Brooke stomped up the three stairs leading up to the door, her suitcase making loud noises as she dragged it behind her.
She plopped herself down on the bench swing outside the white wooden door and waited for her father to come and unlock the house.
She knew that her comment had been harsh, but she couldn't help it. Seeing her family have their perfect life, not even caring about her and her mom... It hurt. He had never dealt with the pain that she had dealt with after what had happened. He had never stayed up worrying at nights, wondering if that night was his mother's last. He just didn't deserve to be living this perfect life, while hers had just crumbled to pieces.
Eli came and sat next to her. "I know you don't want to be here, but it'll grow on you. Callsville is a great place to live."
Brooke wanted to be mad at him too, but it was hard. None of this was his fault. He hadn't chosen to leave New York, or have their parents get divorced. He was a victim in this just as much as she was.
She smiled faintly at him. "I'm sure I'll adjust eventually."
The small moment of peace between them was gone as soon as their father walked up. "Let's go inside Sweetheart," he said to Brooke.
She glared at him, annoyed that he didn't seem to care that she was mad at him.
She walked through the now unlocked door, and into the house.
It was beautiful. It had hardwood floors, a dining room, space to spread out, and it was everything she hated the city for not having.
It had a traditional feel to it, as if it was straight out of an HGTV show.
"Where's my bedroom?" she asked.
"Here, I'll show you," Eli said, grabbing one of her suitcases and dragging it up the stairs.
Brooke followed him, and behind her, Muffin.
They reached a door that Eli opened. "This one's yours," he said, as if she might not have realized.
Brooke was shocked. They had obviously put a lot of time and effort in to the room. The walls were a light shade of blue, except one which was made of red bricks, and the furniture was a light wood. The bed had no linens because Brooke had brought her own bedding, but everything else was finished. The desk had pens and paper sitting in the drawer, the bookshelves had her school books neatly stacked on them, there was a dog bed for Muffin, and the night table had a box of tissues sitting on it.
"We thought the brick wall would remind you of New York," Eli said. "I hope you like it. You can redecorate of you want. Everything is returnable, and new paint doesn't cost that much."
Brooke was touched. She had never expected them to put so much thought into her room. It was such a sweet gesture that for a moment, Brooke didn't feel the ache in her heart that had been there permanently for the past month.
She beamed at her older brother. "Thank you so much. This is perfect."
Eli smiled back at her. "I'm glad you like it. I'll let you unpack now, since its already seven, I'm gonna go hang with some friends."
"Okay," Brooke responded. She wasn't interested in tagging along with her brother's friends, and was glad he hadn't offered. He understood that she didn't want pity. She was her own person, not Eli Thomson's little sister. As kids, back when they had all lived together, it had been hard since he was only one grade above her, but now they were probably so different, they wouldn't overlap.
As Eli walked out of the room, Brooke looked out the window. There was a big backyard and a pool out there. She was definitely going to have to go bathing suit shopping. She knew it would get cold in the winter, but for now she could go swimming out there.
Brooke put on some music, and danced around as she unpacked. After an hour and a half she was done, and her closet was full, the bookshelves had all her favorite books, the vanity held all her makeup, and the bulletin board was full of pictures of her and her friends.
She went downstairs after that and explored the house. Then she went into her father's office. "I'm gonna go for a walk now, okay?" She said, making it clear that it wasn't really a question.
Her dad nodded, and she walked out into the street.

As she strolled, she took in the neighborhood. It seemed like a place full of classic suburban people, with everyone having a nice yard with a garden and a welcome doormat, and all that stuff that seemed ridiculous to a city girl like her.
She reached the small shopping center and looked around. She was about to walk into a clothing store when she bumped into someone.
"I'm so sorry!" Brooke blurted out.
"It's fine," the girl said, standing back up.
"Are you from here?" the girl asked. "I work here, and you dont look familiar. I recognize most of the kids around my age here."
"Actually, I just moved here today," Brooke confessed.
"Oh, a new kid!" the girl squealed. "You'll love it here! I'm Bianca, by the way."
"I'm Brooke."
"Well Brooke, are you gonna be attending Callsville High?" Bianca asked.
"I think," Brooke said. "I'm not sure. Do you know a boy named Eli Thomson there?"
"Of course!" Bianca said. " Elliot Thomson. He's a grade above me, but everyone knows him. Hes the shortstop on our baseball team. How do you know him?"
Brooke laughed. Of course Eli was on the baseball team. "Hes my brother. And if he's a year older than you, then we're gonna be in the same grade."
Bianca looked like she wanted to ask her why she was just moving here if her brother had lived here for years, but decided against it.
"That's great. We're gonna be great friends. Let me give you my number so we can be in touch."
When she said that, Brooke was reminded of the note in her pocket. She had completely forgotten about Cole.
"Is that okay?" Bianca said, confused by the look on Brooke's face.
"What? Oh, yeah!" Brooke said, jolting back from her flashback to the plane ride this morning.
After Bianca put her number in her phone, Brooke decided to head home for breakfast.
After a light breakfast, she went back up to her room, and fell asleep, wiped, after a night without sleep.

The next four days went by in a flash. Brooke would talk to Eli in the morning, hang out with Bianca and some other girls in the afternoon, and then go running at night. Brooke still hadn't gotten up the nerve to text Cole, and had decided that she wasn't going to, but she couldn't bring herself to throw out the note he gave her with his number.
This schedule worked fine, but then she had to stop. Because school was starting.

The last night of summer vacation, the three Thomsons sat down for a family dinner. Brooke's relationship with her father was still shaky, but they were on speaking terms.
"Are you nervous for school tomorrow Brooke?" he asked her.
"A little," she admitted.
"Don't be," Eli said in a reassuring voice. "I'll show you around, and you already have some friends. Bianca will take you under her wing, and a lot of the guys on my baseball team are Sophomores. I'll make sure they're nice to you."
Brooke grinned appreciatively at him. Eli always knew what to say to make her feel better.
They finished their meal, and Brooke retreated into her room.
She set out ripped light blue skinny jeans and black cropped sweater for the next day, and got into bed.
She tossed and turned, tugging on her hair for hours, until finally, she fell asleep.