Trouble with the boy next door

Chapter 1: My New Life

So, we are moving to a new town because my dad's job transferred him. We are moving from Incline Village, Nevada, to Monterey, California. We spent the last two weeks packing, and the movers left with our stuff this morning.

I am in tenth grade, or I will be starting tenth grade in two weeks. I am so upset having to leave my friends behind. Kasey has been my best friend since fifth grade when her family moved here from Colorado. 

Kasey and JoJo are my only friends. JoJo's name is Josephine, but she goes by JoJo. I met JoJo in seventh grade, and we clicked immediately. I am not popular; I am just me.

I have spent most of my life studying, and that's all I did until I met Kacey. I was eating lunch when she looked around and sat down with me. I am so mad my parents are making me leave. 

I will never make new friends. Dad says people are just jealous of me because I am smart. I always get straight A's in school, and I pick up on subjects really easily. 

"Harper, are you ready? We need to hit the road."

"I guess since I have no choice in the matter. I really wished you would have just let me live with Kasey or JoJo. I don't want to move."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I really am, but your dad's job transferred him, and so we have to move."

"Why couldn't he just go, and we could have stayed here?"

"You would have preferred me to let your father move seven hours away and us to stay here? One day, you will understand why I couldn't be that far away from my husband. I know you are upset and I am really sorry but it's a better job opportunity with better pay."

"Whatever." She huffed and walked to the car. She put her Airpods in and started her playlist. She cried as the town she grew up in faded as they drove away. 

She must have fallen asleep because her mother was waking her up. "Sweetie, let's grab something to eat. We are over halfway there."

"Okay," she groggily said as she put her pods in their case and stepped out. She yawned and stretched. 

They went into the truck stop and sat down. She looked over the menu and decided on a hamburger and fries. 

Their server came over, and they ordered. She looked at her phone and browsed through Instagram. Once their food arrived, they ate and headed back out onto the I-680.

She lay her head against the window and watched as her breath fogged the window up. Finally, over two hours later, they arrived. Her mother was excited to see the ocean as they drove.

They pulled up at their new house in Monterey. It was right on the beach, and it was really nice, but she missed her home. Her parents got the room upstairs on the main level, and she took the bedroom downstairs by the garage. 

They arrived just fifteen minutes before the movers did. She walked down to the beach and looked at the water while the movers unloaded their stuff. They lived on Tide Avenue, and it was a ten-minute drive to her new high school.  

Her parents drove by it to show her where she would be attending school, and she just rolled her eyes. She knew they were trying to make her feel better, but it just upset her. 

She was bullied in school before she met Kasey. Then, Kasey was mean and would fight anyone who picked on her. 

Kids called her names like geek, nerd, bookworm, and teacher's pet. She wasn't an ugly girl; she was just never in with the popular crowd or the troublemakers. 

She had only had one boyfriend, Lewis. They dated in eighth grade and broke up a few weeks before her move. He said he couldn't do the whole long-distance thing, and that was it. 

They had only kissed and held hands. She knew he wanted to take it further, but she always told him to stop; she wasn't ready. 

She walked back up to their house. It was almost dark, and she was ready for bed. She hoped they had finished unloading their furniture, at least unloading hers. 

Her mom smiled at her when she walked in through the sliding glass door on the deck. "Hey, sweetie. Did you enjoy the ocean?"

"No, I just sat down there because it was quiet." Her mom smiled at her and shook her head.

"Well, they have unloaded all your stuff. You can start unpacking if you want. Your father and I are going to order some dinner in an hour or so. Is that okay?"

"Sure, and thanks." She walked downstairs and sat on her bed. Her boxes were stacked neatly against the wall, her desk was placed by the window, and her bed was against the other wall. Her dresser had been set up, and her TV sat on top of it. 

She had a huge room, way bigger than her old room. She decided to start unpacking her boxes. She grabbed her box with the thumbtacks in it. Then she started putting up her posters. She hung up her Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter posters. 

Then she hung up her Poster of Johnny Orlando and Imagine Dragons. She also hung up a few of her pictures and her memory board with Kasey and JoJo on it. She smiled as she thought about her friends and how much she missed them already. 

She unloaded her clothes and put them in her dresser, hanging some of them in her closet. She put her shoes on her shoe rack. The only boxes left were her books and music, which she would do tomorrow. She broke down all the boxes she emptied and tossed them into the recycle bin outside. 

She saw this really good-looking guy next door and this pretty blonde. He flipped the ashes off his cigarette and laughed. He looked over, and she froze. She ran back inside and was so embarrassed. 

When her mother called for her, she went upstairs, washed her hands, and sat down. She picked at her dinner and ate about half of it. She put the rest in the fridge and went back downstairs. 

She lay down and tried to fall asleep. The waves were crashing outside, and she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned for a few hours until she finally fell asleep.

Yet she was dreaming, and it was the boy she saw next door. He had mesmerizing eyes and blonde hair. He stared at her as he walked toward her, and then fangs came out just as he reached her. 

She woke up gasping for air and sweating. She shook her head and grabbed a drink of water by the bed. Then she lay back down and tried to go back to sleep. 

The next afternoon, she woke up and went to the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and walked upstairs. 

"Good morning or afternoon, sweetie. Did you sleep okay?"

"Morning, and I slept fine." She huffed as she walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl, a spoon, and a box of cereal. She poured a bowl and added milk. She munched on her cereal and watched the waves roll in. 

She had to pick up her schedule for school in two days. Her mom had pre-registered her at the end of last year when he got the news he would be transferring. That was when her life fell apart.