Chapter 1

Florida is my home state. It's where I took my very first baby steps. The first time I celebrated my 1st birthday. Everything I first did was in Florida, but now my dad found a new job in California. Our new life was all the way on the other side of the U.S.

"Can you help me with the rest of the boxes, Jaden?" My mom was carrying two boxes in her arms.

I took two boxes from the floor and headed out to the truck. "Are you excited, honey?" my dad asked. I passed him a box, "Not really, but what are we going to do about it."

"Oh c'mon there's a new life waiting for you." he came closer and put his arm around me. I faked a smile. "Where's your sister by the way?"

"Uhhh...I think she's inside. I'll go look for her."

"Is that the rest of them?" I heard my dad scream.

"Danielle," I screamed, "where are you?"

"In my room!" I walked to her room, "Are you ready?"

"Yes! I can't wait for my new school and friends even though I'm going to miss my friends." She took a last look around her room. "Did you take a last look?" she asked me. I nodded my head.

"You guys ready?" Dad screamed.

"Let's go." I headed outside. I stood in front of the drive way. One last look until moving time. "I'm going to miss you guys!" Larry gave me a hug.

"So are we Larry." I told him back. A tear started to fall down on my cheek.

"Aww don't cry Kiddo. Your father and I will still keep in touch." I smiled.

Larry was one of my dad's best friends in high school. Larry was the typical high school football jock and my dad wasn't as popular as him but he wasn't a nerd either. Larry and Dad met in science class while they were partnered up for an experiment. Larry actually liked my dad for him not his intelligence. They became really close friends until after high school Larry moved to New York. My dad was devastated after his move but he realized that he needed to move on. During my dad's college years he met my mom which took his mind off of Larry. Years later, Larry came back not knowing that he was close to us. My dad was very happy and even happier when he knew that they were practically neighbors.

He viciously rubbed my hair. I smiled. Larry was like a second dad to me. If my dad wasn't there then he was there.

" I'm really going to miss you!" I said.

"Wait! You forgot about me!" I heard someone scream so I turned around. She came running towards me. " I can't believe you're leaving!" Jessica said. I smiled. Even in the saddest moments Jessica some how ended up making it a happy moment.

Jessica and I were best friends in elementary school and all through middle school. We became friends in second grade over a design contest in class...

Our teacher Mrs. Marish assigned everyone in our class to get with a partner to work on the design. "This is our second annual design contest!" Mrs. Marish said excitingly, "The contest requires two people per design. Whoever gets picked as a winner gets their design displayed at the art museum and also win passes to Chuck E. Cheese's. Now I want you all to do your best and do the most creative design you can do. Remember neatness and creativity counts for a grade. Also, there is no cheating or copying allowed." She looked at a couple of faces, but then quickly smiled, "Now lets get started. Everyone with their partners." I saw everyone running toward their partner.

Then I scanned the entire room realizing I was the only one without a partner. But then I saw a girl in the far corner all by herself. Mrs. Marish came walking towards me, "Jaden, I want you to get together with Jessica," she said pointing towards the girl in the corner, "so both of you can work together on the design." She just looked at me with her puppy eyes. I didn't even know this girl, Jessica, how was I going to work with her? I just couldn't say no to a teacher, so I just shrugged. "Great!" I looked toward Jessica, then back at the teacher.

Mrs. Marish went towards Jessica and talked to her. And then soon Jessica stood up and came up to my desk. I didn't know who she was, was she new? She sat next to my desk and said, "Hi." she waved lightly. I smiled.

We soon became friends after vowing that we would do our best on the design or at least have fun and if we won then we would enjoy what we deserved. We started hanging out after school and went to each others houses. We would practically do everything together in school.

"I'm going to miss you!" she said almost in tears.

"I'm going to miss you, too!" I gave her a big and the last hug with tears running down my cheeks. I let her go wiping the couple of tears I had on my cheeks.

"C'mon it's not like we'll never see each other again, right?" she said so confident.

"But what if we don't?"

"I'm sure we will," she patted my back, "promise me that you'll text me?" She stuck out her pinkie, "Pinkie promise?"

I stuck out my pinkie, "I promise."

"C'mon honey, it's time to go." My dad waved his hand.

"I'm coming Dad wait." Her sad faced vanished, "Its time..." I gave her another big hug making it last a long time. "I'm going to miss you!" I said in tears probably wetting her sleeve.

"It's okay," she said patting my back, "me, too!" I heard her start crying, but was interrupted By the cars honk, HONK! I wiped my tears once again on my sleeve heading to the truck. I could only bare to wave at her a good-bye because if I looked at her once more I'd start to tear again.

I hopped onto the truck, buckled my seatbelt and looked out the window. Jessica and Larry were waving good-bye. On the inside I was waving back at them but I couldn't on the outside. My mom looked back behind her seat telling me, "It's going to be okay, honey." she patted my knees, "Everything is going to be okay."

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1 day, 18 hours, 24 minutes, 53 seconds is what it took to get to California. Everything looked so busy. The streets. The sidewalks. The stores. Everything. Deeper into the city everything was much more calmer. There was less traffic and a lot less people.

We came to a familiar street. Then I recognized a house. It is pink with a bright green hedge. The house was small, but not to small, a decent size. It also had small decent plant pots next to the entrance door.

"Mom, what are we doing here?" I asked looking out the window.

"We're staying here for a couple of days until they finish doing some renovations at our house." My family and I came to California about two or three years ago and we stayed with my aunt Meredith.

As soon as the headlights of the truck turned off Aunt Meredith came out of the house. "Oh my! It's been so long!" Se came towards us and gave us a hug. "I'm so glad you came!" "Awww...." My mom said.

"Well that's what sisters are for, right?" Dad said giving her a hug.

"Oh yeah." Aunt Meredith said. "Oh, you girls are so big!" She came to give us a hug.

"Hi Aunt Meredith!"

"Let's go inside." Aunt Meredith led us the way inside.

"Your house is still the same." Dad looked around the house. I really couldn't see anything different.

"Hi guys! Hi Aunt Marie and Uncle Victor!" Nelsi said. She was a seven year old.

My aunt Meredith and and uncle Ben were sad that they couldn't have any kids but like two years later my aunt resulted pregnant. They were so happy that they would have a child of their own. When Nelsi was born my aunt wouldn't decide on what name to call her. It was between Junior, if it was a boy, or Juliet, if it was a girl. My aunt wasn't very original. I gave her the suggestion of the name Nelsi and she actually liked because she's very picky with certain things.

We unpacked some of the luggage in the truck just so we would have a weeks worth of clothes. "We brought some souvenirs from Florida." Mom said. She took out two Florida magnets and two t-shirts. "These are for you two and this," she took out a small messenger bag that had a cool Florida picture on it and said Florida all over the bag, "is for you Nelsi." Nelsi was so happy she was jumping around, "I love it!"

"Now Nelsi what do we say." Uncle Ben said.

"Thank you Auntie and Uncle!" She said.

"Dinner's ready!" Aunt Meredith said.

The next day bright and early my mom and aunt took me to the mall. My dad and uncle stayed back and had some guy time.

7 October 2011

There were a lot of stores but I liked shopping at Hollister and at American Eagle Outfitters. I bought a bunch of new clothes and two new pairs of shoes from Vans and Foot Locker. My mom bought Danielle a couple of outfits, too.

After a long day of shopping we stopped by the food court and bought some burgers. We got home and I just dropped on the sofa. "I'm dead!" I said closing my eyes.

"Oh it was fun!", Mom said.

"I'm not even going to ask how it went." Dad gave my mom a hug.

"Dad it was exhausting! But on the bright side I got some new clothes!" I started taking out the clothes from my bags.

"Oh that's pretty."

"Dad that's my pjs. Out of all the clothes you think my pjs are pretty?"

"Yeah, I think it's perfect. The rest of them are exposing."

"Dad nothing's going to happen and they're not to exposing. I think my pjs are though."

"But you're staying inside the house and no one sees you."

"Enough chit chat you guys," aunt Meredith interrupted, "it's time for dinner."

"Even though you're my younger sister doesn't mean you can boss me around." Dad said. "Oh come on." She started laughing.

The next two days was when I went back to school. I felt nervous entering the sch--, I mean my new school! What if nobody wanted to be my friend? What was I supposed to do then? Then I remembered my best friend, Jessica...we did everything together, we went to each others houses to do homework, talk, or just to see each other...I pushed this thought aside. This was a new beginning, a new start.

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This is my very first romance/teen fiction story!!! I'm planning on having a lot of readers with this story!  

Thanks for reading my first chapter! I hoped you liked it! I need some feedback on what you liked and disliked about this chapter. Pleeease leave your comments! :)