself up. Then, I jumped in the air, crossed my legs, and sat.
    “Ugh.. Lauren? Why are you here so early?”
    “Just wanted to visit. Do you want me to leave or something?”
    “No, no! I’m just shocked, that’s all.”
    “I know Trace, I was just kiddin‘.”
    “I called Jake last night!”
    “Just like every other night.. And?”
    “He told me something.”
    “That he is gay?”
    “No!”
    “Then what?”
    “That he loves me.”
    “Wow.. Its just words, he probably says that to every girlfriend he has.”
    “No, I was crying, you know.. Because your moving and all.”
    “Ok?”
    “Well.. He calmed me down and said it!”
    “Well did you say that you love him back?”
    “Uh.. Yeah, what am I supposed to say?”
    “Ok, bye sucka‘!”
    “Lauren-”
    “Ok, ok, I’ll control myself.”
    “Thank you.”

    Then Tracy and I just hung out at her house, went to the park for a little bit, met up with Jake, and just had fun.

    Monday, I had school. I didn’t really have to do work though; It was almost summertime. All we did was clean out our notebooks, clean out our binders, clean out our lockers, and turn in old work. Tracy and I agreed to meet up in the girls bathroom right before lunch. We did, and she came into the bathroom, in tears. She was crying when she came in, and when she saw me, she laid her head on my shoulder and cried more. I automatically guessed that Jake dumped her.
    “What’s wrong Trace? Did Jake dump you?”
    “No..”
    “Did you dump him?”
    “No..”
    “Did Mr. Kellerman tell you that you are getting held back a year?”
    “No..”
    “Tracy. Then what is it?”
    “I saw Jake kiss Trish.”
    “Are you sure it was Jake?”
    “Yes.”
    “When did you see it?”
    “Between second and third period.”

    Then I walked out of the bathroom. I looked around the lunchroom, as Tracy sped down the hall to catch up to me. I spotted Jake and walked up to him. I stood behind him, and his friend Brian pointed at me, causing Jake to turn around. I told him to stand up, and he did. I then, slapped him across the face as hard as I could. My hand burned and I watched it as it grew pink. He had an angry look on his face when I looked up.

    “What was that for?!”
    “For kissing Trish and breaking Tracy’s heart!”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You know, Trish, locking lips?” I said in an annoyed voice.
    “I didn’t kiss Trish!”
    “Yes you did, Trace saw you!”
    “I didn’t.”
    “Prove it!”
    “How?”
    “Figure that out yourself.”
    Then I walked away, I left him thinking. He sat back down, across from Brian. Brian kept staring at me until I reached Tracy again. She also was staring at me. All she said to me was “Thank you.”

    I of course got called to the office. So, when I returned home from the death trap I call School, My parents glared at me.
    “We got a call from the office.” My mom said.
    “What?! I did it for Tracy!”
    “Young Lady! We don’t care if you did it for your guardian angel, you do not use violence. You know that!” My dad said, in his lecturing parental tone.
    “You guys don’t understand.”
    “Yes w-” Then my mom began to speak.
    “What did Jake do?”
    “Kiss Trish, even though he’s dating Tracy.”
    “So, you did it because he cheated?”
    “Yes.”
    “Ok. You can go up to your room.”
    I ran up the stairs to my room and thought to myself. When I move, who is going to take care of the heartbreakers that Tracy dates? Who is going to stand up for her? Who is going to be her best friend? Then, I listened in on what my parents were saying about the incident at school.
    “How can you just let that slide?” My dad argued.
    “She did it for a friend. Me and my friends went through those kind of things when I was a teenager. I know what she is going through. How can I punish her for that?” My mom stated.
    “She can learn from her mistakes, obviously you haven’t!” My dad yelled.
    Then my mom walked up the stairs to her and dad’s bedroom. I continued to lay on my bed, acting like I didn’t hear a word. I am on mom’s side of course, even though I shouldn’t take sides in mom and dad’s arguments. I know that she did go through these kind of things, she even told me about them when I was younger. She tried her best not to get me into violence, but today, I just couldn’t stop myself. Tracy is my best friend, I have to help her.

    Another week passed by, I only had five days until Chicago. I sniffed the air and thought to myself. “I can already smell it, the pollution in the air, the city.” I rolled out of bed, without checking my phone. I went down to the kitchen and grabbed the Fruit Loops cereal box. I poured some in a bowl, and then got the milk. As I was about to open the fridge, I noticed a note on the door of the freezer. One from Mom, and one from Dad. That’s odd, Dad almost never goes out. He works at home, and mom always gets the groceries. Mom’s note said:

    Lauren,
    Went to work. Have a good day today. Maybe you
    Can go see Tracy today. Make sure no violence today
    Though. I love you Hun.
    -Mom

    I tore it off of the fridge. I put it in my pocket, in case mom wanted me to keep it; I can’t think of any reason why she would want that though. Then, I squinted my eyes and read the next note. Dad’s note said:

    Lauren,
    I am out. I will be home later this afternoon.
    Make sure you don’t get into any trouble.
    And, I know your mother already told you
    That. Your mother also knows that I’m out.
    I love you sweetie.
    -Dad

    “Hmm, that’s strange for dad to be out of the house.” I said aloud to myself. I won’t worry about it, that is mom and dad’s business that I need to stay out of. I finished my cereal, put my bowl in the dishwasher, then headed upstairs to get ready.

    I hopped onto my bike and headed for Tracy’s house. I thought to myself while I was on the bike. As I was thinking, driving came into my head as I passed cars that were on the streets. I was wishing I had my license, at least my permit. I felt like such an outsider, maybe I am. Tracy has a car, she doesn’t have her permit yet though. Her parents wont let her even get in the car until she gets her permit. I, on the other hand, don’t even imagine my parents getting me a car in the next two years. Even when we go to Chicago, live perfectly, I have no friends to impress with a car, and my parents are the most popular people in the neighborhood.

    I knew that I had to get over the moving thing, I just didn’t know how I was going to do it. I know that it isn’t my decision, I’m not the parent, and I don’t make the money, and run the family, but I’m going to lose my friends, I’m going to be alone, and I’m starting a new school in a polluted, druggie city? My parents know that I’m a country girl, I belong in fields, I can’t handle the buildings, and all of the people. There are just way too many people in the city, like Chicago. I belong in a place with barely any people, like Mayfield. I also knew that I couldn’t convince my parents to stay here in Mayfield either. Mom is on the top, she is making a lot of money, and she needs to move to Chicago if she is accepting the promotion.

    I arrived at Tracy’s house and parked my bike against her garage door. Tracy was awake when I went into her house, and her mom wasn’t home.
    “Hey Lauren, why are you here?”
    “Visiting my best friend.. Duh!”
    “Oh well, beware, Nick is here too.”
    “Uh oh..”
    Then Nick suddenly appeared at the bottom of the steps.
    “Lauren!” shouted Nick.
    “Nick..” I pretended to sound excited to see him.
    “Do you want to play Mario Brothers with me?”
    “No thanks.. I’m just going to hang out with your sister. Okay?”
    “Fine..” He pouted, and stomped up the stairs.

    You would think that your best friends eight year old brother would despise you, for Tracy, she thinks he has a small crush on me. I surely hope not, he just asks if I want to play with him, every time I come over, and he is here too. Its always either, Mario Brothers, Hide and Seek, or even cops and robbers. I always thought you need more than two people to play that. Nick always says that if him and I play, then we can make it so that you can play with only two people.
    “He has a crush on you.” Tracy says like always.
    “No he doesn’t, he just wants to have innocent fun.”
    “With you, I mean, he is always asking you to play with him, he likes you.”
    “He’s eight, I don’t think he’s interested in girls yet.”
    “Oh.. Trust me, he is.”

    Tracy and I walked around, since we don’t really have a neighborhood, we just walked to random places. McDonalds was about five minutes away, so we decided to go get lunch there. We sat in McDonalds while I had my usual chicken nuggets, and she had a double cheeseburger, we just sat in silence for a while. Then Tracy opened her mouth to speak.
    “Only five days left” she whispered.
    “I know.” I replied.
    Then we sat in silence. She stared at her paper when she finished her burger. I continued eating my nuggets. I had one bite left, I bit into it, and Tracy stood up and threw her trash away in silence. I threw mine away and sat back at the booth. Tracy sat in silence, then I stood up. She stood up too, thinking that we were leaving. I opened my arms for a hug, then she fell into my arms and started crying. I shed a few tears along with her. An old couple that was sitting at a table, and a few of the employees stared at us, but we didn’t care. According to Tracy and me, our friendship was the only thing on our minds, not people staring at us, and how different we are, just being together, and never apart. We were best friends, and nobody can ever change that.

    Later that day, I went back home. I saw both of my parents in the kitchen cooking. Mom asked what I wanted for dinner, I just slouched to my room and mumbled “Nothing.” My mom managed to hear me, she came upstairs to check on me minutes later. She peeked her head into my room, saw me laying down, crying, and just shut my door. I fell asleep to my tears, and I dreamt about Tracy that nigt.

    Five Days Later

    Moving day came fast. It just seems like yesterday, Tracy and I were first meeting in middle school. Seventh grade seems like yesterday, but it was years ago. Tracy and I never knew that in a few years, we would be hundreds of miles away from each other. I was going to be a Junior, and starting a new school; I had to deal with the city in summer also.

    My mom put the last suitcase into the trunk of the car. I took my last look at our old, beat up, wooden house. I put a flower petal that I found on the street next to my tree that I planted three years ago.

    I turned around and saw Tracy next to the car. She wasn’t crying, but looked disappointed. She leaned against the car and crossed her arms. I walked up to her.
    “Came fast.” I said.
    “Too fast.” She said in a whisper.
    “I’ll miss you.”
    “I’ll miss you too.”
    “Tracy, you know that you are my best friend right?” I asked.
    “Yeah, you are my best friend too.”
    “Even though I’m going to be in Chicago, you will still be my best friend, you know that?” I said.
    “You will be mine too.” She whispered.
    I gave her a hug, then my mom said that it was time to go. Tracy shed a few tears, but I just smiled and waved goodbye. Then, I shut my door, and we went on our way.