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MILA
My sudden return has my dad scrambling to get everything organized for me. He was literally given hours before I rocked up here. Same as me. But he needs to enroll me in school, and he’s talking about getting me a car, mumbling about the models he thinks would be safe but cheap to run. I’m worried a car would be too much for my dad's budget. I don’t need a car. Yeah, I can drive, I made sure of that, but I can catch the bus. I really don’t care. I’m happy to just be home.
“Your room is the same. I haven't touched it since you left. We can go get you a bigger bed, if you want?”
I shrug. “I’m only one person, Dad. I don't need a bigger bed.”
Walking into the house is like walking into a memory of a happier time. It looks the exact same as the day I left. Even though I’ve been gone all these years, it’s like I just came back from a short trip. Not four years.
It even smells the same. The scent of safe, happy memories. Like I can finally breathe and relax for the first time since stepping on that plane today.
I notice one change—the photos of my parents are missing, replaced by photos of me that I’d sent Dad via email. He’d printed them off and put them into frames. My chest feels tight, and my eyes start to water. The lump in my throat thickens, and I know I’m going to cry. Again.
I imagine Dad having a life here all these years without me. I’d missed him so much. Forcibly, I swallow my emotions and plaster on a smile.
“Do I get to meet Kate?” I spin and face him.
My dad has been dating a woman for the past few months, and from the way his voice changes when he speaks about her, he’s truly happy and in love with her.
He puts my suitcases down, appearing uncomfortable. “Oh, I wasn't sure if you’d want to just yet.” He scratches the back of his head, and is that a blush? Is my dad blushing?
“Why wouldn’t I? She makes you happy, and I want to meet her.”
All I know about her is that she’s divorced and has two kids, a boy and a girl. They met at school, where he works as the assistant football coach. Her kids are students there. They must come from money, because Lakeview Prep isn’t cheap.
“I usually go over to dinner most nights, but I canceled when I heard you were coming so we could spend some time together. I thought you might want to settle in first before I introduced you.”
My feet began moving before my brain could register what I was doing. I wrap my arms around Dad's waist and hug him tight.
“You are amazing, Dad, but I want to meet her. Her kids. You don't need to cancel. We can still go, if you want.”
I hope her kids are better than Malcolm Junior. I’m unsure how well off they are, so I kinda want to get this over with sooner. Just in case they’re pricks. I know the boy is my age; he plays for the football team at Lakeview Prep. I can't remember his name, though. The girl is fourteen, and her name is Madison.
Dad pulls out his phone then glances up at me. “Are you sure you don't want to stay in and get settled? We could order pizza and watch an old football game or a movie?”
I shake my head. “Nope,” I reply, popping the p. “I think it would be good to meet them today.”
“Okay, but first I need to speak to the school about getting you enrolled. I’m not impressed about your grades since you've been gone, but I'm sure we can convince Mr. Key they’ll only improve now that you're back home.”
After witnessing the warm welcome Jace gave me, if I was a normal person, I would want to avoid him and go to Lakeview Prep. I know he goes to Ridgecrest High. He wouldn't have left Roman behind to go to some pompous prep school. Even Hunter, whose parents are loaded, promised to never separate us. He’d planned to attend Ridgecrest with us. Only, I never got there. I was dragged away before I could.
But, even now, I still want to go there. I want to see my old friends. I’m hoping for a warmer welcome from Hunter. Roman, I won’t hold my breath. I’d known cutting him off would be the end of what we’d built for all those years, and I would have to start over with him. I’d broken his trust, and that will be a long road back. One I’m determined to walk. No matter what he throws at me.
“I want to go to Ridgecrest, Dad. All my old friends are there.”
He looks down at me, furrowing his brow. “You don't want to come to Lakeview? They have an amazing art program. I know you still like art.”
I shake my head. “I don't want to go there. I never planned on being there when I was younger, and I really want to be at Ridgecrest.”
Dad clears his throat. “Okay, I will call and see if I can get you transferred there. Go up to your room and settle in while I make some calls.”
I walk up the stairs, noticing all the old photos still hanging on the wall. Except one—my parents' wedding picture. It’s been replaced by a photo of my grandparents. My dad lost them both when he was eighteen. I never got to meet them, but my middle name is June, after my grandmother. I touch the glass over her face. She was beautiful.
I continued up, the top stair squeaking, and I smile. Pressing it with my toe, it squeaks again. Dad never fixed it. I was really back.
My bedroom is at the opposite end of the hallway to Dad’s. The door is closed, and when I turn the handle and look inside, it’s dark. It smells dusty too. Like once I left, he’d closed the door and had never come back in here.
I move to the blind and open it, the sunlight streaming through. Turning, I put my hands on my hips as I survey the room. Same bed, same sheets. My nightstand has a thin coating of dust, and my pink alarm clock is flashing at me, needing to be reset. I open my closet and find all my old clothes from when I was twelve. My pink skateboard and helmet are hiding in there too. I pull the skateboard out and flip it over in my hands. I wasn't very good at it, but I’d still tried to keep up with the boys. It was more Roman’s thing.
