Meet You There

Meet You There - Chapter 1

Chapter ONE 

The first day of Senior year of High School for most kids, I assumed, was a rite of passage. Three years in, being a Senior meant being on top, though almost being out of there for good.

   But for me, it was none of those things. I had spent ninth grade at this school, one of just a couple high schools in the mid-sized east coast town. It was the only private school in the area, and it wasn't even in the same city that I lived in. My grandfather had pulled some strings. But tenth and eleventh grade were at two completely different schools, in different states, and so my experience was not the same.

   The summer before tenth grade, my parents divorced, my dad moved across the country and my mom and I moved back to where my mom grew up, two hours away. For eleventh grade, I went to live in California with my dad, for many reasons, including that my mother was now pregnant with her new boyfriend - the person responsible for breaking up my parents' marriage.

   Half way through the summer before Senior year, I decided to leave California and go back to Virginia, where I was raised. My Dad was unsure, since he knew how strongly I had felt about getting away from my Mom. But a year in California was enough for me. It was beautiful, fun, exciting - everything that I had hoped for when I moved - but a lot had happened that I wasn't expecting, as well. The people I met were fake, trying to rise to the top of whatever social ladder they were climbing. Oh, and there was Sheldon, who was the main reason I wanted to leave California. Sheldon broke my heart.

   I decided I would live with my mom's brother, Uncle Caleb, long before he even knew about my return to the East Coast. My Dad knew him, trusted him and was okay with me moving to Charlottesville to stay with him. I just had to convince Caleb that it was a good idea.

   It was a month before school would be back in again when I finally made the call. Caleb was only twenty-eight - twelve years younger than my mom - and he lived alone in a nice two-bedroom condo downtown. Charlottesville was a short drive from Bellport, where I grew up, and since Caleb and my Mom had become distant, he was surprised to hear from me. I hadn't seen him since before my parents divorced. And yet, he agreed to my plan, just like that. I didn't even have to beg.

   My Dad drove me to the airport, trying to look tough as he hugged me, before I went through security.

   "Please come back, anytime," he told me. "And call. Text. You know I love you, Iris Jane."

   I kissed his cheek. "Thank you for everything this past year, Dad. I'll be back," I promised. But I really did not know if I would ever go back to California. I knew it would be too hard to face the things that had happened there.

   Landing in Charlottesville was like going back in time. No one knew I was there, except my Uncle Caleb, who was waiting at the baggage claim.

   I knew it was him by his goofy smile, overgrown curly hair and the fact that he knew it was me, even three years later. I had found him on social media so I knew what he looked like now, though it wasn't a lot different. I was the one who had really changed.

  "Wow," he said, walking towards me. "You grew up."

  "Well, I would have stayed fourteen if I could have," I told him. 

   We hugged, awkwardly, then stood together as we waited for my bags to come through. All the while, I was praying this was not a decision I was going to regret.

   "I registered you for school, at Renaissance," he told me, pulling both of my suitcases behind him as we walked out to the parking lot.

   I readjusted the duffle bag that was over my shoulder. "Really?"

   He nodded. "You went there for Freshman year, right? They were happy to re-register you."

   I smiled, even though I felt like screaming. I hadn't thought much about my Senior year, but I assumed I'd walk into a public school and go from there. I wanted a fresh start, more than anything.

  Renaissance was a private school that my mother insisted I go to when High School began. The kids were mostly from rich families or on academic scholarships. I was neither of those, though my mom's father was a wealthy businessman who liked the idea of me going to private school, as well. He paid my tuition without a problem.

   "You talked to Grandpa?" I asked Caleb now.

   "He's happy you're back in Virginia, and very happy to see you'll be back at Renaissance," Caleb replied, watching for my reaction.

   I swallowed hard. "Great, thanks."

   It was a thirty minute drive from the airport to his condo, and I was in flashback mode the whole time. Charlottesville held so many memories for me. My first time going to the carnival, when I was five. My first time driving a go-cart, when I was ten. My first real concert, my Dad took me to when I was eleven. But as we got closer to downtown, I saw other things that brought back memories from Freshman year - the club, Rock Light, that I'd been to a few times on all ages nights, with kids from Renaissance, the school itself, the village. It was really hitting me. This was not going to be easy.