1. A New Horizon

One

A New Horizon

Elena

"You have reached your destination," my phone's GPS app says. I pull over, mount the curb, and cringe at my terrible driving skills. I scan my surroundings and sigh in relief—no one saw that. It's late afternoon. Despite using a navigation app, I still got lost and could have arrived earlier.

The two-story redbrick house is average looking. It will be my new home in Crown Village, a small coastal town with a lake and beaches. I already know I'm going to love it here. My previous town just didn't feel like home.

Closing my eyes, I recall the first time I told my parents I was leaving.

Mom's mouth is wide; her eyes bulge and then narrow. "No! You're not leaving."

I clench my shaking hands in front of me. "I got a job as a waitress at a respectable restaurant." I smile, thinking if my parents see how happy it'll make me, they'll be happy.

"Why are you moving away from us?" Dad asks. "You gave up college... now you're taking up another waitressing job away from us and your sister?" His disapproving glare slices through me like a blade.

I frown. I'll miss my sister, Ava, but that's about it. I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts—I need to stay positive.

Two girls in bikinis, with towels around their shoulders, rush out of the front door of the house and dash past across the lawn. They're probably going to the beach; it's not far. That's what the ad said, at least. I'm renting a bedroom in a shared house because that's all I can afford in this town. It's so expensive here.

When I step out of the car on shaky legs, the breeze swirls around me, flicking my hair. I inhale the fresh, salty air. I could get used to this. I had to escape my small hometown and experience life while I'm still young. A sudden flicker of nerves makes my heart pump in my chest. I roll my shoulders back. "Pull yourself together," I mumble under my breath.

After closing the car door, I walk across the lawn and stand by the front door. I knock. "Hello," I call out. It comes out as a strangled whisper, so I clear my throat to try again. "Hel—" is all I can say before the door opens right into my head. Pain ricochets through my forehead and nose.

"Sorry," the guy in the doorway says. He chuckles.

A girl opens the door fully. "Are you alright?" She's attractive and also wearing a bikini, and her blond hair is tied back in a super high ponytail.

"Yes," I say. I smile tightly, even though it still hurts. "I'm Elena. I'm supposed to be moving in today."

She gives me a big smile. "I'm Lucy. The owner told me about you. Your bedroom is the first one you see when you get up the stairs. I'll go get your keys." She darts away.

I swallow and look at my feet, conscious of the guy's eyes on me.

"Want to join us at the beach?" he asks.

When I look up, I try to focus on his face so that I don't stare at his body. He's wearing only shorts.

I peer back at my car. "I've got to get unpacked... but uh, thanks."

He nods. "Maybe next time," he says, and smiles.

Lucy comes back with an outstretched hand. "Here are your keys."

I take them from her.

"The small one is the key to your bedroom. Just lock it when you leave to go anywhere, because we have parties occasionally. The big key is to the front door."

"Thanks," I say hesitantly. Is she insinuating that there are thieves or that random people will barge into my room when they are over? I consciously make a note to lock the door 24/7.

"I'll see you later," she says, then I watch as the two walk away in the same direction as the other girls went.

I return to my car, open the back door, and retrieve my heavy suitcase. I tow it along on its wheels while I proceed to the house. The front door opens on the living room, which is furnished with weathered green couches. A few beer bottles are scattered on the tables. The house is basic, with white walls, worn floorboards, and the bare minimum of furniture. As I walk in further, I see the kitchen toward the back and a staircase to my left.

I drag my suitcase over to the stairs. I go up one stair, pull... two stairs, pull... My suitcase is so heavy. This is going to take a while.

I'm breathing heavily when I get to the top, but at least the door is only three steps away. I knock first, just in case Lucy directed me to the wrong room. Silence. I push the door wide and see a white metal bedframe with a mattress on top, a white chest of drawers, and a nightstand.

Two and a half hours had passed by the time I'd dragged my suitcase and bags of clothes, shoes, books, and toiletries up the stairs and unpacked. I'm straightening the spines of my books when I hear laughter and talking coming from outside the house. The voices move inside and the front door bangs shut.

I step out of my room to hear a guy say, "I wonder if that girl is still here or if she bolted after seeing us." He laughs. "The look on her face and what she was wearing... it looked like she was going to church."

I glance down at my long dress with three-quarter sleeves and my ballet flats. What's wrong with my outfit? To be fair, I have worn this dress to church on Sundays many times, but still...

"Her name's Elena. I'm sure she's in her room," Lucy says. She looks up the stairs. Her friends follow her gaze until all eyes are on me.

I give them a small wave. I've always been socially awkward.

Lucy waves me over. "Come down and have some pizza with us."

My stomach growls, reminding me I haven't eaten since breakfast. I go down the stairs and approach her.

"Come on, I'll show you around," she says with a bright smile.

I clasp my hands in front of me and nod.

Lucy steps over to her friends, who have taken a seat on the couches. "Everyone, this is Elena," she says. She points to the three attractive girls. "These are my friends Cindy, Jasmine, and Lia. They all live here too." Cindy and Lia have blond hair, and Jasmine has black hair. The girls give me a friendly smile.

Two guys are fighting over the remote. Lucy points at one and says, "Jeremy is my boyfriend." It's the guy I saw this morning and who made fun of my dress. He snatches the remote and then smiles at me.

"Justin is Cindy's boyfriend," Lucy says, gesturing toward the other guy. He salutes me.

I follow Lucy toward the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are cream, but with plenty of scratches. A broken cupboard door hangs crookedly. It's clear that no one is taking care of this house. I suppose it's perfect for people our age.

"Pots, pans, cutlery, and cups are stored in the cupboards and drawers," Lucy says. "The grocery store is only a short drive away. Write your name on things in the cupboard and stuff like milk so that no one gets confused about who it belongs to."

I follow Lucy back to the loud voices in the living room. Lucy sits on Jeremy's lap, and I take a seat on the single chair.

"Where are you from?" Lucy asks. Everyone quietens and all eyes lock on to me.

"I'm from Meadowbank. It's a small town around a thirty-minute drive from here." My hometown isn't anything to be embarrassed about. I need to be independent from my parents, and I thought a beach town would be a great place to move to.

"Oh yeah. It is small. It takes what, five minutes to travel through?" Lia asks sarcastically.

"Something like that," I answer.

"What brought you to Crown Village?" asks Jasmine as she twirls her long black hair around her finger.

I was lonely and bored . "I landed a job at a restaurant."

"Which one?" asks Lia.

"Crown Village Seafood Restaurant."

"Our friend Cameron works there. His parents own it. The food there is so good," says Justin. Everyone else nods.

"So good, but so expensive," says Cindy.

There's a knock on the door. Both guys stand up and hurry to the door. "Pizza's here!" Justin yells out.

"Where do you guys work?" I ask them.

Cindy's face contorts. "I don't work. I'm at college studying economics."

"I'm studying tourism," Jasmine adds in.

"Jeremy and I are studying business management," says Lucy. "Justin, engineering, and Lia, social sciences."

"So, you all study and don't work?" I clarify.

"Yep." Lucy nods, and I feel an inch tall. Their parents must pay for everything.

The boys walk in and place the cardboard boxes on the table. When they open them, a heavenly smell wafts out. Jeremy takes two large slices and sits back down before he crams as much as he can into his mouth. As I take a small slice of pizza and a napkin, I marvel at just how different I am from them. While they're out partying and sleeping in, I'll be working.

After my belly is full, I say good night and go to my room. I lock the door before I lie down.

I could have been like them. Going to college was an option for me. I got the grades for it. I considered majoring in English, but in the end I wasn't certain. I wasn't going to get into that much debt without being one hundred percent sure what career I wanted. I thought I was doing the smart thing. Taking time off to consider my options. But according to my parents, I have the brains, so I should be going to college and making something of myself, not just being a waitress on minimum wage. I have a feeling their disappointment is based on the fact that they can't brag to their friends at church about what I'm doing with my life rather than whether I'm happy and what I think is right for me.

My phone beeps. The message is from Henry, my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with a while ago. We had been together since high school. He got into a college on the East Coast and intended to live on campus, but I didn't want to have a long-distance relationship. Besides, we had grown apart long before we broke up.

The breakup had been amicable, and we still talk occasionally. I'm glad that there's no bad blood between us and that we can still be friends. We've been close for so long.

Henry

How did the move go?

Good thanks.

At least someone cares, I think to myself.

I've met my roommates, they seem friendly.

That's awesome. I look forward to hearing about it all.

I go back to my home screen. No phone call from my parents, asking if I arrived safe or if I've settled in okay. They were less than pleased about me moving and said I'm making a mistake. I wanted—no, I needed—to get out from under my parents' judgement.

When I was searching for jobs, I saw a position as a waitress being advertised in Crown Village. Excited by the opportunity, I immediately applied. I was tired of being comatose, living but not alive. My roommates seem to be friends with the restaurant owner's son, so that's a positive considering they seem like a friendly group of people.

I pick up my reading glasses and put them on, then grab a romance novel from the nightstand and start to read. Soon I'm lost in stories about love, book boyfriends, and happily ever after, which are far better than my reality.