From Georgia to Montana

Chapter 6

In all honesty I hadn't planned on going to meet with Lila and her friends. In fact I told myself that it would be a mistake to go. So when ever I pulled into the Café's parking lot I was shocked. But I figured I was already here and I was hungry, so I went inside.

I ordered my bagel and look around for Lila. Lila was in the back of the room, sitting in a booth with her friends. When she saw me she stood up and waved her arm, and despite myself I smiled.

What was even more shocking than the fact that I came, was that sitting there in the booth was, none other than, the mysterious boy I ran into at the barn.

Lila hadn't noticed that I froze at the sight of him and she started to introduce us all.

"This is Kaden, my boyfriend. And then there is Blithe, don't worry she is actually a lot nicer and funnier than she looks, she just acts goth because she knows it bugs her parents. This is Willow she is a champion barrel racer so we don't always have a lot if time to hang out, but when we do its a lot of fun. This is Jerin, he is dating an obnoxious cheerleader named Emmi, who would, in her words, 'Rather wear hand-me-downs than be caught dead with you freaks.'Our resident bad-boy, Sebastian. And my twin brother Luca." Up until this point Luca had been to engrossed in his food to pay attention, but at his name he looked up. When he looked at me I paled, and resisted the urge to run to the bathroom and hide.

"Everybody, this is Emerald." Lila says, which in turn I receive a chorus of "hey's" and "It's nice to meet you's."

"Uh. Hi." I stammer before sitting in the only available seat, which just so happens to be by Luca.

We sit in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Luca speaks. "Hey, aren't you the girl I accidentally ran into at the barn the other day?" He asks in a smooth southern voice.

"Uh. Yeah." I say looking away, trying to hide the cringe on my face.

"Why did you run away?" And there it is.

"Oh. I. Um. I don't know."

"What. This is the girl you were telling us about last week." Lila says.

"Oh. Um yeah." He says, glaring at her. "So where are you from?"

"I moved here a couple weeks ago from Georgia." I say quietly.

"No way. We use to visit there every summer. We would go to Senoia and visit our mom's best friend from collage. We quit going when we were about 8. It is beautiful out there." Lila says.

"That's were I lived. Did you ever go down to the lake near the national park?"

"That was our favorite place to hang out. We loved to swim in it and then get ice cream when we were done." Luca says, and for a moment I let myself enjoy this.

"So what made you move out here?" Sebastian asks. I flinch at his question and hope that nobody noticed, unfortunately Luca seems to be very perceptive and noticed me flinch.

"It was the best place for my siblings and me. Plus I had already gotten a scholarship for Montana Western." I reply, trying not to give away to much.

"How many siblings do you have?" Jerin asks.

"Two older brothers, Max is 21 and Isaac is 20. Then I have three younger siblings. Lennon who is 16, Maisy is 13, and Peter is almost 10. His birthday is in two more weeks." I say.

"So your parents had already planned on moving here when you found out you got a scholarship?" Blithe asks.

"Something like that." I reply before my phone rings. The caller ID said that it was Peter's school, "I have to take this." I say worriedly.

I step a few feet away for the call. When I answer the vice principle is furious. Apparently Peter got into a fight with another little boy so I had to go pick him up. I don't know what I am going to do though, because I still have to go to school.

"I am sorry. I have to go."

"What's wrong?" Luca asks.

"My little brother Peter got into a fight at school." I say, then immediately regret saying anything.

"Why do you have to pick him up? Aren't your parents suppose to be the ones to do that?" Luca says. And instead of answering him I rush to my car, something I have been making a habit of.

I ran because I couldn't answer him, but also because he is right. I shouldn't have to be the one to do this, this isn't suppose to be my job. I'm suppose to be there big sister, not there mom. And our father should be going to pick Peter up, not sitting in a jail sell.

I don't feel bad for myself, I feel bad for my siblings because they will never really know their parents. The only real memories of them that they have are of mom in the hospital and of our father constantly yelling at us while he has a drink in one hand and a cigaret in the other. And that's not how I want them to remember them.

Before mom's cancer we were all happy. Dad was so kind and him and mom always wanted to do stuff with us. But then Mom died and it was like my father died to. I don't blame Max and Isaac for leaving, because things were so bad, but I do blame them for leaving our younger siblings. I would have been willing to stay if it meant that Lennon, Maisy, and Peter would get a better life, one away from our father, even if that is an unreasonable wish.

Eventually I reach Peter's school, where I find out that he had been suspended for a week. And I still have no idea what I am going to do about school.
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