Take A Deep Breath, Throw It All Away.

"Jaylieeee!" Eric sang, jumping on my bed.

"Eric. It is way too early to be singing," I scolded. I put my pillow on top of my head, wanting to beat my brother.

"Jaylie, Jaylie, tell me you love me!" He changed the words to The Summer Set's song Chelsea playing softly out of my stereo.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. Room."

"A little pissy, are we? Is it someone's time of the month?" he asked.

"ERIC I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I yelled, throwing the pillow that was covering my face at him.

He ran quickly out of my room and I chased him all the way to the bathroom. He locked the door swiftly behind him and called through the door, "Can't get me now, can ya?"

I sighed and walked back to my warm bed. I wasn't ready to be the new kid at school.

We had just moved to Tempe, Arizona three days beforehand from San Diego, California. It was six-fucking-thousand degrees outside and I couldn't stand it.

I missed California. I missed the beach. I missed my friends. I missed my house. I missed my school. I missed the streets.

I missed where I grew up.

"Sweetie, it'll be good for us. A new start, you know. I need this. Please," my mother had said, guilting me into it.

I knew I had to. I had to leave.

No matter how much I didn't want to.
__________

I hadn't even realized that I'd fallen asleep until Eric was screaming at me. "JAYLIE GET THE FUCK OUT OF BED!!!"

"Wh--what?"

"We're leaving in ten minutes hurry up!"

"Shit, shit, shit!" I repeated over and over again.

I was very grateful that I had taken a shower the night before. I rushed around my room and grabbed my favorite black skinny jeans and a black All Time Low t-shirt. I put on my usual pitch-black eyeliner and eyeshadow and slipped on my Converse.

I checked my phone. Ten minutes exactly.

I sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar. Mom wasn't home, not that I expected her to be. She was always working. So Eric practically raised me. My father left us when I was only eight. Mom had to work two jobs to keep money on the table. Eric was nine when he left, and pretty smart for his age, so he took care of me.

Eric honked the horn to his truck and I ran outside and climbed in.

"Let's get to school, shall we?" he asked, smiling at me.

"No. Let's not." He chuckled.

I was a sophomore and Eric was a junior. That meant that I wouldn't know anyone in my classes. Great.

He pulled out of our driveway and we reached the school in no time, to my extreme dismay.

We got out of the car and searched for the office. When we found it, Eric spoke to a lady behind the desk. I wasn't really paying attention. But I was handed a schedule and the lady behind the desk said, "Jaylie, this is Kennedy. He'll be showing you around today."

I looked up at a tall boy with short brown hair and beautiful eyes. He smiled at me.

"Welcome to the school, Jaylie."