Back In Town

Prologue - "I'm really gonna miss you."

A/N: NEW STORY! :) Cover is thanks to BabyBird2 it's beautiful and I love it

*Four years pre story*

     I trudged through the beach that served as the backyard of my childhood home, the weird feeling of sand between my toes oddly comforting. I wouldn't be able to go to many beaches where I was going; the chilly state of Vermont. I knew I'd be home to visit every once in a while, but I planned for my summers to stay there in Vermont - I needed to get away from the crazy California life for a little while.

I felt the sand sink as I walked towards the ocean, and pretty soon I was at the point where the water met the sand to create a gooey like substance. I plopped on the dry sand, stretching my legs before bringing them up and resting my head on my knees. The sound of the waves crashed against the shore and calmed my nerves, since I'd take my first plane ride tomorrow to an unfamiliar part of the country. I was ready to get away, though, and I knew the change of scenery would do me some good. My stomach clenched at the thought of starting over; would I make any friends? Would I miss home? I'd never been very far out of the state, and it was always with a friend or family member, never alone.

"Whatcha doing, cheese puff?" The annoying voice of my twin brothers best friend called, coming to take a seat next to me. I glanced at the person I hated the most, Luka Sanchez, and rolled my eyes at the nickname before turning my gaze back to the pacific ocean. Luka and I had never gotten along even though he'd swooped in to steal my twin more than sixteen years ago. They'd been friends since diaper days, and yet always seemed to follow me and my friends around like we were the biggest attraction in all of San Fransisco. I hated the nickname he'd doomed me with since we were children and he'd never even given me the reason, but I chalked it up to being about my weight - I'd always struggled with it and I was always chubbier than the other girls.

"Chloe," I corrected for the millionth time, side glancing him once more. His green eyes held mischief, as they always did growing up and his dark brown, almost black hair was shaggy like he'd just gotten out of bed. He had a mess of curls that the girls at our high school always fell for, and he was a big time player, along with my brother. Luka had tanned skin to show off his Mexican heritage, but he'd been born and raised in California like my siblings and I. In fact, he'd been raised right next door to us for the entirety of his and Chris' friendship, which only furthered my annoyance for his existence.

"I'm gonna miss you," he told me sincerely and I had to push the shock of his words to the back of my mind. He was just saying that, he really liked to mess with me and that included bringing up the crush I'd had on him once upon a time; I'd never live it down. When we were kids, I had the tiniest crush on him but it faded as soon as I realized he was Luka and I was Chloe and all he ever did was annoy me. "Why do you have to go so far for college? Why can't you go to state college with all of us?"

I shrugged, running a hand through my knotty blonde hair - it never liked to work with me, so it was always frizzy and unkempt. I looked to the horizon, noting the way the sun set and how the sky went from the light blue it was to the rays of pink and red. "I need a change, and Castleton is a good school."

"Giana and Zoey are going to college here too though," Luka pointed out and I repressed the urge to once again roll my eyes. He was bringing up my two best friends to make me feel guilty, which I wouldn't. Going away for college was something I'd wanted to do since I entered high school and was pushed to the bottom of the social ladder. My glasses made people think I was a nerd, my weight was a token for people to make fun of me, and Chris, my brother, and Luka were always too busy to stand up for me. I didn't want to go to college with a bunch of people that made me feel like the gum on the bottom of their shoe, and a lot of the kids at our school were aiming for the state college. "Stay here."