Don't Get Sentimental On Me

"I'm home from school!" I yelled, catching my mother's attention.

"Hola, niña! Look, I found your stuffed bunny that you've been looking for!"

"Sniffles!" I have had that bunny since I was three, leave me alone.

"How was la escuela? Did you find Pat?" she asked as I snuggled my face into my bunny.

"Yeah, I found him."

"Him?"

"I was confused too." She laughed before moving another box out of the way.

"You make any other friends?"

"Yeah. There's this one named Kennedy..."

"And he is the cutest boy with muscles and he plays some sort of sport!" my mother said, mimicking any other teenage girl.

"Eww, madre," I laughed nervously before running upstairs to my room.

There were still boxes strewn across the place, but my bed was made. I flopped down on it and opened my phone to see that Jamie had been calling all day. I mean all day - even when I was at school. She must have been terribly nervous to excuse herself from class to call me because she hates public restrooms. There were also text messages - frantic text messages asking how I was.

"Oh thank God, you're alright!" Jamie yelled when she answered the phone.

"What did you think was going to happen?"

"I'm not sure... How's school? My cuz treat you right?" she asked.

"Yeah, and thanks for mentioning that Pat was a guy."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she giggled, "Make friends?"

"Yeah...there's Garrett...and Kennedy. And Pat of course."

"Pat better not be your new biffle," she warned.

"He isn't!"

"So are they all freshman or what? You get some hot older ones?"

"Well, the teacher-"

"Eww, Adri!"
"I'm just kidding! Garrett is a freshman and Kenny is a junior."

"You have to send me a picture of him."

"I will whenever I get close enough to him to ask for a picture."

"So you know-" And there she went, telling me something about the people who didn't matter much to me anymore.

In time, I'm sure I would forget everyone who teased me over there. We moved because of my mom's company moving to Tempe, but I was so happy when she told me that. I hated everyone at school. If they weren't cruel to me, than they were just obnoxious. Here I hoped to make friends.

I finally tired of hearing Jamie's voice and decided to call it a day before I started unpacking again.

"Adria!" my mother called.

"Yes?"

"The neighbors have invited us for dinner!" Oh, boy.

"...Okay," I said, entering the kitchen.

"They have a boy around your age," my mother hinted, causing me to laugh.

"Do I have to change clothes?" I yelled down the stairs.

"Of course!"

"Too much effort!" I yelled before slamming my body into the bed.

I changed into an outfit approved by my mother: a dark, jean skirt with a black tank top and a purple, lace cardigan. She even let me wear my TOMS. Yeah, I know my mom is awesome. The neighbors may not think so, but I couldn't really care less.

"Come now, Adria!" she called from downstairs.

I followed her out to next door where a quaint little house sat. It was cute. My mother approached the door. Before knocking she pulled her shirt down and her pants up and fixed her hair before I finally knocked for her. A boy answered. He couldn't have been much older than Garrett and Pat and I.

"Ugh, hey...," he said, looking back and forth between us, "You must be the new neighbors."

"Yes! It's nice to meet you! Are your padres here?" my mother asked enthusiastically.

"Who?" he asked, adding a nervous chuckle.

"Your parents." I clarified.

"Yeah, they're right inside. My name is John by the way," he said, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you John. My name is Rosa Poli," she said, shaking his hand whilst simultaneously shaking his body.

"My name is Adrianne," I said, taking his hand once my mother released it.

"Oh, hi! You must be Mrs. Poli," a kind woman said as she appeared in the doorway, inviting us in.

"My name is Rosa and this is my daughter, Adrianne." my mother introduced ourselves as we took a seat in the nice living room.

"Nice to meet you both!" she squealed as her husband entered the room, "John, since dinner is not quite finished yet, you can show Adrianne around neighborhood!"

He motioned for me to follow as he dragged his feet behind him. We made it out the door before he stretched his arms out and put one around me.

"I'm new, but I'm not stupid," I said with a smirk on my face.

"Sorry. So where did you come from?" he asked, taking his arm off me as we started walking.

"I'm from Pheonix, Arizona."

"Ah. Cool. So what are you doing in Tempe?"

"My mom's job was moved down here and it was just easier."

"So where do you go to school?"

"Tempe High."
"Me too! Are you a freshman?" he asked, squinting one eye.

"Yeah," I blushed slightly.

"I'm a junior." Same grade as Kennedy.

"That's cool."

"So you make any friends yet? I can give you the scoop on anyone there," he spoke the latter like a he was needy for someone to gossip with.

"I'm friends with Pat Kirch...and Garrett Nickelsen." I wasn't sure if I was on a friend's basis with Kennedy...yet.

"Hey, I know them! Were in a band together." Which means that he was in the band with Kennedy.

"Kennedy Brock is my friend too."

"Well you've just about met the whole group. So you haven't met Jared yet?" John asked.

"Who?"

"Guess not," he laughed.

"Do you know a girl named Laura...?" My memory of her last name was failing me.

"Laura Graben? Yeah. Bitch. She dated Pat over the summer and she walked all over him. He finally broke up with her just before school started," John said, his nose scrunching up as if he smelled something rotten.

"Oh... She saw me with Pat and asked me about him."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. Kenny warded her off."

"Good."

It was quiet after that as we explored the neighborhood. It's amazing how we didn't get lost considering how all the houses had a likeness to them. They were all so the same. I hadn't realized it before, really. I knew that if I ever wanted to walk through the neighborhood, I must bring John with me. There were so many streets that I would never find my way back.

"Well, we're back," John said.

"We are?" I didn't even realize that we had walked in a complete circle.

"Yeah," he laughed before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Think dinner's ready?" I asked.

"Probably not. I don't think you want to go in yet," John said as he noticed me approaching the door, "I'm sure they aren't done blabbering in there and you'll get involved in the conversation if you go."

"Yeah, I think I'll stay out here with you," I said as I plopped down onto the O'Callaghan's nice, green lawn.

"So..."

"You think I'll like it here, John?" I asked.

"I think you're going to love it here, Adrianne."

"John?"

"Yes?"

"Just call me Adri."

"I can do that."