NEW KID

Chapter One

Samantha Price
Thursday, 19th March, 1998

Sam! Sam! Samie! SAMIE!" Frank called jolting Samantha out of her slumber.

"Are we there yet?", she asked, barely awake using her sleeves to cover her mouth as she let out a tired yawn.

"Yeah", Frank acknowledged.

The car had finally stopped. Frank had been driving for the past six hours at least and they had both been stuck in this grey little SUV.

Samantha had been sitting at the front passenger's seat with her seat belt on and her face sprawled against the window's glass in a deep slumber just a few seconds ago, but now she was awake. Her whole body ached-her ass even more so, her black hair was ruffled up, and her legs had gone limp, there was hardly any room to move in the car.

Frank looked equally uncomfortable and exhausted.

As Samantha makes for her door handle Frank calls again, "Sam", in an almost forced casual tone.

She turns to look at him, her eyes barely open.

"Are you okay?", he asks the care resounding in his voice.

She lets out a weak yawn avoiding eye contact, and replies, " of course". Then she turns to get the door again.

"Samie", he calls again in an almost-whisper.

"Mhmm", she mouths as she turns to face him again.

"If you're not okay with staying here or staying in this town as a whole, we could leave, go over to your grandma Nelly's house or go over to Lori's." He states with the same sad look he had been giving her all week.

"Yeah, sure." She replies with a nod, still avoiding eye contact. She sat there for a few seconds not turning this time, waiting for another awkward question or statement, once she was sure none was coming again, she let herself out of the car.

The air outside smelled of freshly mowed grass, they were parked in front of a house painted with a shade of lilac. Samantha could feel the blood flowing back to her limp legs, she let out a yawn and a big stretch as she made her way to the trunk.

Samantha and Frank had lost most of their stuff in a house fire, so they barely had anything on them. All of Samantha's luggage fit in a box carton and a blue rolling suitcase, Frank's all fit in one box carton.

By the time Frank had made his way to the trunk Samantha had already gotten out her suitcase and was reaching for her box. Once they had both gotten all their stuff from the trunk and Frank had shut it, they made their way to the lilac-coloured house with Frank in the lead carrying the two box cartons and Samantha trailing him rolling her blue suitcase along.

The path leading to the front door and the drive way to the garage door were both paved and sat side-by-side. The lawn was freshly mowed and well tendered flowers like hedge-rows lined the lawn. Multiple tall trees that ran the length of the neighbourhood lined the sidewalk on both sides of the road, two of those trees flanked the lilac-coloured house on both sides like a guard keeping watch. The neighbouring houses seemed to have the same structural outline, but they weren't exact replicas of each other. Their grey SUV was parked right in front of a milk-coloured mail box that read 'Beckett'.