Chapter 2

The next few days were mostly spent just helping my mom unpack the pile of boxes we had stacked up, while also making sure that everything we had boxed up had arrived here safely.

As we unpacked, I realized how much stuff we actually had stored in our old house; chairs, dishes, clothes, furniture, and old memories from the attic. Everything seemed to have showed up miraculously as we spent days putting together the interior of our new home.

Also, on one of the first days we moved here, my mom and I took a quick trip down to the paint store and collected different colours to for my bedroom, and the other plain rooms. I never was a stand-out kind of person so I went for a lighter lilac shade for my bedroom and a sky blue for my bathroom.

The days dragged on and before I knew it, August was almost over and we had already been living in Avondale for over two weeks.

However, as the time passed I realized I wasn’t really trying to change like I said I would. I wasn’t going out to visit the beach, I wasn’t taking a tour around town, and I definitely wasn’t trying to find any friends to relate to.

Waking up the next day, my eyes were immediately affected by the sun shining into my bedroom through my new white curtains. I had completely forgotten to close them the night before because I still wasn’t used to having curtains in my bedroom, but I made a mental note to remember to pull them shut tonight. The sun definitely wasn't something that I enjoyed seeing first thing in the morning.

Rolling over in my bed, cuddling further into the warmth of my comforters, my eyes landed on my bedside clock which currently displayed bright red numbers telling me that it was already quarter after ten.

Inwardly groaning, knowing I would have to get out of bed eventually, I let my warm comforters fall down to my waist as I sat up and raised my arms above my head to stretch out my sleeping muscles. Slipping out of the blankets, I still wasn't used to being met with the warm air and the smell of the sea first thing in the morning, instead being accustomed to the cold air from back home.

As a feeling of happiness flowed slowly through my body, I decided that today would be the day that I finally got out of this house and started to explore the rest of the city. Using my new found motivation, I walked around my maze of a room, which was still crammed with a few boxes that hadn’t been unpacked yet, and headed to my en-suite bathroom to get ready and start my day.

After taking a quick shower, brushing my teeth, and working the blow dryer for a couple of minutes, I was now searching my clothes for a beach appropriate outfit. As a lot of my clothes were still packed away in boxes, I only had a few outfits hanging in my closet that I could choose from.

After a quick decision, I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a cute Aztec tank top off of their hangers and threw them on. Returning to my bathroom, I looked in the mirror and decided to braid my slightly damp hair to the side before swiping the tiniest amount of mascara onto my eyelashes, along with a bit of lip balm before flicking the light switch off and heading downstairs.

Walking through the house, I realized how quickly the décor had changed in just a short amount of time. Two weeks ago, there had been no furniture or decorations even remotely close to being assembled, but now there were a few pictures mounted onto the walls. Also, most of our old furniture, along with a few new pieces, had been added and it was actually beginning to feel a bit like home.

Entering the kitchen, I saw my mom working on her laptop, probably preparing for when she started her new job.

Before moving down here, my mom had apparently interviewed for a job at the local elementary school, and had recieved the news that she had gotten hired. She had been a teacher for as long as I could remember, and I loved seeing her talk about her job with so much passion. She was starting off fresh here, and with a new bunch of second graders for her to look after and educate, I was sure that she’d soon love it here.

“Hey mom.” I greeted as I walked over to the fridge to look for the ingredients I needed to make my favourite breakfast. “What are you doing?”

Her typing halted and I could imagine her glancing at me so, I turned my head to look over my shoulder to see her smiling at me above the screen of her laptop.

“Hi sweetie.” she replied, before returning her gaze back to her computer screen. “I’m just trying to type up a vague lesson plan for the year.”

Just as I thought; I guess she really did love her job.

I nodded in understanding, carrying the butter, eggs, cheese and ham over to the stove before placing them on the counter before turning on the oven top and reaching for a bowl and a pan. “Did you want one?” I asked my mom over my shoulder, as I watched the butter melt quickly in the pan.

“Sure Jessa, but no ham in mine.” she replied as I heard her fingers blazing over the keys of the laptop.

Starting on our breakfast, it ended up taking a little longer as I was making two separate omelettes but after ten minutes, my mom and I were facing each other as we both sat down at the kitchen table.

“This is delicious sweetie.” she said, complementing me between bites.

I managed a small smile at her as I was slightly busy shovelling my cheese and ham omelette into my mouth. “Thanks.” I mumbled, after a few seconds.

“I guess your father passed down his cooking skills to you.” she stated, reminicising as she stared blankly at the table in front of her.

I put my fork down on my plate and reached across the table to place my hand on top of hers. “Mom, we’re gonna be okay.” I replied, squeezing her hand in support as I sent her a smile. “He’s looking down on us and he’ll always be down here with us, in our hearts.”

My mom’s hand flipped over beneath mine and gave mine a squeeze back. “You’re so much like him Jessalyn and I can’t wait to see the great things you do with your life.” she said, giving me a genuine smile back as I saw tiny tears form in the corner of her eyes.

“Thanks mom.” I replied, giving her hand one last reassuring squeeze before letting go and continuing on with my meal.

Once my plate was cleaned and I quickly downed a glass of orange juice, I headed upstairs to grab my cell phone and headphones before coming back down the stairs.

“So, do you have anything you wanted to do today?” my mom asked as she turned on the faucet and started washing the dishes.

I knew that my father’s death was hurting her because I could tell how much they loved each other just by looking at them, but I guess everybody’s time comes to an end, and his was just a little sooner than expected. Even with the burden of being widowed under the age of fifty, my mom still knew that she had me, and she always would, as she still went around doing her daily chores with a small smile on her face.

“I was thinking that I’d go out on the beach for a bit and maybe walk around the downtown area with my music." I replied, leaning on the entrance to the kitchen as I held up my phone. "You know, get to know the neighbourhood a bit before starting school next week.”

My mom grabbed the towel from the countertop beside her, drying her hands as she turned around and looked at me with surprise in her eyes. “You’re going out?” she asked, in a happy yet surprised tone of voice.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she was so surprised. Back home I was always shy and took to the indoors rather than the outdoors and even though I said I’d try to become a little more social in this town, I haven’t actually done anything to put that thought to work yet.

I nodded shyly. “Yea I mean, I don’t want to get lost on my way to school next week and I kind of just wanted to check out the surroundings. Plus, it’s the morning and not a lot of people will be out and about at this time anyway during the summer.” I replied nervously.

My mom smiled at me and nodded. “Okay, do you have your phone in case you get lost or you decide to stay out long?” she asked, nodding down to my pockets.

I returned the smiled and nodded again. “Yup.” I said, patting the left side pocket of my shorts that I had just slipped my phone into. “I’ll be sure to tell you if I get lost.” I replied sarcastically.

My mom rolled her eyes, sensing my sarcasm but her smile didn’t drop from her face. “You may laugh now, but it’s very easy to lose your way in a new town.” she explained.

“Okay, well if I get lost I’ll definitely call you.” I replied before waving my hand slightly. “I’ll see you later.”

“Okay sweetie, have fun and I love you.” she said before turning her attention back to the dirty dishes that were left in the sink.

We hadn’t always added ‘I love you’ at the end of our goodbyes, but ever since dad died we both kind of realized that something you love could walk out the door any moment of your life and not come back.

“Love you too.” I said, throwing my affection over my shoulder as I turned and exited the kitchen.

I headed towards the back door instead of the front because I felt like taking a refreshing walk on the beach and, it was much simpler to just walk out the back than go out the front and walk around the side of the house.

Slipping on my white and tan flip flops, I walked out onto the back deck and took in the sight in front of me. This section of the beach was blocked off to tourists or visitors as it belonged to the houses around it and in the distance I could see the rocks that divided the public and private parts of the beach. Since there was nobody on the private beach at the moment, I felt a small smile form on my face as I walked down to the water and took a stroll down the beach.

As I started walking, I slipped my headphones on and started to play one of my all-time favourite playlists that consisted of a lot of meaningful music. Whether the lyrics were written about war, first love, heartbreak, or just everyday life, the music was just so amazing that you couldn’t help but fall in love with it.

 Walking down the beach, I realized that this town was amazing. Everything about it just made me feel so relaxed and calm, almost as if I was one of the small waves out at sea that seemed to be becoming flatter as it reached the shore.

Ten minutes into my walk I was really starting to feel the sun beating down on me. Forgeting that the weather was always nice here, I had neglected the idea of applying any sunscreen before coming outside, and now I was suffering because of it. Bringing a hand up to shield my eyes, I could see that I had almost reached the public part of the beach, and I would probably be able to find a building or something to cool off in shortly.

Arriving at the public beach, I left my headphones in my ears as I turned away from the water and headed up towards the gravel road. It looked like it headed towards downtown area so, I thought I’d check out the stores and get out of the sun for a bit while I was here.

As it turned out, there wasn’t much of a downtown to this place at all, and I realized that when my mom said it was a small town, she really meant a small town.

Sure, I could see a few clothing shops and a restaurant or two, but I guess the citizens who built this town didn’t think to build a movie theatre, bowling alley or an actual shopping mall. Not that any of that mattered since I didn’t exactly go out in public that often.

After walking down the winding streets of downtown Avondale for another couple of minutes, I had spotted a laundromat, a surf shop, and a small ice cream shop before spotting a building I had been anxious to find since we arrived. I felt a smile grow on my face as I read the slightly decayed sign above the building.

‘Town Library’ it read, and without looking to see if there were any cars coming, I crossed the road quickly and headed for the building.

By the look that the outside of the building portrayed - the slightly chipped paint and the lack of books in the window - I could already sense that it wouldn’t be as big as the library back home, and as I pulled open the door and headed inside, I saw that my thoughts held true.

A bell rang overhead as I walked into the building, filling my ears with a cute little jingle. Just because the building looked small, that didn’t mean that the building wasn’t useful. From what I could tell, the walls were painted white and had famous literature quotes stencilled onto them, and there actually seemed to be a good selection of books to choose from.

Walking through the isles, I found myself smiling every time I saw a book that I had read before or a book I had been hoping to come across. Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, J.K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer; they had a bunch of titles from well-known authors and I had also saw a few novels that were written by less famous or completely anonymous authors.

Once I was finished skimming through the books, I sent my mom a quick text telling her I had found the library and I probably wouldn’t be home for lunch, to which she replied to with an understanding response.

Tucking my cellphone back into my pocket and unplugging my headphones, I walked back over to where the Nicholas Sparks books had been stocked, as I desperately wanted to read Safe Haven, one of his few novels that I had yet to read.

As I picked up the book, I skimmed through the book with my eyes as I crouched down and took a seat on the floor, leaning my back up against the shelf as I started to read.

My mom and dad had always told me that I became another person when I was reading, blocking out anyone and anything around me, so when I felt a tap on the side of my shoe a half an hour later, I shook my head and looked up to see girl about my age staring down at me.

“Hey.” she greeted with a smile. “That’s a good book right?”

I looked at her for a second, trying to decide if she was being sarcastic or not before smiling shyly. “Umm yea I guess. I only just started reading it a while ago but it seems good so far.” I replied keeping my voice slightly hushed; we were in a library after all.

The girl sat down beside me, which I found a little unsettling at first. She had long brown hair and brown eyes like me, but her smile seemed much more genuine than mine did, as if she hadn’t had a bad past and wasn’t extremely nervous at the moment.

“I love Nicholas Sparks, he’s one of my all-time favourite authors.” she stated, nodding up to where the rest of his novels were shelved.

I nodded in agreement. “Mine too.”

“So, you’re new around here huh?” she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly as if waiting for my answer.

I nodded once again, but this time a little more shyly. “Yea. My mom and I moved here two weeks ago.” I replied.

“Cool," she said with her usual smile, holding out her hand for me to shake. "I’m Olivia.”

“Jessalyn.” I replied, putting my book down beside me as I shook her hand.

Her eyebrows shot up as she heard my name. “Wow, I like your name, it’s unique.”

“Thanks.” I muttered as I started to get overly nervous and play with the fray of my jean shorts.

She smiled at me before getting up from the ground and wiping off her shorts. “Well, I had better get going. I told my parents I was only coming to pick up a book, but it was nice meeting you Jessalyn.” she said, grabbing one of the other Nicholas Sparks books that was still standing on the shelf behind me. “You’re going to Crestview next week right?”

I nodded. “Yea, I’m pretty sure that’s where my mom enrolled me.” I replied timidly.

“Well, if you want to go to school in this town that had better be where she enrolled you.” she stated with a slightly teasing tone. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yea, maybe.” I replied before she waved and headed towards the front of the library to check out her book.

‘Maybe I can actually make some friends in this town.’ I thought as a smile appeared on my face before I picked up my discarded book from the floor and continued to read.

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Hurray for an update! Maybe Perfect is finally complete which means that once my exams are over next week I will be focusing completely on this story :)

I hope you all are enjoying this so far and I’d just like to say thank you for getting me all the way up to #75 in teen fiction in the first week, and I still haven’t dropped below #100! Thanks so much.

Also, as I said before, this will probably be my Watty Awards entry for the year and I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a vote on this chapter and comment below with your feedback or opinions about the chapter !

Vote/Comment/Fan/Share :) xx

P.S. the new cover was also made by IsaSecret