Behind the Beanie

Chapter Two: A New Start

   "What?" Alyssa, Hailey, Camille and I exclaimed.

   Mom sighed. "Girls, I know it's shocking. And it'll be hard. But we think it's for the best."

   "Why?" Alyssa croaked.

   "Well, for one, living here is very expensive," Dad explained. "And it doesn't seem like it's the right place for the four of you. Some of you don't have any friends and are being bullied, and the friends you do have are a negative influence on you. Some of you are the bullies." He glared especially at Camille when he said this. Aside from getting failing grades, Camille always was getting sent to the principal for various reasons — throwing balls at teachers' heads, cutting off classmates' ponytails, name - calling, pranks, you name it. Mom and Dad always grounded her, but it never did any good.

   "Your Mom and I have found better jobs over there, as well," Dad said. "And we believe a fresh start will do us all good."

   Mom nodded.

   I still sat there, shell - shocked. Stacey and I were always talking about how we wished we could move to a different school, but we'd never really thought about it. It actually made me a little sad. Although I've had my bad times, it saddened me to think I'll never see any of my classmates again. Especially Stacey.

   On the other hand, this could be my big chance. I could finally make better friends, achieve popularity, and be myself! I wasn't sure if this move was a bad or good move.

   "When do we move?" Hailey asked.

  "In two months," Mom replied.

   Dad seemed to notice my shocked face. "Do you want to call Stacey, Bree?" He asked. "And...tell her?"

   I nodded numbly and took my phone out of my pocket. I suddenly felt guilty about feeling glad for leaving. After all, I'm Stacey's only friend. Who will she have after I leave?
 
   I dialed her number. Once she got on, I told her the news. She wasn't as sad as I'd expected. She was surprised, but then assured me that she'd be fine. They're mixing up the classes next year, so she'd make new friends anyway. Willow Crest is only a three hour drive from here, she told me. So we could visit each other.

   "Yeah..." I said. "But I'll miss you."

   "Me too, Bree. More than you'll ever know."

   I hung up. I saw Mom looking at me sadly.

   "You have that English summer packet to finish, sweetheart," she said. "Can you continue working on it?"

  "Sure," I replied, then ran to my room. I actually didn't mind the English packet. Aside from math and science, English was my favorite subject. I found I had a passion for writing. It calmed me down, organized my thoughts, and I was really good at it. I told everyone I was inspired by all the murder - mystery novels I read, but it was more than that.

   I craved adventure. I wanted to live an extraordinary life like the characters in my books. In fact, that's part of the reason why I read murder - mystery novels. Maybe they'd help me figure out stuff on my adventure. If I got an adventure.

   I tried to look for magic everywhere. For instance, maybe if I'd move, it'd give me a chance at not living an ordinary life, the same routine every day. I believed there's more than that.

   But I'd started to doubt it. After all, extraordinary spells out extra - ordinary.

                                  
                                ***
     
  
   The next two months were a blur of boxes and packing and measurements. I'd barely had time to see Stacey. However, as a treat, Mom decided to let me dye pink and blue highlights in my bangs.