Parallax

Return to Redland

"Jeremy, let your sister get some rest. She definitely needs it. Look at those bags under her eyes," Olivia walked with a purpose towards the office leaving the twins behind.

Rolling her eyes, Avery gave Jeremy another hug.

"I'll help bring your stuff upstairs," Jeremy smiled.

"Thanks."

Avery grabbed the handle of one of her suitcases while Jeremy grabbed the other. Her room was unfamiliar to her, frozen in time. Jeremy put her suitcase at the foot of the bed and retreated to the door.

"Hey, I know you had a long flight, but do you want to go do something?" Jeremy looked at her expectantly.

"Uh..." Avery looked down at herself, she was a mess. "Can I shower and change first?"

"Yeah, meet me downstairs in twenty," Jeremy turned down the hall.

Avery looked towards her attached bathroom and dragged her way towards the shower. She peeled off her clothes, uncomfortable from the hours of travel. She jumped into the shower and began washing her hair. The cool water felt good against her skin, even inside it was humid. When she felt adequately clean, she stepped out and towards her room. Unzipping her suitcase, she picked her favorite pair of shorts and a black tank top. It was still hot outside, despite it being 6 pm.

Avery ran down the stairs and nearly crashed into Jeremy, "I'm sorry!"

"You that excited to go?" Jeremy chuckled.

Avery tried to play it cool, "Nah, I just... love running down stairs?" she finished awkwardly.

Jeremy laughed and jingled his car keys and opened the garage door, "After you."

Avery stepped out into the garage and was instantly hit with the muggy, humid air that you can only find in late summer. She climbed into Jeremy's unlocked car, she felt her skin stick to the leather seats instantly. Jeremy dropped into the driver's seat and buckled up quickly.

They sat in silence while Jeremy fiddled with his phone. After a few seconds, he managed to get a song to play through his speakers. It was low quality and discordant, Avery cringed.

"What is this, Jeremy?" Avery grimaced.

"It's my band! Do you like it?" Jeremy grinned hopefully.

"Uh... it is... definitely a song?" she offered.

"Well, it sounds better in person. We didn't want to buy the equipment if we didn't end up liking it, so we just recorded this on my buddy Everett's laptop."

The 'song' ended, it was discordant and muddled, but with some practice they could get better. Following the song Avery could hear voices discussing what song should be played next.

"Oh, yeah. We didn't figure out how to stop and make another song, so we just kept on recording."

Avery forced a smile for her brother, "Maybe I can hear you all in person sometime."

"Well, dear sister, you are in luck!" Jeremy grinned.

Avery looked at her brother, wary, "Oh, I am?"

"Yes, well we have band practice tonight. I figured it would be a good time to introduce you to the gang!"

Avery suppressed a sigh, she was not expecting to go and socialize. She was still feeling down about having to say goodbye to her friends and boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend. When Avery told them all that she had to move back to Redland, her boyfriend, Lucas, pulled her aside. He told her he just wanted to break up, they had only just started dating, so it was for the best.

"I really appreciate it, Jer, but I don't know if I'm ready to be a social butterfly."

"Come on! The sooner you meet them, the sooner you can be friends with them!"

Avery sighed, resigned, "Fine, I will try my best to be pleasant."

Jeremy laughed as he pulled into a long driveway just like the driveway at the Alexander home. The setting sun peeked through the trees lining the drive, illuminating the house they pulled up to. Jeremy parked and hopped out of the car quickly. He jogged his trunk to retrieve his instrument. Avery took her time unsticking her legs from the seat and opened her car door. She noticed a crowd of people huddled by the garage door that Jeremy was heading towards. Avery walked towards her brother. As he approached, there was a chorus of "Jeremy!" ringing throughout the small crowd.

"Hey, guys! I brought a guest with me today!" Jeremy pulled Avery closer to the crowd.

A boy with light brown hair stepped forward and nudged Jeremy in the ribs, "Oh, Jeremy! Didn't know you got a girlfriend."

Jeremy pushed his friend away, "No way! This is my sister, Avery," he gestured to her, "I mean doesn't she look just like me?"

"No, Jeremy, she's way cuter," a girl with short black hair grinned. "I'm Violet, Violet Moore."

The brown haired boy spoke again, "I'm Everett Hill," he flashed a toothy smile.

"Hey!" a boy with black hair stepped forward, "Will Daines!"

Avery smiled at them all, "Hi everyone, I'm Avery."

"Let's go into the garage," Jeremy suggested, "I'm tired of holding this guitar."

The others nodded and started towards the open garage. They all chatted amongst themselves about the band while Avery hung back. She looked around at the outdoor scenery, there were more trees in Redland than there had been in San Francisco. She took a moment admiring the greenery.

"Hey!" a voice behind her shouted.

Avery jumped and whipped around. Standing behind her was the first familiar face that she had seen in this unfamiliar place.

"Chris Benson?" Avery furrowed her brows.

"Avery? Is that you?" the boy stepped closer.

"Yeah, uh, Jeremy brought me here," she nodded her head towards the garage.

"I... I didn't know that you were coming back," Chris looked down sheepishly.

"Yeah, it was really sudden. I didn't know until a few days ago."

"It's," he paused, "Well, it's good to see you," Chris took a step towards her.

Avery took a step closer, "Yeah, I've missed you."

"I have-" Chris started.

"Chris! What are you doing out there?" a high pitched voice trilled.

Chris looked back towards the garage. Stood in the entryway was a tall girl with hair so blonde it shimmered in the setting sun. Avery glanced at the girl and then back at Chris. He hesitated, then started walking to the garage. Avery followed him, joining her brother as Chris pulled the girl aside. Avery couldn't stop her gaze from following Chris, though she was snapped back into focus when Jeremy rested a hand on her shoulder.

"That's Mimi. She's Chris' step-sister," he told her.

"Oh, it seemed like they were... dating?" Avery wrinkled her nose.

An awkward silence fell over the group. Violet was the first to speak, "Yeah, well, uh..."

"Hey, you guys ready to practice?" Chris came rushing back into the garage, alone.