Chapter 1

The radio plays the sound of wheels moaning as the sun reflects on Emma's wet skin. While the tap is still running, the bathtub is filled with bubbles and toy duckies sailing in the running water.

Emma closes her eyes and listens to the radio's tranquil sounds. She takes a deep breath and enjoys the moment of peace. The silence was interrupted by a huge bang on the bathroom door.

"OH MY GOD, Emma, do you really need to play my retro radio every morning?"

Iris, her younger sister, is two years younger than her and annoying TikToker. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Leave me alone, Iris. I need my peace." Emma said, scooping Oreo ice cream into the ball before eating it.

"But it's been two weeks since your ex dumped you. And you have missed school for days now."

"Why would I go to school? My reputation is ruined; if I go back to school, everyone will whisper and laugh behind my back! I'll be walking around with nobody like a loser again!"

Emma took another large bite of ice cream. "And what's the point of going to school anyway? Mom has already transferred us to another one."

"And it's a boarding school, which means we'll have our own room to share with someone else," Iris added with a smirk.

"DON'T REMIND ME!" Emma cried before sinking herself into the water and blowing bubbles through her mouth.

Emma had never shared a room with anyone before, and the thought of it made her anxious. She had grown up in a house with her own room, and the thought of sharing it with someone was overwhelming. She couldn't help but feel nervous.

Iris giggled. "But Mom is worried about you; you hardly leave your room and you always make random noises, like yesterday you played rainy sounds and the other day you played sad violin music. Do you really want to spend one last day before moving to our new home mopping and crying in your old room?"

"Yes, I do. It's the only way I can get through the day without pulling my hair out listening to your TikToks!" Emma screams furiously. "Now just leave me alone!"

Emma heard her sister laughing behind the bathroom door. "You heard that? My sister doesn't want to live her life. What should I do want to please her? Commit down below and please follow me if you don't want to miss out on my videos."

From that moment, Emma realized what was going on: Her bratty sister was recording her breakdown on her phone.

Emma felt betrayed and angry at her sister for taking advantage of her inability. Angry, Emma leaps out of the bathtub, covers herself in a towel, and swings the bathroom door open.

Iris jumped when she saw her older sister behind her looking pissed. "For Christ's sake Iris, I told you not to film me in your shitty TikToks!"

The sisters run after each other, running through the halls, passing boxes of their staff belongings, as Emma curses while Iris screams a mixture of laughs.

When Iris was about to go to her father's former office, Emma pulled the iPhone out of Iris's hands. The younger sibling tries to take her iPhone off her older sister, but her height prevents her from taking it off since her older sister is taller.

"Emma, chill I wasn't "really" planning to post on my page, now give me back my phone!" Iris asks.

"Like I believe you! You really wanted to post this!" Emma yelled.

"No way! I was just trying to get you out of the bathroom! You know I'm a cosplayer!"

"AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN FILMING YOURSELF GYRATING AND POSTING IT ON TIKTOKS!"

From that moment, Iris stops and steps away slowly from Emma, looking shocked. Both girls jumped when they heard a loud honk from one of the moving trucks. The girls looked through the window to find three moving trucks behind their front gate. They also looked at their mother talking to one of the movers.

After exhaling, Iris walked slowly toward her sister. "First of all, it's none of your business to snoop around in my life. Second, I'm fed up with you bathing for 2 hours a day every morning when I really need the bathroom. And third, I'm fed up with bringing your food every day because you never leave your room."

"You don't know what it's like to deal with a breakup, Iris!" Emma whispers angrily.

"And you have no idea what it's like to get paid! I earn $40 per month whenever I send a video. I never send the latest video because Mom says I have to "comfort" you." Iris snaps.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, like I'll be sorry for you, you never experience hardship, just some simps online pay you to twirl! You are way too young to do those things."

Iris chuckled. "My account says I'm 18."

"You're fucking gross, Iris."

In a split second, Iris took her phone out of her sister's hands. "Listen, Mom says pack up your things because tomorrow we're leaving at 9. I'm tired of feeling sorry for you, so you'll pack your stuff yourself."

The younger sister leads into Emma's left ear. "And if you tell Mom about me using TikTok: I will tell Mom you had a threesome with your ex and his best friend, Levi, in Mom and Dad's old bedroom. That way, she'll see us BOTH differently."

Emma stood still like a statue hearing her heart beating in her ears. There is no way her mother should know that. Her mother strongly believed in the Bible and was a nun before meeting her husband.

When Emma's parents got married, they lived in a strict Christian household where the siblings had to attend church every Sunday or pray before eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.

If one of them breaks the rules, both will be whipped. If her mother finds out that her daughter slept with someone before marriage, she is whipped 100 times or maybe kicked out of her home.

"What the hell, how did you know that?" Emma asks with a stutter.

"You're such an air heard. Take a note and remember to lower your voice in the presents of somebody's home."

"You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

Emma's eyes widened in terror. She knew her sister meant it, and she had no choice but to keep her mouth shut. She nodded her head in agreement, and her sister smiled in victory.

As Iris walked past Emma as she walked down the stairs, she stopped to turn her head. "Oh and by the way, I need my radio back. It is time for me to say goodbye to my friend at her last place. So you just bring it to my room once you're done with it."

Iris smiled as she walked through the stars, leaving Emma alone in the hallway. Emma looked through the window, seeing her mother still talking to the movers. Then she looked at the neighborhood; she knew the people around it. The parks she has been to. Watching the latest movies at the cinemas. Malls she spent time shopping in. Libraries she studied. Restaurants she ate. Spas she took her mind off. All events happen here in this town.

This was her home but now it isn't. Tomorrow is a moving day and she is moving to another town, new places to explore, and new neighbors to talk to.

And, of course, she attends boarding school. The idea of being alone again drives her insane. She doesn't want to experience that again. She wanted to be noticed and loved by everyone, like when she was with her ex-gang.

But nobody sees her as the "popular" kid, she was just someone's girlfriend. But this time it will be different. She decides to make a fresh start, and this time she will be the one who is noticed and loved. She will make new friends who truly appreciate her, and she will make sure that she is never in the background again.

"OH!" Emma screamed before looking down at her leg and finding a fluffy white cat purring on her leg.

"Sushi?"

The cat meowed, and Emma realized she was still in her towel, instantly remembering her bath. "Oh shoot! Did I leave the tap running?"

Emma ran to the bathroom in a flash, followed by her cat begging for her attention.

.

.

.

The teen was lying on her bed scrolling down old photos of her ex-boyfriend when they dated on her phone. They traveled to a concert and even toured her Grandma's apple farm one time.

She felt so moved by these pictures but also saddened because they evoked painful memories for her. When she was drunk, she yelled at a girl who was chatting with her ex, and she forced him to visit her grandma when he had to practice basketball.

"Urgh, why did I act that way? I was so clingy and careless. I don't think about his feelings that much. That's why he broke up with me because I was an awful girlfriend."

Emma's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Emma asked who was in front of her and the person responding was her mother. She had come to give her some healthy snacks before bedtime. Emma thought for a moment until she let her in.

A woman in her 40s enters Emma's room with a tray of fruits in a bowl and smiles warmly at her daughter. "It's your favorite: pineapples, blueberries, grapes, and oranges in one bowl."

"Thanks."

Her mother frowned and walked towards the table, putting the bowl in it. Her eyes crossed when she spotted on Emma's phone pictures of her daughter and Benjamin.

"Are you still thinking of him?" her mother asked.

Emma quickly faced her mother. "Mom, can you please not look?"

Emma switched off her phone, which made her mother raise an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, why can't I see your pictures on your phone? It's not like there is something you're hiding from me."

"No, it's just that...I just want to be left alone right now."

"But you have been alone for two weeks. Maybe it's about time you talked to someone."

"OK. But who?"

"Anyone…like me."

Taking a seat beside her daughter, the blonde woman put the tray on the bed. "At your age, I never wanted you to get a boyfriend. You should only put pressure on your studies, not go on dates. But when I met Benjamin, I knew he was the right guy for you. He was gentle, kind, and had a warm heart. I can see that he would be a suitable husband for you in the future. That's why I blessed your relationship."

Picking a grape from the bowl, the mother ate it. "But it was never meant to be. You two broke up and that's that. But you shouldn't be mopping and crying for this long. Stop thinking about the past and start thinking about your future. Think about the dream house you're about to see, and the new school you're about to attend. What I'm trying to say is: try to get over it, okay?"

Emma didn't know what to say but nodded at her mother. She tried to put on a brave face and look forward to the future. Her mother hugged her and assured her that everything was going to be alright.

Emma thanked her mother reached who made her stand up and walk away till she reached the doorway. "Please let me know when you need anything, and I want to be sure all of your stuff is put in the moving truck, right?"

"Sure Mom, and yes, all my stuff is in there."

With a nod, the woman walked out of Emma's room. Emma closed the door behind her and took out her phone.

She dialed a number and waited to call back. Luckily, the call was quickly answered by a cheerful voice on the other side. Emma smiled, relieved, knowing she had made the right call.

"Hey queen, how are you doing?"

"Hey, Katie, it's been a while since you picked up and you sound excited. Did something happen? Did you win something?"

"Oh no, my creepy neighbor just moved out of his old home and I hope he NEVER comes back. You know the stories I told you when I went for a run every Sunday? He is always lurking around my house and always stares at me through the window. I'm so relieved he's gone. He was such a weirdo! Now I can finally run in peace!"

"Yeah, but there are still creeps where you live, right? I mean, you can't be sure."

Emma heard her best friend laughing from the other end. "You should talk; you have your boyfriend so you ALWAYS feel safe."

Suddenly, Emma felt cold; she hadn't told her about her breakup with Benjiman. She tried multiple times, but Katie didn't pick it up.

"Kate, why do you never return my calls?" Emma asks.

"Because there is this new fat teacher, Ms. Whoever took my phone away! I was just minding my own business texting my brother till she took my phone! The school says I won't get my phone back until five days. This all-girl school is a pain."

For some reason, Emma felt uncomfortable telling the truth about her ex because she's her favorite, so she got to know him.

"Yeah Emma, are you OK? Why are you silent?"

"Katie, I..." Emma's voice cracked as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I...*sob* I lost him."

"What? Lost who? Your boyfriend?"

"Benjamin...He, he broke up with me!"

"What?! He broke up with you?"

"Yes! *sob* I lost him because he said I was too clingy, an annoying sob, and an awful listener, and I just feel like an idiot not realizing it now!"

Emma burst out crying on the phone. She couldn't help but let it all out. "And on top of all, he's dating the chairman next door. I feel like I'm about to die from a breakup like this!"

"Jessi-cunt? Her?! Was that the girl who bullied you in middle school because you were a dump? Girl, I don't believe in you."

"IS THE TRUTH!" Emma cried harder till her lungs hurt.

"OK, OK, Emma, you NEED to calm down. Breathe, I know what's gonna happen now; that snake lied to your man!"

"*sob* what?" Emma asked, whipping her into tears.

"Don't you get it? Jessica must have lied to your boyfriend so SHE could get to him!"

"Seriously? I don't believe you; I messed up so much with him. One time, I cursed a girl thinking she flirted with Ben when I was drunk. This was a time I forced him to join me at Grandma's Apple farm when he had basketball practice."

"Uh really? Do you call THAT a turn-off? First and foremost, you are the nicest, kindest, and most loyal person I know. The air can be anyone, but all you need is lots of attention and the ability to care for yourself and others. You cursed that girl because you were drunk and feared you would lose him. And he's a basketball player, so he can play whenever he wants. Why not take time off and meet up with your family?"

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"We have known Jessica for years, and she knows how to manipulate everyone. Although you've dated for almost a year now, we've known Jessica for a long time. She talks trash about you so she can steal from your man!"

Chapter end