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“It doesn’t,” she deadpans.
“Mom got a promotion and well, that’s why we’re moving. Plus, after everything she and my dad went through, I guess she needs a change. She practically jumped at the chance to move.”
“Aww, I’m so sorry, babe. I’m going to miss your ass though,” she says, sounding sad. I may not have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are the best.
“I’ll miss you too,” I tell her.
“You better keep me updated and call me every week. And we have to visit each other whenever we can otherwise, I’ll come to Texas just to kick your ass!” she grumbles over the phone and I let out a laugh.
“Obviously! Who else am I going to whine to about life?” I ask sarcastically.
“Good, you better! Or your best friend access card is getting revoked!” she tells me sassily.
“Noted. Anyway, I have to go pack a bag for tomorrow. Love you!” I tell her.
“Love you too, hoe,” she says and I chuckle before we both hang up.
Once I’m off the phone, I start packing a bag for tomorrow before showering and crawling into bed. I’m nervous and excited to see what the future will hold for us there.
Today’s Friday and it’s the third day since we’ve been in Riverside. We managed to unpack our clothes and some other personal items since we arrived. Well, we had help from the movers to unpack everything that wasn’t our clothes so that was a big help.
We left all the big furniture and other stuff behind since Mom was now going to rent the house while we were here. The good thing was that the new house came furnished.
I haven’t had the chance to venture out anywhere yet and see what this town is all about. I figure once I start school, I’ll have plenty of time to do that, especially once we get a little more settled in.
Right now, Mom and I are getting dressed to attend her boss’s wife’s funeral. A day after we got here, Mom came home and told me the sad news. I wanted to stay at home but she insisted I go with her. Apparently, everyone from around these parts will be in attendance. Since she’s new here, she needs to go to show her support along with the rest of the employees. They all want to give their support to their boss in this trying time.
I should have expected that since her boss’s family is the most influential and richest people here, which means this is going to be a big funeral. Ugh, I hate crowds.
I did some research on this town instead of going out before now and from what I gathered, the Riversides were at the top of the most influential and richest people here. Then there were three other families that were above the rest and those were the Wests, Levines and Andersons. Everyone else was well off here but nowhere near those four names.
“Are you ready to go?” Mom asks as she knocks on my door.
“Just a sec!” I call out as I put on my earrings then brush my hair out, opting to leave it down. I put my shoes on. I’m wearing a knee-length black dress and ballet flats. It’s a simple and classy look.
When I walk downstairs, she’s already waiting for me by the door. We both walk outside and get into her car. She pulls out of the driveway. While driving through town, I can’t help but notice the Riverside name plastered almost everywhere. This place is completely different from the city life I’m used to in New York.
For one, it’s so damn hot all the time and two, it’s so clean! New York City is the worst because there’s always trash everywhere on the roadside. It’s literally the worst place to live, on most days. Plus, it’s much quieter here compared to the Big Apple.
At any given moment in New York, you either hear all the cars passing by or you hear the trains. It’s noisy. Coming here to the quietness has definitely been an adjustment.
I also looked up information on all the leading families here. I mean, a girl has to know these things right? I’m new here, so of course I had to do some research. There are literally so many news articles on all of them, from business dealings to personal matters and scandals. People are really invested in their lives.
Apparently all the sons from each family are major football stars in this town. There was even an article announcing that Mr. Riverside’s wife had passed away but there was nothing much on that. Just how she was loved by everyone in this town and all her contributions to it. I wonder how she died?
It only takes about fifteen minutes to get to the church and when we stop, the entire place is already packed. Holy hell, that’s a lot of people for this town. I guess this place is bigger than I thought it was.
Mom finds a parking spot. We both get out of her car and then walk toward the church and step inside. The inside is packed as well but we manage to find seats at the back, which I’m thankful for. It feels weird being at someone’s funeral when you didn’t even know them.
The service is going on and a few minutes later, a guy gets up from the front and goes up to the casket and stands before it for a second. He bends down to kiss the woman on the forehead and I’m assuming that it’s the son.
After a few minutes, he moves to the side and stands by the head of the casket. It’s now that I can see his face. I don’t know if it’s inappropriate or not to crush on someone at a funeral but holy shit, the wind gets knocked out of me.
A spark of attraction unlike anything I’ve ever felt before consumes me as I look at the guy. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life. I have to look away before anyone spots me staring at him like a crazy person. I mean, the guy just lost his mom.
As the service goes on, I don’t really pay attention to what’s being said. I keep sneaking glances at the guy. I hate funerals. It’s always sad whether you know the person or not. When the service is over, three other guys go up to the one that was standing by the casket and after it’s closed, they all grab a handle and help him lift it up.
They begin walking outside the church and everyone gets up to start making their way outside as well. Since Mom and I are at the back, we both slip out easily and watch as they head to the cemetery at the back of the church. It’s huge.
