Bending Over Backwards
Welcome To Towson
"See you later Sophie!" I said as I opened the door to my house in Thorntown, Indiana. I found my mom sitting at the table in the kitchen with her hands in her hair. She looked stressed.
"Maman, ce qui est mal?" I said. Nobody actually understood why I only used my 6 years of french lessons to only ask questions, not even me, but I did.
"Tori, sit down." she said.
"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" I said. She sighed.
"Two things, baby girl." she said. Oh shit, what was going on? Was I in trouble.
"Mommy. Whats wrong?" I said, scared now.
"Tori. I just found out I'm 3 and a half months pregnant, and we're moving." she said. I stared at her.
"Where are we moving?" I said.
"Maryland. We're going to be living in the Towson school district, so you'll be going to Towson Junior High school. They have a great art program, and the soccer team is amazing, it'll work out for both you and Evan. 13 years ago, when I was 15, I didn't think I was going to be 28 with 13 year old twins with another baby on the way. I'm sorry I'm uprooting you from everything you know, but I'm not going to be able to do this by myself anymore." She was still rambling when I stopped her.
"Mom. Chill out, it'll be okay." I said.
"We're leaving in a week. Go start packing" she said.
"Can I do it tomorrow, I was supposed to go stay at Sophie's tonight! Please please please!" I said. She nodded. I changed my clothes and then skated to Sophie's house. Her older brother, Brendan opened the door.
"Oh shit, whats wrong?" he said.
"Come with me to your sisters room and you'll find out." I said. He followed me like the creeper he was to Sophie's room and I sat on her bed. They just stared at me.
"I'm moving" I said.
"WHAT! WHERE? WHEN?" She screamed.
"Baltimore. Next Friday morning" I said.
"NOOOOOO." She said. "I'm holding you hostage. You are not allowed to leave."
"I have too." I said.
"Fine. If you find ANY cute guys, take pictures for me!" She said. I nodded.
"Ha ha. Okay, you have a deal!" I said. She hugged me tightly and we cried as Brendan quietly slipped out of the room.
It seemed like my last week of school passed way too fast. On the Thursday before I left, I handed in all my books and cleaned out my locker. I was going to miss this piece of shit school. My art teacher took my leaving the hardest, but it'd be okay. I said goodbye to Sophie the next morning by walking with her to the school and getting my release forms. By ten am, I had my earphones in as I stared out the window of the car while my mom drove. It was a 8 hour drive, but I slept most of the time, then I talked with Evan about how nervous we were to be moving to a new school in the middle of the first term.
"Tori, Evan. Theres a bunch of kids your age on our block. So you can make friends before you start school Monday." she said. It was 9:30 when we pulled up and there were a bunch of teenage boys standing on a porch a couple houses down. But me and Evan were too tired to go investigate. Instead, we pulled out our sleeping bags and walked across the street to our grandparents to get some sleep, Right as we got on the screened in porch, it started storming, so me and Evan, being the weird kids we are, set up on the porch and slept for twelve hours. When we woke up, the sun was bright through the windows, and my grandpa was across the street helping my mom and uncle unpack. I walked inside the house to find Grandma cooking pancakes.
"Evan, Tori! You've grown so much! I got you guys something." she said, going into the hall closet and pulling out two big boxes. One was labelled Evan, the other Tori. We opened them to find brand new skateboards.
"Thanks Grandma!" we said.
"You're mom mentioned you liked to skate, so I thought it'd be a good homecoming present." she said. We were grinning.
"Grandma, if my mom askes, I went to explore" I said. She nodded and I took my skateboard out and started down the road, I got to the house that had the teenage boys last night and saw a kid my age picking up trash in the yard.
"Do you need any help?" I said.
"Do you mind?" he said. I shook my head and we had his yard clean in no time.
"Hey, you're new right?" he said.
"Yeah. Well, sorta ish. I lived here until I was 3 and my mom graduated highschool then we moved to Indiana." I said.
"Oh, cool. Welcome back then, I'm Zack Merrick." he said.
"Tori Arterburn. Um, that prick that just passed on the skateboard making cat calls, is my twin brother Evan." I said.
"Haha nice. So Tori. What school will you be going to?" he said.
"Towson."I said
"That means you'll be going to school with us! And by us I mean me and my friends Sarah and Garrett. So um, I, uh. I need to get inside, i have a lot more chores to do. I'll see you at school!" he said before going inside. I skated home and my mom handed my one of my boxes.
"Tori. Go to the Attic, it's all yours and completely finished. Start unpacking,please. and take those dirty converse off!" she said. I nodded and got my stuff unpacked in no time.
"OLDER SISTER OF MINE!" I heard my uncle Mark's voice. I walked downstairs.
"UNCLE MARK!" Me and Evan screamed at the same time hugging him. His son just stood there awkwardly until his dad nudge him.
"This is your cousin Zack." he said. I looked at the boy and he recognized me.
"So, I never actually thanked you for helping me today" He said.
"No problem, Zack." I said.
As soon as Uncle Mark and Zack left, mom made me and Evan go get groceries. Which sucked even more now that we were "old enough" but we got it done within a hour and went on with our day of un-packing and shit. By the time school started on Monday, we were ready to be out of the house. Our mom was in a bitchy mood.
"Are you ready, Tori" Evan asked me as we walked onto the campus of Towson Junior High school.
"Not really" I said. He wandered away towards a bunch of skater boys and I started walking towards the school.
"HEY! VICTORI!" I whipped around to see Zack and two other kids on skateboards.
"Hey!" I said. Zack jumped off and hugged me.
"Shit, who's this?" the girl said as she almost fell.
"Sarah, Garrett, this is Victori. My cousin. She's in our grade." Zack said. They nodded and we all started walking into the school.
"Oh look, there's a new freak with Merrick. Hey, Zack. Is that your new girlfriend?" a guy said. It was quite obvious he was a jock. Sarah looked pissed. I was confirmed 6-seconds-later when she jumped on the guy.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU ASSHOLE? THAT'S HIS FUCKING COUSIN" she said throwing punches. Me, Garrett, and Zack just stood there.
"Good morning Zack, Garrett, Victori. Sarah get of Lucas" a teacher said walking passed us.
"How do you know my name?" I said.
"Because you look just like your mother." he said and walked into the office. I walked with the guys until I got to my algebra class.
"Go put your stuff in and come back out. I have it with you" Zack said.
"Me too." Sarah said. I did what they told me and when I got back we went to the school library.
"So why didn't you get in trouble for beating that kid?" I said.
"Eh, he's just a douche. I do it on a weekly basis." she said. I grinned.
I wasn't completely sure, but I think that me and Sarah were going to become great friends.
"Maman, ce qui est mal?" I said. Nobody actually understood why I only used my 6 years of french lessons to only ask questions, not even me, but I did.
"Tori, sit down." she said.
"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" I said. She sighed.
"Two things, baby girl." she said. Oh shit, what was going on? Was I in trouble.
"Mommy. Whats wrong?" I said, scared now.
"Tori. I just found out I'm 3 and a half months pregnant, and we're moving." she said. I stared at her.
"Where are we moving?" I said.
"Maryland. We're going to be living in the Towson school district, so you'll be going to Towson Junior High school. They have a great art program, and the soccer team is amazing, it'll work out for both you and Evan. 13 years ago, when I was 15, I didn't think I was going to be 28 with 13 year old twins with another baby on the way. I'm sorry I'm uprooting you from everything you know, but I'm not going to be able to do this by myself anymore." She was still rambling when I stopped her.
"Mom. Chill out, it'll be okay." I said.
"We're leaving in a week. Go start packing" she said.
"Can I do it tomorrow, I was supposed to go stay at Sophie's tonight! Please please please!" I said. She nodded. I changed my clothes and then skated to Sophie's house. Her older brother, Brendan opened the door.
"Oh shit, whats wrong?" he said.
"Come with me to your sisters room and you'll find out." I said. He followed me like the creeper he was to Sophie's room and I sat on her bed. They just stared at me.
"I'm moving" I said.
"WHAT! WHERE? WHEN?" She screamed.
"Baltimore. Next Friday morning" I said.
"NOOOOOO." She said. "I'm holding you hostage. You are not allowed to leave."
"I have too." I said.
"Fine. If you find ANY cute guys, take pictures for me!" She said. I nodded.
"Ha ha. Okay, you have a deal!" I said. She hugged me tightly and we cried as Brendan quietly slipped out of the room.
It seemed like my last week of school passed way too fast. On the Thursday before I left, I handed in all my books and cleaned out my locker. I was going to miss this piece of shit school. My art teacher took my leaving the hardest, but it'd be okay. I said goodbye to Sophie the next morning by walking with her to the school and getting my release forms. By ten am, I had my earphones in as I stared out the window of the car while my mom drove. It was a 8 hour drive, but I slept most of the time, then I talked with Evan about how nervous we were to be moving to a new school in the middle of the first term.
"Tori, Evan. Theres a bunch of kids your age on our block. So you can make friends before you start school Monday." she said. It was 9:30 when we pulled up and there were a bunch of teenage boys standing on a porch a couple houses down. But me and Evan were too tired to go investigate. Instead, we pulled out our sleeping bags and walked across the street to our grandparents to get some sleep, Right as we got on the screened in porch, it started storming, so me and Evan, being the weird kids we are, set up on the porch and slept for twelve hours. When we woke up, the sun was bright through the windows, and my grandpa was across the street helping my mom and uncle unpack. I walked inside the house to find Grandma cooking pancakes.
"Evan, Tori! You've grown so much! I got you guys something." she said, going into the hall closet and pulling out two big boxes. One was labelled Evan, the other Tori. We opened them to find brand new skateboards.
"Thanks Grandma!" we said.
"You're mom mentioned you liked to skate, so I thought it'd be a good homecoming present." she said. We were grinning.
"Grandma, if my mom askes, I went to explore" I said. She nodded and I took my skateboard out and started down the road, I got to the house that had the teenage boys last night and saw a kid my age picking up trash in the yard.
"Do you need any help?" I said.
"Do you mind?" he said. I shook my head and we had his yard clean in no time.
"Hey, you're new right?" he said.
"Yeah. Well, sorta ish. I lived here until I was 3 and my mom graduated highschool then we moved to Indiana." I said.
"Oh, cool. Welcome back then, I'm Zack Merrick." he said.
"Tori Arterburn. Um, that prick that just passed on the skateboard making cat calls, is my twin brother Evan." I said.
"Haha nice. So Tori. What school will you be going to?" he said.
"Towson."I said
"That means you'll be going to school with us! And by us I mean me and my friends Sarah and Garrett. So um, I, uh. I need to get inside, i have a lot more chores to do. I'll see you at school!" he said before going inside. I skated home and my mom handed my one of my boxes.
"Tori. Go to the Attic, it's all yours and completely finished. Start unpacking,please. and take those dirty converse off!" she said. I nodded and got my stuff unpacked in no time.
"OLDER SISTER OF MINE!" I heard my uncle Mark's voice. I walked downstairs.
"UNCLE MARK!" Me and Evan screamed at the same time hugging him. His son just stood there awkwardly until his dad nudge him.
"This is your cousin Zack." he said. I looked at the boy and he recognized me.
"So, I never actually thanked you for helping me today" He said.
"No problem, Zack." I said.
As soon as Uncle Mark and Zack left, mom made me and Evan go get groceries. Which sucked even more now that we were "old enough" but we got it done within a hour and went on with our day of un-packing and shit. By the time school started on Monday, we were ready to be out of the house. Our mom was in a bitchy mood.
"Are you ready, Tori" Evan asked me as we walked onto the campus of Towson Junior High school.
"Not really" I said. He wandered away towards a bunch of skater boys and I started walking towards the school.
"HEY! VICTORI!" I whipped around to see Zack and two other kids on skateboards.
"Hey!" I said. Zack jumped off and hugged me.
"Shit, who's this?" the girl said as she almost fell.
"Sarah, Garrett, this is Victori. My cousin. She's in our grade." Zack said. They nodded and we all started walking into the school.
"Oh look, there's a new freak with Merrick. Hey, Zack. Is that your new girlfriend?" a guy said. It was quite obvious he was a jock. Sarah looked pissed. I was confirmed 6-seconds-later when she jumped on the guy.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU ASSHOLE? THAT'S HIS FUCKING COUSIN" she said throwing punches. Me, Garrett, and Zack just stood there.
"Good morning Zack, Garrett, Victori. Sarah get of Lucas" a teacher said walking passed us.
"How do you know my name?" I said.
"Because you look just like your mother." he said and walked into the office. I walked with the guys until I got to my algebra class.
"Go put your stuff in and come back out. I have it with you" Zack said.
"Me too." Sarah said. I did what they told me and when I got back we went to the school library.
"So why didn't you get in trouble for beating that kid?" I said.
"Eh, he's just a douche. I do it on a weekly basis." she said. I grinned.
I wasn't completely sure, but I think that me and Sarah were going to become great friends.
Notes
French Translations:Maman, ce qui est mal = mom, what is wrong?
Qu'est-ce qui se passe? = What's going on?
