Chapter 1
Hey there, Ellie here. Bet you’ve never heard of little ol’ me before, and that’s okay. It’s not like I’m famous or anything...yet.
Managed to escape high school - finally. College awaits, hurrah!
No, I don’t have a boyfriend. Glad you’ve asked. I needed a reminder. Yeahhhh... I had one once upon a time, but we don’t talk about him anymore. Let’s just say that ship has sailed.
My friends? Don’t have many. I have my cousin, Livvie. She’s my beacon of light in this fucked up world. Unfortunately, she left for college one year ago. Left me alone in this shithole I call home. Rude.
Ever heard of Brookhaven? Sounds posh, huh? Spoiler: it’s super not. There’s one main street, a grocery store that smells like farts and lemon cleaner, and a bakery that, admittedly, makes the most incredible blueberry muffins.
At six, this town became my new home. Why? My parents labeled city life as “depressing” and “unhealthy.” Their solution? Trees. Chirping birds. Do they really fix lives? Maybe they’re onto something, but I’m still trying to decipher that.
Oops, did I just make my life sound like a sad teen movie? Trust me, it’s not that dramatic. I promise I’m not some depressed loner girl who cries into her pillow every night. I only do it on Tuesdays. And sometimes Thursdays.
I went to high school in a nearby city. Typical wealthy suburban high school. You know, the type where everyone’s dripping in designer labels and their parents’ money. And then there was me, the small town girl, that was just trying to fit in. Obviously, I didn’t. Everyone knew everyone’s business. Gossip spreads faster than wildfire. And if you dare to be different? May God have mercy on your soul.
Anyway, now it’s summer so I’ve got a whole lotta nothing going on. Livvie’s off being all independent or whatever, so I can’t even complain about our parents over muffins like we used to. Mostly I just wander around town people watching. Humans are fucking fascinating creatures when you really pay attention. Especially when they don’t know you’re watching.
So that’s my oh-so-exciting existence in a nutshell. But it’ll have to do for now until I figure out what I’m doing with my life. All I know is I’m not sticking around this place. There’s a whole big world waiting for me out there
So, what should I pack?
Clothes, I’ll probably need those. All similar t-shirts and pants combo that I always wear. Not that I look particularly attractive in them, but why should I even bother? Liv used to say that I’m gorgeous just the way I am. Yeah, right. Like, have you seen me, bitch?
Hair? I don’t even know how to call this color. Mouse-like? Mundane brown? It’s boring. I had dyed it red once. Looked kinda cool. But Mom threw a fit and forced me to wash it out. She said I was giving her early gray hairs. Pfttt.
Body? Short. Too fat. Well, not fat, but not skinny. Not fat enough to be bullied about. Not thin enough to fit in. Sigh.
Personality? I like to think of myself as quiet and observant. But if you ask my shrink? She’d label it ‘emotionally unavailable.’ Funny how a few sessions of me talking and her nodding gives her the right to slap a label on it. Maybe she’s right. Maybe she’s not. But then again, if I knew for sure, I wouldn’t be seeing her, would I?
Am I nervous? No. College is just school but with no rules, right? I have to say I’m kinda looking forward to it.
I’ve always had rules. Not my rules, obviously. My parents rules. Did I tell you about my family already? No? Well, you’re in for a treat.
I live in a perfect one-family house: white picket fence, perfectly manicured lawn, and a facade that hides more secrets than it shows. One-distant-emotionally-detached-father-one-overly-protective-nervous-wreck-of-a-mother-one-asshole-of-a-younger-brother.
See? Perfect.
Dad works. He’s a busy lawyer with his own firm. I rarely see him, which is totally fine by me. He’s never really there. I don’t think he likes me very much. Or mom. Or anyone, for that matter.
Mom is the bane of my existence. She always wants to maintain this image of a perfect family. Everything is supposed to look a certain way. And she doesn’t like it when it doesn’t. Like, at all. All my life, she shadowed my every move. I couldn’t go out without her not knowing where I’m going or who I’m going with. Rules, you see. And she wanted me to study law like my dad. Yeah, no.
Little brother, Steve, is 15. I don’t like him. I think the feeling is mutual. We just don’t get along. We have nothing in common, and he’s a total dick to everyone. We used to fight a lot. Now? We just pretend the other one doesn’t exist. I honestly don’t know what is better. Sometimes I wonder how two parents can create two completely different kids.
Anyway, that’s enough about poor pitiful me. Tomorrow’s a new day or something like that. A new chapter, a fresh start. Or maybe just more of the same. Either way, Brookhaven will be in my rearview mirror.
Good night, world. Tomorrow, you’ll meet a different Ellie.
