Life's a Party

Chapter 3

So that's where the insistent banging was coming from.

"Roxanne! Taylor! Wake up! Now! You're going to miss your flight!"

I jumped up at that last part and scrambled towards the bathroom, having a quick wash and throwing on the clothes I had kept out to wear on the plane.

"Coming mom!" I ran out of the bathroom but came to a screeching halt when I saw Taylor just sitting on the bed, staring down into her lap.

Immediately sensing what was wrong, I knelt down and took her hands in mine. "Taylor, you don't need to do this for me, I'm sure I'll manage myself there. Besides, you were the one who said that Aunt Becky was awesome, so I should fit right in," I finished with a cheeky grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Taylor made a sound between a laugh and a choked sob, sounding like a strangled cat.

She flu her arms around me and said, "I'm not going to live here with them! I'd rather live with Aunt Becky. It's just that...I've lived here all my life, it's a little hard to let go." The she pulled back, wiping away the last of her tears and grinned at me, "Let's get away from here!" Taylor cackled like a mad woman and went into the bathroom, emerging looking fresh a few minutes later.
***************

"You have your passports and luggage there, keep them safe. Also, call us when you reach West Coast Harbour. We'll see you in a few months."

Then, as if just realising that we were her daughters and that she was supposed to act as if she would miss up, my mother perked up and said, "We'll miss you, dears! Take care of yourselves! Bye now or you'll miss your flight!"

Dad hadn't even bothered coming to the airport to drop us off and had finished saying his goodbyes at home, just before we left. Grumbling our goodbyes, Taylor and I lugged our bags towards the departure section and went in.

As soon as we settled in our seats on the plane Taylor looked over at me and said, "This is going to be so much fun!"

I grinned in reply, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I was leaving my whole life behind, even though I didn't have any friends, our small little town was home to me. It had all the great memories with my family, when we were all close.

I felt a pang of hurt rise in my chest but it rapidly changed to anger. Mom and dad were so oblivious to what they were doing to us; I bet they didn't even think of us when they decided to get a divorce.

They were so different from what they used to be when we were kids. We would frequently go on holidays or for a relaxing picnic at the lake. Now they were so engrossed in their work it was a rare thing for them to even have a simple dinner with us.

I used to have so many friends too, but that ended when my darling parents thought it was okay to have a screaming match with each other in front of school for all the world to see. After that people started avoiding me, probably thinking I was going to blow up at any given moment.

Soon all my friends degraded to acquaintances who spoke to me only out of formality or because their parents had a deal with mine and they wanted to make a good impression. That only went to prove that they were never true friends, but it still hurt.

I look out the tiny window, trying to shake off all the negative thoughts. What was done was done. I couldn't change it now.

I pulled on my headphones and blasted Linkin Park on them, bobbing my head to the catchy tune. Still, the feeling of anger and pain lingered at the back of my mind, depressing me.

I shouldn't let this bother me so much; it didn't look like my parents had any problem shipping me off. But the feeling persisted and I decided to just let it be. I could deal with it when we got to West Coast Harbour. Right now, I needed sleep.

Taylor had already fallen asleep, her fair head lolling to the side and Voldemort cursing on the screen. After a short snack I fell asleep too.
***************

We reached six hours later. Taylor and I got off the plane looking like a pair of zombies, our eyes groggy and hair messed up.

We got our luggage from the baggage claim center and dragged them to the pick-up point, looking out for Aunt Becky and our cousin, Steven. I was scared we wouldn't recognise them or they wouldn't recognise us, because after all we had seen them only once before.

My fears dissolved when I saw a tall guy a little away from us jumping up and down with a cardboard sign in his hands that read 'Roxanne and Taylor Anderson'.

I muffled a laugh. That was definitely Steven. I might not remember much about him, but I certainly remember his goofy attitude. Aunt Becky stood next to him, rolling her eyes at her son when she caught my eye.

The minute we reached them we were greeted with wide smiles and bear hugs.

"We're so glad to have you here darlings!" Aunt Becky chirped and Steve enthusiastically agreed by nodding his head.

"We're glad to be here Aunt Rebecca!" Taylor and I spoke together.

"Don't call me Rebecca! Aunt Becky is just fine! Rebecca makes me sound like an old lady," she grumbled.

We're glad to be here Aunt Becky!" I repeated.

"That's better. Do you need some help with those bags? Steve, be a gentleman and help your sisters."

We got to their Toyota and got in, the four of us hardly fitting in with all the bags.

"We're going to be driving for another two hours at least," Steve spoke from the driver's seat, "Till then we can catch up and you can see our cool town."

And that's exactly what we did.

For a while there were only trees on either side of the highway, but soon you could smell the sea which sent a shiver of delight down my back. I loved the sea! I could stay in the water all day.

Suddenly the trees cleared and you could see the beach, with fine white sand leading to the sparkling blue water. It was a beautiful sight. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the salty air as my hair whipped around my face in the wind.

I learnt that Steve is eighteen, Taylor's age, and that he was going to the town college in fall. Aunt Becky's café, 'Miller's', was the only café in the relatively small town and was doing very well.

Both my aunt and my cousin were so warm and welcoming that I could see myself living with them and loving them as a true family.

It was going to take time, but I had a feeling that under their care I would feel right at home.

Besides, I had all the time in the world.
-------------------------
Hi guys!
So that was chapter three, I really hope you liked it. I'm sorry I took so long to update, but I had a few things to take care of.
What are your thoughts on this chapter? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks to elyssa_allie for the wonderful cover!!
-Mishi