I live in a pretty messed up world. I'm not gonna lie, it's better than nothing, but sometimes I wish there was more to it... Trust me, this is better than what it could be. We could be locked up inside our houses due to some massive outbreak. There could be another war going on... but, part of me just feels like there's something I'm missing.
Once upon a time, I moved out of the best school district to go to a passable one in Oregon... It was the end of the school year for me and the school decided to hold a talent show to "end the year off right". I loved talent shows, the idea of being able to showcase that one thing that makes you special always appealed to me. So as the talent show grew closer, I was thrilled to bits when I was told that my audition made the cut. My girlfriend Marie, however, was not; because she knew that come the end of the month I would be moving away.
Me and Marie were close even before we started dating, she was the soft-spoken girl in the library, and I was the crackhead idiot from the art class. I first met her when the theater group and visual arts class collaborated on a future production of Into the Woods. Being the fool that I am, I took on the three of the most heavily needed tasks in the operation: banners, posters, and costumes. After a week of slaving away over the posters and banners I realized that I was in over my head. The production was two weeks away and I hadn't even finished the costume designs for, a very irritated, fashionista-in-training Margot. I was told that I was assigned a partner and that I could find her in the library around this time. Desperately I had flung open the doors, and there she was in all her breath-taking glory. Marie, a gorgeous ginger with pasty skin and fawn-like freckles.
"Hi there..." Her Irish accent was still noticeable due to her recent transfer. I found myself dazed by this angelic beauty. Without me noticing, she'd gotten surprisingly close to glance down at my binder, "I don' know how to pronounce that." She giggled and took my hand. "I'll just call you AJ!"
And the rest was history.
School ended, I moved. It was as simple as that, for me at least. Marie, on the other hand, was unhappy with my relocating. I love Marie, she's affectionate, understanding, and gentle. But she's new to being in a relationship and, to others, comes off as "clingy".
After some discussing and getting a routine down, we did the whole "long-distance" thing well. We talked every night until we passed out and woke each other up in the morning. After a few months of this she spilled some big news to me.
"So, me mum and dad just sat me down..." She began.
"Yeah?"
"And apparently we'll be moving in a few weeks."
"No way! Seriously? Do you know where??" I questioned eagerly.
"No, 'mum said that she wanted to surprise me. And besides... she wanted me to go move into a fresh start with 'unbiased eyes', or so she says." Marie sounded different, rather than her peppy chittering, she seemingly drawled over the details with an unamused tone. We chatted for hours after that, as I had made it my personal mission to keep her happy before and when she moved.
I live in an 'idyllic' neighborhood, but there's next to no excitement. Don't get me wrong, I met one of the most adorable boys ever that became one of my best friends, but it was still too quiet for my taste. While I still love laying on my grassy lawn that expands out to a field boarded by forest, I wish there were more interesting things to do. The houses on either side of mine were the closest for like a mile or so. One was empty and in the other lived Cody, my new best friend.
The closest town, named Sisters, was a mile or two away. Sisters was only interesting in moderation; I was a regular at a café and certain shops and restaurants, but I mostly stayed out of town to avoid boredom. The town only scores above vaguely interesting when one of the yearly festivals or traditions roll around.
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Nearing the end of June, the house next door was finally sold. Regardless, I relaxed alone on my grassy lawn, just letting time pass by. I was surprised when my phone beeped a similar "Peace Sign" ringtone; the exact one I had set for my girlfriend.
"Hello love," Marie shallowly muttered, "We're in the moving truck now..." My eyes widened as I realized I was supposed to call her and keep her company while she was in the truck.
"Oh my god Hun'! I'm so sorry!" I apologized. "I was supposed to call." I heard a small chuckle, and I felt a little better. It was surprise when I asked her if she knew where she was moving yet.
"No... Not even slightly..." Her voice sounded empty, so in return, I said an unbelievably bad joke. Her laughter was like music to my ears, and I continued to joke.
Two hours had passed when Cody, my new favorite friend, laid down on the grass next to me.
"Hey, Cody," I whispered gently, Marie's voice piping up over the phone. She greeted him and continued to talk. I sighed as Cody laid his head down next to my stomach, and my hand reached out to stroke his hair. Marie's voice trailed off as my mind wandered. I thought about how I loved living here, all my neighbors lived down a long and narrow street. The two houses on either side of my house are the closest, being only fifty feet away.
"Oh... we're close..." Marie groaned sadly.
"You are? Cool!" I exclaimed, startling Cody. Tapping on Cody's shoulder I motioned towards my house, and slowly made my way in that direction.
"Yeah. We're driving down the street now." She sighed, "It's really pretty"
I was climbing up the stairs of my porch with Cody when a moving truck pulled up. Two adults got out of the car. Marie told me that she had to go and like that she hung up, I was disappointed, but I knew I would manage. I quickly fished my key out of my pocket and took a quick second to obverse the new neighbors.
"Where's the other truck?" A lady hissed. Her hair was sloppily tied up in a bun and her makeup was a mess, she looked around with an icy glare as she watched for their missing truck.
"They were right behind us..." The burly man next to her rubbed the back of his neck. He looked very uncomfortable, avoiding the woman's sneer whenever it seemed aimed at him. The duo of people were interesting, but not quite enough to validate watching for any longer.
Suddenly, another truck pulled up just as I was turning the key. I heard multiple doors close, and then something happened I will never forget...
"Jack?"
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So I'm not positive that I won't come back and change this so please read with the knowledge that I edit and add things constantly.
