Love at First Sight

1

Today's a sunday.

I looked out the window of my parent's car, hearing the hum of the engine through my headphones. My music was blasting, a useless attempt to forget where I was- where I am.

That was all I could think. Tomorrow was a school day, and all of my friends would be going to school like normal, with me nowhere to be found.

I sang the tune quietly, closing my eyes and leaning my head against the door.

I saw trees and electricity lines fleeting in an out of what I could see through the window, my eyes tracing the black curves it made. The sky was a dull blue behind it, fitting to my current mood.

I heard a muffled sound, and I took off my headphones, ripped back into reality, the monotone silence deafening. "Did you say something?" I asked my dad, irritated.

"We're almost there," He said, sighing. "You know, Donny, maybe you should give this place a chance. You don't even know what it's like yet."

"Whatever."

I put my headphones back on, closing my eyes and returning to how I was. The seatbelt jabbed into my side, making the journey even worse than it had to be.

--

I felt the car's engine cut out, and felt my stomach plummet.

We're never going back again.

I paused my music, and got all of my stuff together. My dad got out of the car, the door of it slamming closed. He was getting our suitcases out of the trunk. Taking a deep breath, I opened the car door, slinging my backpack onto my shoulder.

The first thing that I noticed was how cold the air was. The hair on my arms and legs stood up. My feet hit the ground, my body standing stiffly without my control. It felt like the weight of the world was on my back, but it was just my backpack; filled with all of the my most-prized possessions. The slam of my own door echoed in my ears, my stomach twisted into knots that felt like they could never be untied.

I looked around, dreading what my new home looked like. Bushes were planted, a few colored flowers were planted by them.

I looked to my left, where I guessed the house would be. I was shocked by it's size, two stories, and a massive blue roof. The body of it was a regular beige color, making the blue so much more colorful. It made the sky look black and white.

My dad was rolling his own suitcase inside, telling me that mine was by the trunk.

I hoisted my backpack higher up onto my shoulders, walking around the car and grabbing my suitcase. The suitcase felt like the only solid thing in the world, the only thing that would still be there for me; I gripped it tighter as I approached the front door.

Today's a Sunday.

I didn't think the suitcase was enough.