" 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬"
◤◢
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧. Although she had a fear of being up in a metal box for more than three hours, the sleeping pills helped. Next thing she knew, she was in London, England.
Ines rushed herself and her daughter out of the plane to customs and finally, they made it out of the airport after retrieving their luggage. Mid-August was chilly and when Ines told Estelle that it snowed during the winter, Estelle was lifted from the little mind tantrum she was having. At first the thought of cold weather was unbearable considering she was from a sunny and warm state, but if I had to endure the colder weather to get snow for the first time, she would gladly do it.
They had a small van take them to their new two bedroom apartment in central London. Their boxes full of their belongings had only arrived an hour before them. Luckily, there was furniture provided when my mother rented out the place and it was used but they were clean and fitted into the apartment well enough. Ines got the bigger room due to her needed work space and Estelle took the other one.
Within a few hours and a thirty minute break to eat some takeout, they nearly finished the whole apartment minus the few necessities they needed. Estelle was rather proud of her new room. It had a mini balcony and she had upgraded from drawers to a small walk-in closet and still had enough space after her bed was installed.
It was refreshing and exhilarating to be there. She wasn't even thinking of Damon back in Clearwater and if she was, there was so much to do that she had forgotten. But her mind being a human mind, the minute she had got peace in her bed that night, she couldn't sleep. Just like the night before and the night before that one, memories flooded her mind.
Skin, lips, hair, hands, cologne, beach dates, sneaking out, skin, lips, hands, hair, cologne...
Over and over again. She couldn't sleep. It was driving her painfully mad. In an attempt to cheer her mood and help herself drift to sleep, she picked up her phone and checked all the notifications.
There wasn't much to say, but it did not make her feel better. Posts with everyone enjoying the mid- August fair and doing fun things with friends made her homesick. Everyone had friends in Clearwater. No one wasn't doing something without someone else in Clearwater. But in England she had no friends or social life whatsoever.
When she accidently clicked on an active group chat, Estelle instantly regretted every life decision she made. Her tiny icon that looked like her popped up and seeing " elle🦋 has opened the chat " really made her want to jump off of the balcony.
clearwater babes 🌊
(lola, carrie, graciecakes, elle, vicky, cj)
lola
no I'm telling you that Carlos said that
carrie
he hooked up with some Miami chick? yeah right 🙄
elle 🦋 has opened the chat
graciecakes🎂
BITCHES!
SHE'S ALIVE!
lola
oh damn
hey 👋
elle 🦋
hey everyone
sorry i haven't been responding
i had moving stuff
carrie
no problem girl
we know how it is
plus we saw you before going
to the airport
graciecakes🎂
how's London
is it worth the move because
I'm thinking of going there for college
lola
any cute guys?
elle 🦋
i haven't really seen anything yet or the people
mom is talking about going to see big ben
and Buckingham palace
graciecakes🎂
lola seriously?
lola
shit sorry
carrie
don't pay attention to her, Elle
elle 🦋
it's okay
graciecakes🎂
are you okay with everything?
yk with Damon?
carrie
we've banished the name, grace!
elle 🦋
i'm doing okay
just going through the depression stage
just need some nutella
graciecakes🎂
that's my girl
carrie
we also blocked Ava btw
elle 🦋
you didn't need to do that
lola
are you kidding?
after what she and Damon did?
sheesh
graciecakes🎂
I'm still up for jumping her
but for Elle's sake, I won't
elle 🦋
can you guys do something for me?
graciecakes🎂
anything
lola
oc
carrie
we would do anything for you queen Essie🙏
elle 🦋
carrie -
nvm can you guys please make sure
the beach cleanup is still a monthly thing?
carrie
duh!
graciecakes🎂
the beach cleanup crew is now being
handled by yours truly
lola
everyone agreed that we should take
your recommendation of Gracie to be the head
of the cleanup into account and with a vote
Gracie is now the leader!
elle 🦋
great job Gracie!
graciecakes🎂
and as placed by the past leader
month cleanups are still a thing
next one is on the 30th before school starts
lola
have you seen your new school yet?
elle 🦋
no not yet
it's some private school my mom
wants to put me in
I'd have to wear the whole uniform thing
carrie
damn
we don't have uniforms here
so that's going to be a bummer
lola
shit my mom's coming up the stairs
no more texting or else she'll ground me
see you all in the morning and good luck
Elle with London
carrie
👋
elle 🦋
👋
graciecakes🎂
👋
— ☆*: .｡. ⋄▽⋄ .｡.:*☆—
Ines had work at nine o'clock and came back at 6pm - or 18:00 now that they had to read military time - but she still had time to make Nutella waffles for Estelle. Estelle had eaten Nutella waffles since she was a toddler and was learning how to chew, but for the last year or so, Ines had been overly busy planning the move without Estelle knowing. So for the first time in a while, Estelle and her mom had a Nutella waffle breakfast in their brand new kitchen.
" Thanks, mami." Estelle cheerfully chewed on her breakfast that had strawberries and pieces of banana scattered all over it along with the Nutella.
" I know it's been difficult since your father left, but we always made the best out of everything. I know your heart's broken, mija, but think of this as a new beginning. You make new friends and make a new beginning for yourself."
" I know, but it's difficult. I mean, you understand it. It's what happened with dad. We didn't even see it coming."
Estelle's father and Ines' ex-husband was a rather difficult man and he had left Ines and Estelle close to five years before. Estelle was eleven and neither she or her mother saw it coming when her father filed for a divorce and ran off with the woman he was cheating on her mother with. She didn't notice because he was hardly in her life that her mother was her only parental figure. Ines, on the other hand, was with my father most of the time and somehow didn't notice a thing.
" But we made it out of the gutter. You can too." Ines chuckled. " Una paliza que le habría dado a ese niño por pendejo."
As much as Estelle loved to hear her mom talking crap about beating someone up, it was Damon she was talking about and he still owned her heart.
" Ah! Look at the time, I need to get to work." Ines fixed up her gray suit and grabbed her bag. " Here."
She handed her daughter a few colorful bills, " Pounds?"
" I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be cooped up in the apartment when you could take a bus to see the sights. Big Ben, the palace or maybe a tea shop. I have to go now." She kissed Estelle's head. " Te amo."
" Te amo, mami. Be careful!"
She left and Estelle was alone in their new apartment. She cleaned up the dishes, she hated washing dishes, but did it regardless, and showered before debating on going out or not. On one end, she wished to curl up in my bed and cry a river. That was an addition to her social anxiety about going into a new place she knew nothing of and on the other hand, it would be a good chance to see England and all the sights.
" I'll go out but the second my anxiety peaks, I'm out." She told herself.
She grabbed the pounds she left on the table, a pepper spray, keys, and placed everything except her phone in the bag, before stepping out of the apartment. There were a few little shops around the apartment and even better, there was a bus. She paid the fare - she reminded herself to get something called an oyster card - and using google, she got off on the stop only a block away from Big Ben in Westminster.
She tried to blend in because for a reason nothing felt more embarrassing than seeming like a tourist - which she was not. She saw the clock tower and walked around. Estelle would have gone to see Buckingham Palace, but she didn't know the train system and it made her nerves spike. Near the bus stop, she spotted a little shop near it that caught her eye.
The place seemed so soft and warm looking. It was straight out of a sit-com coffee shop on tv. Except, this was a tea shop with a sign that read " Greenery Tea". Her hand dug into her jean pocket and she realized she still had a few pounds on her. Of course, she was meant to walk into the tea shop. There was a string tugging her to enter. Pulling and pulling. Fate and it's wheels and gears were turning and she still had yet to notice.
— ☆*: .｡. ⋄▽⋄ .｡.:*☆—
nova speaks: yeah so fate is a big theme here but again, this is more of an introduction and a filler chapter. Also, do riding on trains make you nervous because I hope to never ride the subway in NY. Idk why but it makes me so nervous.
with love - nova