4: The Acres
My father’s house was in the Acres, a neighborhood a good twenty minutes away from where my mother and I lived. This meant I’d have to transfer from Auburn High School to Deep Run High. I was upset about this at first, wanting to keep things as normal as possible. Moving across town, to one of the richest neighborhoods in Auburn, on top of going to a new school, wasn’t the least bit normal. But after going to school to speak to the principal and clean out my locker, I realized that changing schools might be a good thing.
The students, who actually knew my mother or knew that I even existed, thought it was okay to stop me every five minutes to tell me how sorry they were. And how horrific it must have been to find my mother’s dead body after she downed a handful of pills. They’d give me The Look. The one that shows how much they pity you. I was tired of seeing that look from my father and his wife and every other person the day of the funeral.
Other students took a different approach. They’d watch me as I made my way through the concourse and up the locker hall, as if I was a freak show. As if a parent committing suicide resulted in me growing a second head.
The hour I was there was long enough for me to never want to go back. Now, I could only hope that the students at my new school would be less aware of what happened, or just not notice me at all. That was the plan. To be transparent. Invisible. Because who wanted to be friends with a kid whose mother who was selfish enough to kill herself anyway?
It was five days after the funeral. I drove along one of the two highways in Auburn, following my father as he headed north, in his shiny BMW, towards the Acres. He turned on his right blinker and I followed, switching lanes and taking the exit. We only drove a few more minutes until we turned into a neighborhood with tall, iron gates blocking the entranceway. The gates slowly opened as he drove through and I followed. My father was the top architect in town, designing houses that were mostly built here in the Acres, and neighborhoods similar to it. He designed the house we used to live in as well, but it was nothing like the one we were headed to now. Not from what I’d seen the last time I was there, the day after the hospital.
My father pulled his car into the driveway of one of the nicest houses I’d seen since we entered the neighborhood. It stood two, maybe three stories high. The driveway looped around a tall concrete fountain gushing water. There were two large columns in the front and a short set of stairs leading up to the very fancy looking and very tall, front door.
I parked my Jeep behind my father’s car, grabbing my book bag and small suitcase before getting out. He was already out of his car and walking towards me. He picked up my suitcase and walked towards the front door.
“I know you didn’t get to see much of the house last week. But there’s a lot to do. Swimming pool in the back and a movie room. I can show you around once you’re settled,” he said.
“Well, along with everything else, you definitely upgraded houses, too, when you left,” I said, a cold tone to my voice.
He froze, shocked at what I’d said. He watched me for a moment but remained silent. I heard him sigh as he opened the door and I followed him inside. How did he expect me to react anyway? It’s not like moving from our ordinary house into this mansion was suddenly going to make things right.
As soon as we walked into the foyer, I saw Gabe running down the spiral staircase. He jumped off the second to last step, hurtling himself towards me.
“Lyla!” he yelled, hugging my legs with so much force I nearly lost balance. His enthusiasm almost brought a smile to my face.
“Hey kid,” I said, awkwardly patting his head.
“Be careful, Gabe. You’ll knock someone over with all that energy of yours,” my father said, giving him a smile.
Gabe only shrugged, pulling me by the hand.
“Will you play xbox with me? Dad sucks and Mom never wants to play,” he said.
“Gabe, watch the language. And did you finish your homework?” my father asked, raising his eyebrows at him.
Gabe shook his head, his shoulders drooping once my father told him he couldn’t play video games on a school night. He was just about to walk back up the stairs when I called out to him.
“Hey. We’ll play this weekend, okay?” I said, watching as his face instantly lit up. He nodded his head then hurried up towards his room.
“I’ll show you to your room,” my father said, nodding his head towards the stairs.
He led me down a long hallway, to the room at the very end. I recognized the familiar steel grey walls and blue bed sheets, but the room was now filled with most of my things from my old room.
“Ruth will have dinner ready in an hour in the dining room. And the bathroom is the next door over. You’ll have to share with Mase just until we can get his showerhead fixed,” he said, turning to leave.
“Wait, who’s Mase?” I asked. Didn’t he mean Gabe?
“Oh, of course. You two haven’t met yet. Mase Dean is the son of a family friend. He stays with us. I’ll ask him to come over and introduce himself,” he said. He left the room then, shutting the door behind him.
I sighed, dropping my book bag next to the bed and laying down. I turned over, and saw a familiar face staring back at me. There was a picture on my bedside table of my mother and me from last summer, the day I turned seventeen. She hugged me from behind, wearing a huge smile on her face. It was so hard to tell how broken she was when she smiled like that. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. I remembered thinking that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t be sad anymore.
I reached out, taking a hold of the picture and running my fingers over the smooth glass, not able to touch her face. I swallowed past the thick lump in my throat, knowing there’d always be a thin sheet of glass between me and her. And no matter how much I tried to break through it, I’d never see her or talk to her or touch her again. The thought made my insides twist as I buried my face into the pillow. I was just about to let out a scream when there was a soft knock on the door. I sat up, turning to see someone open the door. This must be Mase Dean, I thought, as he walked in.
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Author's Note: I hope you guys will love Mase as much as I do. :) But unfortunately, you won't get to meet him until NEXT chapter. What do you guys think so far?? Please comment letting me know. And vote! :) Thanks in advance. -Shahira
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The Chord to my Heart
Teen Fiction"When Lyla Carter comes home to find that her mother has committed suicide, she's forced to live with her father who she's conveniently avoided since he left them seven years ago. Lyla does her best to keep everyone at arms length until she meets Ma...
