The Girl Who Stole My World

Wedding Day House

Each footfall on the wooden floor vibrates with a timber of echoes. The water damage is beyond repair, the wood unreclaimable.

Looking around the space, I see wallpaper peeling in the corners, and dust built up on the window ledges. The kitchen needs fixing, but the structure of the house itself is solid, well built without any cracks in the foundation.

Mournful sadness clings to the inside of the dwelling that just needs some love.

"I'll take it." Turning to the lady that's sporting a mid-length tight skirt and an all-business blouse. A smile is spreading across her lipstick stained mouths, she's probably thinking to herself it's about time she picked one.

"Are you sure, Blue?" Mom and dad are standing in the kitchen, the open house concept lets you see everything that's going on in the little space that I'm about to call home.

Looking out the big bay window out front, watching the way the lonely white cloud drifts by itself in the otherwise clear sky has me thinking of him. How we used to lay with my head on his lap, listening to music, watching our dog Zeus play in the grass. She even took our dog, my dog.

Stop thinking of him, I scold myself silently.

"I'm sure." Saying words that lack excitement. It's a monotone living I'm getting used to now.

"Perfect, I'll draw up the paperwork." She has the door open for us to leave.

Walking down the steps one at a time, the brace supporting my knee digs slightly into my skin, rubbing the area raw and red. It's a noticeable limp I'm trying to hide, even from my parents. The therapy I was doing was helping my leg, but there is only so much that can be done.

"Blue, are you sure about this? You know you can stay with us till we die," says Dad with his arm over my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.

"I'm sure, Dad, it's time for me to move on. Besides, you're the one that said I should invest the settlement money in a house." Money, the only compensation out of all this. The drunk driver had insurance, but look what I lost...my A side friends, my future husband. Now I'm living on the B side of life, no best friends...dead. No boyfriend...stolen away from me by my cousin. No house because "our" house became "his" house and then somehow turned into "their" house.

"I didn't think you would take my advice so soon." He's smiling, but his eyes hold his sadness for me. Dads always want to see their daughters taken care of, happy.

Picturing my A side friends here with me, L.A., that's what we called her because she was movie star beautiful inside and out. She would have been sweeping through the house with her ideas of grandeur. T.K. with her more type A personality would be shooting down that delusion with more realistic things. I can still hear them as if they are living as more than just whispers in my mind.

Big breath in, let those feelings go with the breath out. If I don't focus, I'll end up crying. My parents don't need to see me like this, today's hard enough on them, on us, on me.

I never thought I would be buying a house on the day I was supposed to be getting married.

Author's notes.

I attached below what this chapter looks like on a second edit......hope you can see the difference.......let me know what you think....

Rachelle.

Each footfall on the wooden floor vibrates with a timbre of echoes. The water damage is beyond repair, the wood unreclaimable.

Looking around the space, I see wallpaper peeling in the corners and dust built up on the window ledges. The kitchen needs fixing, but the structure of the house itself is solid, well built.

Mournful sadness clinging to the inside of a dwelling that just needs some love.

"I'll take it." I turn to the lady sporting a mid-length tight skirt and an all-business blouse. A smile spreads across lipstick stained lips as she probably thinks it's about time I picked one.

"Are you sure, Blue?" Mom and dad are standing in the kitchen. With the open house concept, you can see everything going on in the little space I'm about to call home.

Looking out the big bay window, watching the way a lonely white cloud drifts by itself in the otherwise clear sky has me thinking of him. How we used to lay with my head on his lap, listening to music, watching our dog play in the grass. She even took our dog, my dog.

Stop thinking of him, I scold myself silently.

"I'm sure." I walk closer with a limp that becomes more pronounced when I've been on my feet too long. Therapy is helping, but it's taken a long time to rebuild the strength in my leg after everything that's happened.

"Perfect, I'll draw up the paperwork." The agent holds the door open for us to leave. Walking down the steps one at a time, the brace supporting my knee digs slightly into my skin, rubbing the area raw and red.

"Blue, are you sure about this? You know you can stay with us till we die." Dad puts his arm over my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.

"I'm sure, Dad. It's time for me to move on. Besides, you're the one that said I should invest the settlement money in a house." Money, the only compensation out of all this. The drunk driver had insurance but look what I lost: my A-side friends, my future husband. Now I'm living the B-side of life, no best friends...dead, no boyfriend...stolen from me by my cousin, no house because our house became his house that somehow turned into their house.

"I didn't think you would take my advice so soon." He's smiling, but his eyes hold his sadness for me. Dads always want to see their daughters taken care of, happy.

I picture my A-side friends here with me. L.A., that's what we called her because she was movie star beautiful inside and out, would have been sweeping through the house with her ideas of grandeur. T.K., with her more type-A personality, would be shooting down that delusion with more realistic things. I can still hear them as if they aren't living as whispers in my mind.

Big breath in, let those feelings go with the breath out. If I don't focus I'll end up crying. My parents don't need to see me like this. Today is hard enough on them, on us, on me.

I never thought I would be buying a house on the day I was supposed to be getting married.