Skater Girl (Editing)

Chap 16 - Carved

New York is sort of exactly how I expected it to be. For the most part. It is, however, a lot more exciting than I pictured it to be. It's everything compared to Chicago, and Chicago was really something.

Dad has never been much of a talker, except when it came to the things that he thoroughly enjoyed, like grilling techniques, and medieval history. A typical dad and his peculiar niche. The ride to his apartment was relatively quiet.

"The kids are excited to meet you," dad tells me on the elevator ride up. I slightly nod my head, but don't verbally respond. What am I supposed to say to that?

"They're out and about but they'll be home in about an hour or so," he tells me. The elevator comes to a stop and we step out. Dad leads the way down a wide corridor, ended with a floor to ceiling view of the city. I've never understood why we need so many skyscrapers.

When we enter the apartment, I'm taken aback by the amount of space there is. It's larger than I expected it to be, but I should've known better. Dad did tell me that his new wife works for a law firm, and on top of that he's also pretty loaded as is.

"Okay, I've gotta run," dad says to me as he finishes the apartment tour. I'm disappointed by his sudden departure, but not surprised. I've known him all my life, after all.

I make sure that dad locks the door behind him and watch as he rushes without a second thought. I used to think he only did that to get away from us, but it seems like that's just how he is. Or maybe he just pulled that stunt so he doesn't have to entertain me.

I figure I take a nap to kill time, so I walk back over to the guest room and settle in my things. On the bed, I notice a small box neatly tied together with a silky blue ribbon. Leaned on top of it is a small card with my name written on it.

The card reads: "Welcome to New York! We hope you like the gift; a subtle souvenir of your soon-to-be time here in the big apple. Love Flynn and Rosabelle." I open the box to find a silver necklace with a small apple charm hanging from the chain. Corny, but I appreciate the gesture.

I take a closer look, and that's when I notice it: the letter J engraved onto the charm. I'm met with an overwhelming amount of joy and immediately put it on. When I look in the mirror, I can't help but smile at myself.

I bottle up with so much excitement, but then realize I have no one to share it with. The first people that come to mind are Keith and Terry, so I go to my phone and text them if they're available to call. Keith doesn't answer, but Terry does. After getting out of my pants and into pajamas, my cell begins to ring.

"City girl now, huh? Have you had any pizza?"

"Dad and I stopped for pizza on the way over here. And it is loud here."

"Sounds a lot more exciting than a small little suburban neighborhood," Terry replies. He attempts to set his phone up on his desk, but it continuously slips down and crashes. He finally places an eraser in front to keep it stable.

"Terence."

This catches his attention. He chuckles and looks at me, turning away from his computer.

"Now why would you say that?"

"I forget that's your actual name. I hardly hear it."

"Yeah, because I don't let people call me that. It's a stupid name."

"What?" I exclaim. "What do you mean? I like that name. It's like Terence from Tinker Bell."

He scoffs. "Nobody likes that guy."

I remove my house slippers and plop myself onto the bed. "I liked him! You're a hater."

"Then that makes you Tinker Bell."

"Ugh, no," I reply with disgust. "I hated Tinker Bell. She had a bad temper."

"Look who's the hater now. And Tink may have had a bad temper, but she was a good fairy."

"So you're not gonna ask how my day went?" I ask with a fake frown. I lay on my side as Terry types away, the sound of his keyboard soothing my ears.

"It's barely been a day. Didn't you land like five hours ago?" He looks to me and I quickly give another fake frown. The typing stops and he smiles at me. "How has your first day been?"

"I'm glad you asked!" I cheer. "I had some really good pizza, I saw the Brooklyn Bridge on the drive over, and dad and I barely talked the whole time which is exactly what I wanted, since I'm not here for him and more for the experience, and I got this pretty necklace from his kids." I show off the necklace to my camera as Terry leans over to look at his phone screen a bit closer.

"They engraved it for you."

"I feel kind of bad, I didn't bring them anything."

"You're the guest. Let someone else treat you for once."

"I haven't even met them, yet they're gifting me sterling silver personalized necklaces and fluffy house slippers." A yawn escapes my mouth as I sink deeper into the pillows. The sun has barely set, but I feel tired all of a sudden.

Terry notices my demeanor and laughs. "Someone's jet-lagged. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"What? The flight was only five hours. Plus I was so excited about being here, but I feel so alone with no one to be excited with. Dad's kids don't get home for another hour. Falling asleep by myself here is just sad," I admit to Terry.

"But it's your first time flying since you were like, seven?  Sorry I can't remember exactly what you said. How about I stay on the call with you and wake you up in like an hour? That way you can get some rest and then you'll wake up to some company once your step-siblings get there."

"You're gonna stay on this call? For an hour? Won't that waste your battery, and like, your time?"

"It's Thanksgiving break and I'm researching the best cinnamon roll recipes. I think I've got time to kill."

"How kind, Terence," I tease as I plug in my phone via the charger by the nightstand. I prop a pillow up beside me and lean my phone against it.

"See? It's like we're in the same room," Terry says to me, but his voice becomes more and more of a background noise. I mumble something in response to something else he says, but my mind quickly begins to drift.

"Just for you, Jenning," he replies back to me. Soon enough, my eyes shut close.

***

If you were wondering, I am not dead.

Anyhoo, I greatly apologize for being absent for nearly a year. I have been extremely busy and this book was something I avoided and I feel absolutely terrible for it. Its still being edited, so I'm sorry if you went back and realized that nothing has been changed yet. But I am here and sort of ready to get the rest of this book done. Oh yeah and THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR 5,500 READS HONESTLY I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW I LOVE YOU GUYS okay I should go now I've got some editing to take care of.

-Yours Truly, Ariana Grande