Along the Horizon.

Boxes lined the white walls of my new room. The only thing I've managed to unpack were a few clothes and some bedding. I couldn't bring myself to unpack completely, not yet. The rest of the house was tidy and things were put in their rightful place after being carefully labeled with my mother's favorite label maker.

The label's help Brady, my seven year old brother with autism, put things back where they belong while learning how to spell and read words. He isn't severely autistic. He just goes at a slower pace than other kids and needs help every once and a while. Though, these last few months have been almost unbearable trying to get him to do just about anything.

My mother says that he'll get better eventually. He just needs to adjust to things his own way. I wish she'd let me adjust my own way, but she insist that I see a shrink twice a month to talk about my feelings.

I used to be very open about how I felt. Everyone knew what I thought and I didn't think to second guess myself, but ever since the accident that's all I ever do. So I've closed the door to thinking and feeling all together. It was much easier to be numb than to be hurt.

My mom is coping by revamping my father's business. Relocating from the east coast to the west. He was in the process of doing it himself, but now it is in the hands of my dingbat of a mother. I have to love her though, she is trying to do her best.

I am sitting on my bed, when my mom comes into my room. She is dressed in a navy pant suit with a white button up frilly blouse underneath her jacket. Her poker straight blonde hair is swooped back into a perfect bun.

"Well?" She does a 360 slowly, so I can see all angles of her attire.

"You look beautiful, ma."

"I'm just not good at this. Business was always your father's thing. He knew how to handle people."

"Mom, you are going to do fine. There is a reason why dad left the company to you. You are personable, and witty and your negotiating skills are spot on. This is your baby now. You can do it, both dad and I know you can," I was always great at boosting peoples confidence when they needed it the most, especially my mother.

"Oh Ace," She had to say it. Right when I was in the process of being strong for her. She whips out the nickname.

"No. It's Maggie now," I said it to harshly. My mom face had a wounded baby appearance. I wrap my arms around her body and whisper in her ear, "I love you, you know that. You are going to do great."

"Will you pick Brady up from school today? I'm not sure when I'll be home."

I gave her a quick nod before she smiled, kissed my cheek and walked out the door. I heard her call for Brady then the front door opened and closed and I was left alone.

*

My new school was bigger, older, and more diverse than my old school. I waited in the worn leather sofa for the principal to come and meet me.

"Margaret Cartwright?" A middle-aged Asian man stood to my right.

"Mr. Howard?" I was thoroughly surprised I didn't expect an Asian to have the last name of Howard. My facial expression made him laugh.

"That is me. I was adopted. That's where I get the original last name from," His smile was warm. It reminded me of the old black lady from the doctors office.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My old school only had like one Asian."

"It's okay, I get it all the time. Let's step into my office and get acquainted."

His office is nice, nothing like the Shrink's. They're pictures hanging from the walls of his family. His children with his wife and a picture of a dog.

"Beautiful family," I mutter.

"Thanks, I like to think so. Sit, lets get to know each other."

Oh no. He wants to talk. Pretty soon he'll want to send his condolences and his face will look sad but he won't mean it.

"I'm Maggie, I'm seventeen. I'm a senior this year taking all of the AP classes you have available. I have a seven year old autistic brother named Brady, my mom is a ninny named Karen and my dad is dead."

"That's pretty blunt. I like you, you have a no shit attitude," did my principal just cuss in front of me? I was amazed.

"I'd like to think so."

"Well, Maggie, I think you'll like it hear. It's a great school. Certainly not Saint Paul, but we have a great staff, good kids and the lunch is decent."

I smile, Saint Paul had a sushi bar, I'd be lucky if they had a salad bar here.

Mr. Howard walks me through my schedule with one of the maps he has in his office. All of the halls, stairways and rooms had me overwhelmed. He could sense that. Quickly he got up and motioned me to follow him out of his office and down a short hall way. There was a line of kids sitting against the wall with a "talking equals more discipline" sign hanging above them. They all straightened up once they saw the principal and I walking towards them.

"Wheeler," Mr. Howard stands in front of a boy with spiky dark blonde hair. "How did I know that you'd be here?"

"I'm always here Mr. H, I seem to can't get enough of Mrs. Eckel," the lady at the first desk looks up from a pink slip of paper, her eyes narrowed at the boy than she quickly went back to work.

"Very amusing. Now, I'll pardon you if you do me a favor."

"I'm listening."

"Walk Miss. Cartwright through her classes with her. Show her around the building, introduce her to some people. Make Maggie feel welcome," Mr. Howard smiles down at me.

"You don't have to ask me twice. Come on Maggie let's get out of here before he changes his mind," He gets up grabs my hand and starts pulling me down another short hallway. I have just enough time to wave goodbye to Mr. Howard before he disappears from view.

We turn down another hallway and exit a door until we are no longer in the office before Wheeler stops and lets go of my hand.

"I'm Logan Wheeler," He smiles a perfect smile. I get the sense that he a tad bit cocky.

"I'm Maggie Cartwright," I told my hand out for him to shake.

He looks down at my hand and smiles as he shakes it. "Ace of spades."

He notices a small tattoo on the thumb side of my wrist. A small capitalized A is permanently inked on my skin inside the outline of a spade. I quickly let go of his hand and hide it behind my back.

"Yeah, so what?" My come back was cut cold.

"Nothing, I have a few myself," He lifts up his shirt to reveal a verse scrolled across his left pectoral muscle. He was extremely toned. He pulls down his shirt and continues talking. "We can walk through the schedule first then it'll be time to eat. You have lunch with me, so if I like you enough I'll let you sit with me and my friends. We also have English together, but we've already missed that class. Come on."

I follow Logan up and down many flights of stairs and up and down hallways, being introduced to a few kids that were straggling outside classrooms. Everyone seemed to be pleasant and welcoming. Something Saint Paul was not good at. It was a snotty school, filled with snotty rich kids thinking that they were big, but in reality it was their parents that made the money and called the shots. I always felt like I didn't belong there, but my father always insisted on the best education.

At lunch I sat beside Logan at a round table filled with chatty teenagers all my age. A girl named Rachel sat on my other side, she was the loudest of them all. Her laugh was obnoxious, but also contagious. I probably liked her the most out of the group.

"So Maggie where you from?" She asked me, popping a grape into her mouth.

"Jersey," I said lightly.

"What brings you to San Fran?" someone else in the group asked.

"My dad's business main headquarters relocated."

"Cartwright Inc.?" Another boy with black spiked hair asked. I nodded. "My dad just got a job there, but he said some chick is in charge."

"That's my mom."

"Your dad lets your mom be in charge of his own business?" Logan asked.

I looked up at him, almost pleading him to take back the question. No, no, no. I was having such a nice time being distracted with everything that is new. Why did I have to bring this up, why did he have to ask that question. Now it'll all be sad and awkward.

"Um, he died about six months ago," I whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.

I looked at him, he knew I was hurt. That I didn't want to talk about it, and that I didn't want his sympathy.

"So who is all going to the football game Friday?" He changed the subject and all attention that had been on me was now diverted to a different topic. I looked down and fiddled with my fingers in my lap. Logan's hand reached for mine, as I let him take my hand he gave it a slight reassuring squeeze before releasing it and letting my hand fall back into my lap.

I had only just met this kid, but there was something about him that made me feel like there was less pressure. I didn't have to be strong for him, because he was already strong. He had nothing to be weak about. I smiled to myself and started listening in on the conversation. Occasionally laughing when Rachel snorted and spoke my opinion a few times as well.

I decided that I didn't need to be strong at this school. People didn't know who I was, so they can't hold me to a higher standard. I wouldn't let them know me, I wouldn't let anyone get too close. I wouldn't let the numbness that I feel at home affect me here, school will be for once enjoyable.