I run down the stairs to answer the door as the knocking continues, and as I get closer, I can hear two people arguing. I pull the door open, pausing at the sight of two unfamiliar teenagers smiling at me. They look about my age, both of them have dark blonde hair, and I would guess they are related somehow. Or it might be they both look like models with how attractive they are. The guy has spikey blond hair, an ear piercing and big friendly smile. The girl…well, she doesn’t look one bit impressed to be here, and her smile is clearly fake. I raise an eyebrow at them because now the smiling—and no talking—is getting creepy.
“Hello, who are you?” I ask, crossing my arms and feeling a little defensive for some reason. The girl is still looking me over, scanning my every small movement, and I get the feeling like I’m a poor girl meeting the rich girl.
“Hi! Sorry! We never get new people moving to this small town, let alone one our age. I’m still in shock that you’re here!” the guy says, practically jumping on the spot and offering me a hand to shake. “I’m Landon.” I slide my hand into his, shaking it as I introduce myself to the overly excited guy. I get a cold feeling when our hands touch, but I shake it off.
“I’m Aura, but most people call me Ura,” I tell them and let go of Landon’s hand. “Only my dad calls me Aura actually.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Landon says, looking at the girl who he has to elbow in the stomach before she says anything.
“Iris. Nice to meet you as well,” she bites out and turns her head to glare at Landon. “We said hello like you wanted, but hell, I won’t ever be her friend. Can we go now?”
“Iris, don’t be a bitch,” Landon says, shaking his head and flashing me an apologetic look.
“I’m not. Maxx will lose his shit about—”
“Look, I don’t want any drama or whatever this is,” I interrupt, totally confused about what is going on here. Iris sneers at me, her eyes briefly flashing up to my forehead before she looks at Landon.
“I’m going back to my house, are you coming now you’ve met the newbie?” Iris asks him, like she expects him to do what she asks.
“Nope, I’m staying,” Landon replies, putting his hands on his hips and glaring Iris down as she stares in disbelief before stalking off down the steps. We both watch as she walks to the other side of the road and gets into one of the shiny cars parked on the other house’s driveway.
“I’m so sorry about her. I wanted to come over on my own, but Iris can be a little—”
“Bossy? Bitchy?” I ask, and Landon chuckles.
“Yep, she can be all those, but honestly she is alright underneath the bitch front she puts up,” he tells me, but I don’t quite believe it as I watch Iris drive the car out the driveway then stop to glare at me through the open window before speeding off.
“Yeah, I don’t see us being friends anytime soon,” I say. Making an enemy on day one wasn’t the plan.
“Neither do I, but I think we could be good friends. For one, pink is my favorite color,” he says, pointing at my hair, and I laugh. “For two, I don’t have any friends that aren’t family, and I’m in dire need of one to talk to.” I see the genuine look in his eyes, and I don’t pick up any way that he is flirting with me. He just seems to need a friend, and that is something we have in common. All my old friends soon disappeared after the accident, when they realized that I believed that something else had happened at the crash. I miss having friends around me that I can trust, and I know I have a year here before I go to university. A year with no friends in a ghost town does not sound appealing.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask, and he nods, looking happy as I hold the door open while he walks in. I watch as Landon looks around, sliding his hands in his jean pockets as he stares.
“This house is so similar to ours,” he states. I know he is being nice. I’m sure my house looks like an old version of their shiny, newly painted house. I don’t call him on it, as I know he is just being nice and it’s not his fault we have to live here.
“Ours?” I ask as I shut the door behind Landon.
“Oh yeah, I live across the street with my brother. We are only ten months apart, and he is nearly eighteen now. You two and Iris will be in the same year, I figure, whereas I still have two years of school left,” he says with a little groan. I wonder if it was his brother looking through the window earlier. I also wonder how much he looks like Landon.
“Sorry, that sucks, how do you know my age by the way?” I ask as we enter the kitchen and I walk to the fridge.
“It’s a small town. Everyone has been talking,” he explains as I open the fridge, searching for a drink to offer him. It makes a lot of sense.
“We only have lemonade or orange juice as my dad is at the store,” I tell him.
“Orange juice would be great,” Landon replies, and I pull out the bottle. I find us two glasses and pour our drinks, before handing Landon his as he seems to be lost in thought.
“So, what brings you to this place? We are literally in the middle of nowhere in the Lake district,” Landon asks me. I expected this question considering he said that no one new moves in here. It was a little random that my dad found this job. He said they emailed him with an opening and offered him an increased salary to move here.
“My dad got a job at the local garage. So here we are. We used to live in London, but my dad lost his job after the accident,” I say.
“Accident?” he asks, looking worried, but there is something in his expression that makes me doubt his worry. I don’t know what it is, but his concern seems insincere.
“A car crash, we were both in it, and we are both fine now. My dad was just in the hospital for a while, and there wasn’t a job for him when he got out,” I explain.
“Ah, well I’m glad you’re okay and your dad found this job. This town isn’t bad, just remote. We moved here a year ago,” he tells me. So, they aren’t that old to the town either. No wonder he wants to make a friend, he is practically the new kid as well.
“Do your parents work here?” I ask him.
“Nope. Our dad died before I was born, and our mum travels a lot for her job. We see her once a month, give or take,” he says, then flashes me a fake smile to hide the clear sorrow in his eyes.
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I tell him, and place my hand over his on the counter for a second before moving it. I don’t want to give him the wrong idea, but I want to comfort him. It’s strange how comfortable I feel around him when usually it takes me ages to trust someone. Maybe that is just how Landon is, comfortable to be around.
“Can I ask about your mum?” Landon asks. “Only I’ve just seen your dad coming in and out the house with you.”
“She left us,” I whisper, and clear my throat when Landon stares at me silently for a while.
“I’m sorry too then,” he says and then flashes me a sad smile. “Look at us, two teenagers with a messed-up parent situation. I have a feeling we were meant to be friends.”
“Seems possible,” I grin back at him, and feel for the first time that I might be okay here.
“So, how is unpacking going? Are you looking forward to school and the awful uniforms we have to wear?” he asks, reminding me of the fact I still need to log into the school website to find out what I’m even doing tomorrow.
“I haven’t actually looked at the uniform yet, my dad bought it and boxed it up. Is it bad?” I ask as Landon laughs.
“Yeah, it’s not great, but then blue was never my colour,” he says, winking at me. I go to reply when there is a loud knock at the door.
