Riley

1

Sixteen years. This room, this house, has been my home for sixteen years. I run my hand over a dent in the wall. I made it when I was eight. I remember vividly how I kicked a soccer ball at the wall so hard that it flew back and hit me right in the face. I lost a tooth that day. And I guess I am losing my home today.

"Riley, we need to go."

Letting out a small sigh in sorrow, I took one last glance around the room that has been mine for the past sixteen years of my life, before closing the door firmly behind me and joining my mom and sister in the moving van. I could only sit and watch as my home, my life, slowly disappeared.

***

Alright. Now as morbid as that may seem, there were some not so morbid events that led me to this point. For those of you wondering who I am, my name is Riley Chase. A sixteen-year old girl whose life as she knew it ended the second some guy pulled out a ring. That very same guy just happens to live in freaking Colorado of all places. The question that had been rattling around in my head when I first found out was: how in the world did a guy from Colorado end up dating a girl from Tennessee? Well, this particular guy just happens to be swimming in cash. So, he just hops on his private jet every weekend to see his girl. Peachy, right? Anyway, to make a long story short, this is what happened. Guy proposes, girl says yes, guy asks girl to move-in even though the wedding is a year later (apparently there is a lot of planning), girl says yes again (without consulting her daughters might I add), girl tells daughters, daughters lives are then ruined, and then the daughters find themselves sitting in a moving van two months later leaving their entire lives behind. Now, doesn't Guy just sound great?

"Riley, I know you don't like this, but John is super cool. And he has kids that are around our ages." Meet Sam, my little sister. If you're wondering why I didn't know this myself, it's because I have honestly never met this guy. Whenever he would be at the house, I made myself scarce. I was either out playing soccer all day or I was spending the day at various friends' house. I know. I'm pretty sure I could win the award for 'Most Supportive Daughter of Her Mother's Newfound Relationship'. Sue me.

"That's nice. And do you know if either of them plays soccer by any chance?" I asked skeptically.

"I don't know." Mom said with a sigh. "But I know that the school has a soccer team. I'm sure you'll be able to play soccer with those kids."

This is another reason why I hate this whole cross-country move. It's already bad enough that I have to leave my friends and entire freaking life behind but being forced to go to a preppy private school is honestly just too much. It's probably a soccer team filled with prissy girly girls that don't want to get their clothes dirty or, god forbid, mess up their perfectly manicured nails.

"It's official. This sucks." I muttered.

"Riley, you don't even know if you'll like it or not. You're only making assumptions. Assumptions which I'm pretty sure are inaccurate."

I only sighed and put in my earbuds as I looked out my window and watched my life blur away.