Completely (Un)expected

The trees zipped past the car in an amalgamated blur of fast-moving colors and rigid, yet free-flowing shapes. We'd be arriving in Belleville at any moment, but just by looking outside, I would have never known I was in New Jersey.

Where was the shore, the beach and the sand? Why didn't I see the ocean to my right and perfectly tanned and muscular boys to my left? Why was everything so boring, so normal?

I took in these new, yet familiar looking surroundings as my cheek leaned lazily on my hand, propped up on the car window. I knew he'd been talking for a while, but I was paying little attention to my dad as I contemplated how my life would be in Jersey. By the looks of it, Pennsylvania wasn’t that different.

"You know, I feel awful about making you switch schools, but you understand, right?"

I picked up my head and looked toward my dad, managing to plaster on the best fake-smile I could just in time for his gaze to fall upon me. His eyes housed sorrow and regret for making me up and move out to live with family I hadn't seen for years, but just beyond the clouds were the faintest glimmers of light, new hope for the future endeavors and adventures he was to embark on moments after our goodbye. How could I take that away from him?

"Yeah, dad. I know." As much as it displeased me, I would never protest this. I needed to suck it up and take the change like a big girl, for my dad's sake. He needed to know that I was there for him, one-hundred percent down for the long run. I'd see him again soon, and it wasn’t like I'd never do a show with him again, but it still hurt.

But no matter how hard it was to change, how hard it would be to meet new people and get along with my new housemates, how much I'd miss my dad, I needed to do this; for him.
"It's better off this way."

"I just don’t want to mess up your schooling so much, and this close to college," he defended. He was trying to justify all this, and though I wasn’t completely enthused with the whole idea, I'd at least come to accept it. He didn’t need to defend himself; I understood completely his actions and had actually come to agree with his reasoning myself.

"Dad, I get it, seriously," I ensured him as I tried to take the edge off his active nerves and pent up guilt. "I'm not upset," I lied slightly. I understood the situation and I had come to accept my father's actions; that didn’t mean I was happy about it.

If it weren't for the fact that this was the biggest opportunity in the world and a once in a lifetime chance for my dad, I would never have gotten into the car that set off for Belleville.
I didn’t want to have to start all over during my final year of high school just to have to pick up again at the end of the year to go to college. I didn’t have a million friends back in Pennsylvania, but the ones I had were good to me, and they weren't easy to get. I'd never been good at meeting people and I knew it would be no different in New Jersey, but hopefully my cousins would make up for my lack of social life, especially since I'd be living with them.

"I'm sure you'll like it here," my dad offered up in a rather futile attempt to break the silence. "Aunt Donna told me she was really excited to see you."

I nodded to myself in silent response considering the validity of his words.

"Me too," I feigned slightly. "I haven't seen them in, what? Five years?"

I hadn't seen anyone in my family besides my dad since a little after my mom passed. Once she was gone, my dad and I went out on the road more, went to more shows, did more stuff. Admittedly, it was probably to help us get our minds off of her death, not that we didn’t miss her, it was just easier than always having to think about it.

"Just about." His eyes focused on the road, yet still had a pang of sadness. I knew he hated to see me go as much as I hated going. He perked up slightly, most likely faked, and continued, "And you'll have Gerard and Mikey."

My aunt Donna was my mother's sister-in-law and her husband, my uncle Donald, was her brother. My mom's maiden name was Way, my cousin's last name now. I'm an Owens because I got my dad's last name when I was born, even though my mother remained a Way.

Though slightly odd, my family wasn’t huge. I had my aunt Donna and Uncle Donald, whom I'd be staying with in Jersey, my two cousins, Gerard and Mikey, Donna and Donald's sons, and an uncle on my dad's side that I had never met.

I was a little nervous about having to stay with my family, especially since I hadn't seen them in so long. From what I remembered of them, they were always nice and sweet. I didn't remember too much about Gerard or Mikey aside from the fact that Gerard was a few years older than Mikey and I who, by now, were both sixteen.

Admittedly, the unfamiliarity with my next of kin was not the only reason I was unwilling to make the drastic change to settle down in a new state. Like it or not, I was a daddy's girl, I always had been and as much as I denied it, he was my entire life. He'd practically raised me all by himself, and up until this point, I had basically spent every moment of my life with him, and now that would be different. Now I wouldn't wake up and have him just in the next room, he wouldn’t be the first person I spoke to everyday and I was likely to barely hear from him, what with his chaotic schedule ahead.

"Yeah, I know," I reassured his worried and likely guilt ridden conscience. "Trust me, dad. Everything will be okay."

Just then, I looked up and saw the brick and paneled house come into view. My dad pulled into the small driveway that already housed another, older looking car. I wondered whose it was; it looked too old to even drive, and there were already two cars in the garage.


Just to the right of my sights, he caught my eye. The boy with the mousey brown hair and thick glasses I used to play with as a kid; my cousin, Mikey. He sat on the front porch steps, book in lap, or more like comic book in lap, deeply engrossed in the story. Too engrossed in fact to even notice we were there.

My dad closed the car door after stepping out and Mikey jerked his head up, giving us the look of a deer in headlights as he took in the sudden presence of other people. Just as I exited the car, a smile perked up on Mikey's lips and he stood, waving. "Hey, Henri."

So he does remember me, I thought to myself. After all this time, I found it almost impressive that Mikey would have recalled anything about me, even something so simple as my name, but then I figured that Donna had probably just told him.

"Oh, honey!" a loud female voice came bursting out along with a tall, frizzy haired blonde Aunt Donna.

She had always been vivacious and happy. Being a nurse at the local hospital and seeing tragedy after tragedy everyday hadn't hardened her heart one bit; she was loving and, from what I remember, easy to talk to, though that had been some time ago.

She came over to me, completely disregarding her youngest son and his efforts to give his welcome, and enveloped me in a tight and slightly uncomfortable hug; though I wasn’t sure if it was from not having seen her in a few years or from the way she was crushing my bones.
In the midst of Donna swaying me back and forth, her grip on me not weakening, a tired looking boy stepped out of the house and stood with Mikey who looked up to him and nodded a 'hey.'

I hadn't seen him since he was little, much littler than he was now, but I was certain that was Gerard. He used to be the short and lively boy with scrapes on his knees and dirt on the collars of his shirts, but now, clad in black with hair to match growing long and touching his shoulders, I was starting to wonder if maybe this wasn’t Gerard after all.

"Hi, Aunt Donna," I managed to squeeze enough air out ofmy lungs to give my greeting, no matter how improper. She finally let her grip go a bit, still keeping her hands on my shoulders as if at any moment I would take off running, though my dad's car was still right there…

She looked to me and smiled as if admiring a piece of art; scrutinizing and evaluating every feature yet admiring every one of them no matter how imperfect or flawed. "Look at you; you've grown so much. You've become such a beautiful young lady," Donna said as she raised a hand, giving me hope of release for just a moment before she touched it to my hair, smoothing it down.

She lifter her eyes to my father and, with a smile, said, "She looks like her."

She meant my mom, that I looked like my mom. Everyone always said that I did. We had the same tiny nose, the same full cheeks and the same misty blue eyes. The only trait I got from my father was my light blonde hair, but even that was debatable since my mother had always dyed hers.

"Boys, come over here," Donna's gears suddenly switching into the introduction of her sons, though technically I already knew them. "Mikey, Gerard, you both remember Henri, right?"

"Yeah," Gerard said nonchalantly and I couldn’t figure out whether hearing his voice shocked me or if I was to find it completely normal. It made the whole thing real; Gerard was still a person, though I hadn't seen him since he'd spoken two octaves higher. "Hey, kiddo."

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the nickname, but I was sure it wouldn’t last, so I brushed it off and replied, "Hi, Gerard."

"Man, you look so different."

"Well I hope so," I said followed by nervous chuckles from both me and Gerard.

It was then that Mikey stepped up and gave his hellos. Mikey was always shy and awkward.

He'd basically kept to himself his entire childhood, and even though he was with us on the playground or around the dining room table while coloring on pages, he never spoke much. I was hoping that that'd changed in those five or so years since I'd last seen him, after all, he'd be the one I'd be going to school with, he'd be the one, if either, that had potential to be my 'friend.'

Once I had been properly and thoroughly greeted by everyone in the Way house, excepting my uncle Don who hadn't come home from work yet, my dad turned to me. "Be good," he said, his voice monotone and unwavering, sad but hopeful for the both of us, and lastly, sure that everything would work out.

"I will," I replied, trying my best to mask my upset behind shining blue eyes and a smile that can hide even the deepest pain, which I wasn’t too far from. "Good luck out there. I love you."

"I love you, too." He pulled me in for one final hug and placed a kiss on the top of my head as we each savored our last moment with each other for at least the next few months.

Reluctantly, he let go and, painfully, I watched him get back into his car loaded with gear, and drive off after giving me one final wave.

Suddenly, I felt as though I was completely alone. I was as if, along with my father, Mikey, Gerard and Donna had left with him, and I remained, standing by myself in the middle of nowhere, but my daze was soon broken by a hand on my shoulder.

"Henri, dear?" Donna said to me, successfully bringing me back into reality, and surprisingly, giving me a slight glimmer of hope knowing that I wasn’t actually all alone. "Why don’t you go get settled in before dinner? Mikey, can you show her where the guest room is?"

Mikey nodded and came over to helpme with my bags. We walked up the stairs to the moderately decorated and bright guest bedroom in silence, not a word passed either of our lips until all my things were out of our hands. "Thanks for helping me with my stuff."

"It's no problem," Mikey said, shrugging his shoulders and looking around the room he obviously hadn't spent much time in. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, though I was still unsure why. "It must suck to have to move so close to the end of high school, so I'm sorry you have to do that."

"It's okay," I lied. "I know it's best, so why complain?"

Mikey let out a tense chuckle, but it gave way that he was starting to lighten up a little having me here. Maybe Mikey and I would get along after all.

"I guess that's a good way to look at it." Mikey paused a moment, not having much else to say and continued to look out the window.

"Well," he broke the new silence again. "I guess I'll let you unpack and whatever, uh, I think dinner will be ready soon, so I'll come back up and tell you when."

I nodded my head, but figured that wasn’t enough and also replied, "Okay, thanks, Mikey. I guess then, uhm, I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah," Mikey said. "See you."

He left the room and softly clicked the door shut behind him. I stood in the room I was to call 'mine' feeling slightly lost. The walls were a soft orange shade; not obnoxiously orange though, it was more of a creamsicle shade, and though it wouldn’t have been my first choice, I didn’t mind it.

The wooden bed was pushed against the back wall where the ceiling height changed to accommodate the addic, making the bookshelf that served as a headboard fit perfectly in the small space. I started to fill the drawers underneath with my socks and underwear, then moved onto putting my real clothes into the short and wide dresser that matched the bed. It had a mirror on top and a nice amount of space to place my few bottles of perfume and lotion. The desk was pushed into a corner and had a small lamp and wooden chair where I sat down my bag that I would be using for school.

The room was nice; not small but not too spacious either. The furniture was cute and the soft orange and blue theme wasn’t unbearable. The bed was soft and the closet was a decent size, but I think the coolest part over all was the large bay window that looked out onto the side yard and opened out onto the roof. I could picture myself sitting there to read or do my homework; my own little relaxing corner of the universe.

As if on cue, once I'd finished folding the last of my shirts to put into the dresser, I heard a soft knock on the door. Mikey stepped in a moment later and timidly said, "Hey, so dinner is ready whenever you are."

I nodded my head and set down my current project, not wanting to be the reason dinner was held up. I met Mikey at the door and we walked downstairs together.

Notes

Hey hey!! Another update, actually at a normal time this week!! WOOP!
SO!! I had an audition today for re-entry into the higher band ensemble at my school and I think I did okay, but I'm still nervous as fuhk; I play the French horn and it sits on your lap and I was shaking the whole time so my solo sounded a little funny. I mean I'm already in it this year, so the audition is to secure my spot for next year and no one ever gets bumped down so... here's hoping.
DONE RANTING!! Anyways, enjoy the reading, comment if you like, message me, vote, and all that shnazz, and I'll see you back again here next week!!!