Neighbors- Anthony Trujillo

Chapter Two

It was a scorching hot July summer day. Seventh grade FINALLY is over. I was so excited for the coming school year to be in eighth grade. Seventh grade was a little tough... I lost my best friend, Jacey, to a boy. It's like as soon as they got together, I didn't matter anymore. I voiced how I felt to her, and she completely disagreed, making it so we had too much tension between us that we couldn't really hang out. Sadly enough, Jacey found a new group of girlfriends quick. I was stuck with just guy friends, which isn't bad for the lack of drama, but sometimes you just need to have girl talk with someone.
Jacey got some of the girls from her new squad to make me uncomfortable and not enjoy coming to school anymore. I was getting nasty notes in my locker calling me vulgar terms, as well as, telling me discouraging things. The notes didn't phase me because I had such a great support system at home and around me. Once the notes didn't phase me, the girls were unsatisfied with the reaction, so they escalated the situation. Suddenly, I was being shoulder checked into lockers. This infuriated everyone around me, my brothers, the trio, and Anthony especially. I didn't think to tell my parents knowing it would just get worse if they became involved. After they figured out I wasn't going to give them the reaction they desired they chilled out. Every so often they would make a mean status about me on Facebook, or tweet something @ me. For the most part they stopped by May.
I don't know why, I just had a really great feeling about eighth grade. Maybe it would be the year that I'd become the IT girl or another year of just being an average joe.
Who knew that this day, July 12th, 2012, I would find out news that would alter my life forever. My dad who's an administrator, was having a hard time with his job. He was currently at an alternative school in Toledo, it was a long commute, and he wasn't in love with his job anymore. He began to look for alternative options, that were possibly closer to home.
I hadn't really seen much of Anthony this summer since he was participating in a summer basketball program through the school. As well as playing some summer baseball. We knew this summer was going to be a bit more difficult than the years before it since Anthony was heavily into athletics, and high school was more serious than middle school about athletics.
I was actually in Michigan visiting my grandma. I hadn't seen her in such a long time so my dad thought it would be a great idea to spend two weeks with her in Michigan. At the end of this week I was going to be heading back home to West Lake and finally be able to hang out with Anthony, Chance and Jake. I was extremely excited. They tried to FaceTime me on the 4th of July, but my grandma has really bad internet so I wasn't able to see their annual firework show. It was a little sad because it had become a tradition, I mean the boys had been doing if for five years.
"Em, have you called your parents recently," asks my grandma. Normally she would encourage phone usage, she's a little old school, hence the bad internet. I must've had a confused look on my face because she then said, "I think your dad has some exciting news that you'd want to hear."
I was a little hurt that my dad would tell my grandma before he'd tell me because I was his 'lil buddy' after all. I immediately sprinted down the stairs and grabbed my phone off the bed. I dialed my dad's number. I had no idea what this news could be.
Ring
Ring
Ring
"Hey bug," my dad said into the phone, he had a chipper tone to his voice that I hadn't heard in quite a while. It made me happy to hear him happy.
"Daddy! I heard you have some exciting news to tell me," I cheerfully said. I couldn't wait to find out what the news could be. I just knew I already loved the difference in my dad's tone of voice. It was no longer tired or stressed, and truly that's really what I cared about.
"Well Emmerson, I think this is news that I rather tell you in person. I knew I should've waited to tell grandma, she has quite loose lips," he joked. I really didn't want to wait for the news but I knew I shouldn't press. Dad normally has a good reason for keeping things a secret.
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I was leaving my grandma's today. I was a little sad seeming how I barely get to see her since we live so far apart. I was kind of excited though because today is the day I get to find out my dad's good news.
"Well daddy, are you going to tell me," I asked losing patience. I waited a whole two more days to hear this. I felt like I was going to burst if I didn't find out anything soon.
"Well Em, I got a new job," my dad replies excitedly. For a minute I was super excited too, but then millions of questions started flowing through my brain like
Where?
When do you start?
Are we moving?
Do I have to leave Westlake?
Is it a pay increase or decrease?
Do the Trujillo's know?
"But, this new job is actually here in Michigan." That's the moment I felt my first heartbreak. If the job was in Michigan that meant we were positively moving out of Westlake. Which meant I had to leave Anthony. And Jake. And Chance. I did my best not to cry, I would hate to spoil my dad's excitement with my selfishness. My dad looked over at me, and noticed my demeanor was off. "Honey, I know it's a big move. Especially for the job I'm taking but, I think it's necessary for our family. Last year you had a really rough time with Jacey and that group of girls. I know you said they began to stop, but with all summer they'll have new ideas on how to be mean." I knew for a fact that he wasn't making this move because of Jacey and the rough year I conquered. He just wanted me to be able to relate and think it was a good thing.
"Daddy...I don't want to leave the Trujillo's," I said quietly. He automatically frowned, this was definitely the subject he wanted to avoid.
"Em, Garrett is still going to live down here and go to school. We'll still be visiting. The Trujillo's are amazing family friends, and that won't ever change. Cindy, Tony, Rachel, and Anthony will come and visit us, as we'll come and visit them." He said. That made me feel a little bit better, but not 100%.
My dad on the way home took a little detour, showing me where the place is that he took the job and the school he's be working in. We looked at some neighborhoods, him asking me which was my favorite. By the time we got back to Westlake, I was a little more cheerful.

As soon as we pulled in the driveway, I ran out to the Trujillo's door. I politely knocked, I knew I could just walk in but I had just returned for a while away, I had to take baby steps to get me back to the comfortability. Tony answered, "Well look who it is! Let me guess, you're here to see Anthony."
I shook my head no, and gave him a hug. I wanted to make everything count with the Trujillo's since we were moving to Michigan by the end of July/early August.
"Tony, I'm really going to miss you," I state to Anthony's dad. He looked a little taken aback by the jester but gave me a hug back, as he recollected what was going to happen at the end of the summer.
"You may want to go downstairs and talk to the boys, they're still a little sad about it," he replied. I immediately slid past him and ran to the basement. I snuck behind Anthony and gave him a hug.
I was going to miss him. I was going to miss everything about Westlake. It was my first home. My hometown. Ohio was kinda crappy, I'm not going to lie, but it's where I grew up. Nothing could change that.
It was the day. The day that I was dreading along with my little brother. I knew the hardest goodbye was going to be Anthony. What was going to make it even harder is, he was going to be the last person I saw in the distance as the car moved. He was helping me all morning carrying boxes into the moving trucks and just being around. We triple promised each other no matter what, no distance could change our friendship. We'd always stay in touch, and try to see one another AT LEAST once a month. It was going to be difficult since neither of us could drive. Anthony was going to turn 16 in May though.
"Come here," Anthony says after we loaded the VERY last box. I was doing my best not to cry. I didn't want to leave on a sappy note. That's not how Anthony and I did things. "I got you a little going away gift. Rachel said it would be a good idea." I was shocked. This wasn't normally an Anthony thing to do. He pulled out a little box. Inside was a little circle shaped locket. I opened it up, on the left was a picture of Anthony and I when we were probably five and seven, we were dressed in wedding clothes, since my mom finally married my dad. On the right was a picture taken the night of my thirteenth birthday, right after he kissed me. His arm was draped around my shoulder, and we were looking at one another smiling, I had no idea this photo even existed. "Apparently, Jake took that."
That's when I let a few tears fall. Anthony pulled me into another hug and whispered, "It'll be you and I 'til the end Emmerson. Never will we not." Anthony leaned down and kissed my forehead. I smiled against his chest.
I leaned up as Anthony leaned down and our lips met yet again. Our third kiss, I couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye.

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What do you guys think of the back story? Now it'll be present day :) xoxo