Lovely.

From the second I stepped foot into Joplin, Missouri, I knew that I wouldn't like it much here.

More than half of the houses on my street had a pick-up truck parked out in front or in the driveway, and everyone talked with a funny accent. Clearly, this wasn't what I was used to, considering I was originally from suburban Connecticut.

I was willing to give it a try, though. After all, there was no need to make my life more awful than it needed to be. I could always make new friends, and who knows; maybe I could find a cute boy here. I was willing to be optimistic.

The only thing that sucked was that I started school in ten days. Even though I moved in the summer, school started in August here, whereas it started in September up in Connecticut.

I sighed. Although my summer was ending prematurely, that didn't mean that I shouldn't enjoy it... so, I decided to go outside and explore the area in which I would be living.

I was in pajama shorts and a tank top already, and since I was lazy and didn't feel like searching through massive piles of clothes for an outfit, I just put a cardigan over it.

To be honest, I didn't really care about how ridiculous I probably looked.

Once my cardie was on, I put on my favourite pair of blue Keds and ran down the stairs.

"Mom! I'm going out!" I called.

"Okay, dear, just be back by seven, alright?" she replied. "Your regular curfew doesn't apply yet. I barely know this town."

"Sure," I said. I grabbed my purse which I strategically placed on the railing of the staircase yesterday and headed outside.

The beauty of it was that I had no idea where I was going.

So, I decided to turn left and hope that it led somewhere worth hanging out at.

Thankfully, after a few left turns, I found a park. It was deserted, unfortunately, so any hopes of meeting someone were gone. On the bright side, though, I at least had time to think about things and contemplate my surroundings.

I sat down by a tree, looking around. This park was nice; I could tell that it wasn't that significant to residents of the town, but I found beauty in everything. I loved how it was a bit windy today and the leaves twirled in the air as they were ripped from the branches of their home, the ever-so-tall tree.

I frowned a bit, feeling more empathetic than I should have.

You see, I was just like that leaf. I was quite happy where I was on my tiny branch, dancing with the wind when it came around. But one day, those winds picked up. Eventually, I was uprooted from my home... taken away from everything I had ever known. All of a sudden, I was swirling around uncontrollably, being taken in a predetermined pattern which had been decided by someone more powerful than me.

...Boom. I landed harshly on the ground, a new place for me. I mean, sure, this place had lots of promise for other people, but all I'd ever do here is get crushed.

I didn't belong here. I belonged up in the tree with all the other leaves.

I sighed. Would I ever find happiness in this town?

"Hey you!" I heard someone exclaim, jerking me out of my thoughts.

I saw that the person who exclaimed this was a girl. She was quite pretty, and she had brown hair and brown eyes. She was also wearing a Mighty Morphing Power Rangers shirt, and I would have complimented her on it if I were less introverted.

After analyzing her, I quickly scanned the park. There didn't seem to be anyone else here but me, but she wasn't calling me, was she?

Before I could even say anything, she rolled her eyes. "Yes you. Who else would I be talking to? There's no one else here."

"Touche," I laughed, and she smiled and walked over to where I was sitting.

"In case you were wondering, no, we do not know each other," she announced. "...At least I don't think we do. But you're clearly new around here, and I'm pretty outgoing, so I am therefore taking you under my wing." I grinned.

"Why is it so clear that I'm new?" I widened my eyes.

"It's not by any fault of your own. It's just that everyone around here's known each other since preschool. What can I say; it's a small town, and we inadvertently stick together." She shrugged. "I was like you, too, though. I didn't move here 'till I was eleven."

"Well, that explains why you don't have that accent yet," I replied. She shook her head.

"Nah, 'cause my brother picked it up a while ago, and he doesn't even live here anymore… well, he does rarely, but it doesn't change the fact that I only see him a few times a year." I raised my eyebrows.

"Where does your brother live, then?" I asked, confused. She grimaced.

"Technically, he lives with my family and I," she replied. "But really, he lives on his tour bus. I guess he's too busy touring around and promoting his band to see us."

I widened my eyes. "Wow, that's terrible."

"Tell me about it," she sighed. "But, anyway, enough about my dysfunctional family! What's your name?" I laughed.

"I'm Georgia," I stated. "What's you're name?"

She grinned to herself, as if remembering some private joke. "I'm Hannah."

"It's nice to meet you," I responded.

"Likewise. Now, Georgia, if you've got nothing better to do, how would you like to go on an adventure with me?"

"I'd love to," I said, smiling.

x o x o x o x o x o.

I've concluded that I could get used to this town; however, only time would tell whether I would end up liking it or hating it.

Hannah did make things a lot better, though. As you could most likely tell, we quickly became best friends. For the rest of the summer (although it was short), we would hang out every day, from when we got up to our curfews.

But before I knew it, it was the day before the first day of school, and things were about to change.