eastside

chapter one

Growing up, Piper didn't have much of a decent family. Sure, she had her parents and a grandmother that she loved dearly but she still had this...emptiness, this longing inside her that she couldn't get rid of. She had siblings as well. Three to be exact, but they didn't speak to her. Her family was dysfunctional at best and very toxic. She couldn't remember a time where they were normal. No fighting. No harsh words. No holes in the walls. No screaming. No drugs.. Whenever she turned twenty one, she decided that she had stuck around for long enough and that it'd be for the best if she moved away, starting her own life now that she was finally old enough to do so. She always felt like there was something else out there waiting for her, something that couldn't be found stuck in such a toxic environment. She packed up her few belongings and headed West, to Seattle to be exact, without telling anyone where she was headed.

Most of her days since moving were spent alone, watching people pass along the sidewalk down below her bedroom window. By now, you'd think that she'd be used to the loneliness, but it never got any easier. She'd often pick someone off the street and make up a backstory in her head, wondering who they were or where they were going. Everyday the same people would walk past, some who she even sort of got attached to which she thought was kinda weird... but being lonely would make anyone do weird shit..

There was the guy with the too tight yellow track shorts who walked like he were always late for something, the blonde middle aged woman who always yelled at her kids for playing a little too close to the road and of course, the sweet older lady and her a million cats who lived in the apartment below.

It was like a ritual at this point, to sit and watch. With each person and story she made up, the loneliness seemed to dwindle more and more. A smile spread out across her face as she glanced down at the older lady who was now swarmed by her beloved kitties. It was her who welcomed Piper with open arms whenever she moved into the apartment building. Everyone else just stuck to themselves and ignored her. She even cooked her a full course dinner as a welcoming gift that first night. The older lady reminded her so much of her grandmother.

Piper felt her chest tightening as the memories played out in her mind like a movie. Her grandmother had passed away a few days before she left, complications from a cancer that she had been fighting for nearly twenty years. After her grandmother passed, that seemed to add another etch on the talley board of why she should move away. She was the only person there who really cared.. and now she was gone. Piper huffed at herself for getting emotional and laid back, stretching out on her bed.

She hadn't realized how tired she was until she closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off. The noises of the busy street below were slowly dying out as she succumbed further into sleep. She wasn't sure of how much time had passed when she heard a loud group of voices laughing outside her window, startling her and causing her curiosity to peak as she popped up and leaned over her bed once again to glance out.

Looking down, she saw a group of guys who seemed to be in their twenties or so. They were all laughing and cutting up, pushing each other, calling each other all kinds of dirty names. It reminded her of her brothers and their friends whenever they were kids, back before everything went to shit. Seeing them have a good time made her happy but also brought the pit in her stomach.. the loneliness.. back to light. She sighed, resting her head onto her hand as she continued watching. Maybe one day, she could have friends like that..

The group of guys began making their way past her window. All of them had long hair past their shoulders, all except for one guy in the back. He wore a backwards black ball-cap with a notebook held tightly under one arm. He had his hands shoved deep in his pockets with his head down, watching his feet as he walked. He seemed different than the rest of the guys, they were talking amongst themselves but he was keeping to himself.. like the earth beneath his moving feet was far more interesting than whatever crude joke they were laughing at. She assumed one of the guys said something directly to him as he finally looked up with a grin on his face. His boyish, shy smile made his prominent cheekbones poke out, his dimples shined as he laughed along with the rest of them.

Pipers presence in the window must have stolen his attention for a moment when she saw him look up as he fell behind, his eyes squinting against the glare of the sun. She quickly ducked back away from the window, hoping he hadn't saw her. There was no way he could've.. right? She waited a few seconds and slowly inched forward again, her wide eyes just barely peering over the bottom window ledge. She felt herself being mesmerized by the group, but mostly by the shy stranger in the back. There was something about him that resonated with her..

Maybe it was the loneliness... or his dimples.. or maybe it was the fact that he was the cutest guy she'd seen since moving here...

She watched as the group continued past, then rounded the corner of her apartment building and disappeared out of sight. She found herself hoping that this wouldn't be the last time she saw them... Maybe they'd be added into her daily ritual of people watching. "Some people bird watch.. I people watch." She muttered to herself out loud, laughing quietly as she laid back on her bed. "It's no wonder I have no friends." She thought as her eyes closed and before long, sleep finally found her.

~

Whenever Piper moved, she left all of her old life behind. Her friends.. her family.. her job. She moved with just the clothes on her back, her vinyls and her car. Nothing else mattered, honestly. Her family life wasn't the best. Her job was a dead end. Her stuff was just that... stuff. Materials that could be replaced. She knew a fresh start was what she needed.

She managed to find a job within the first few days at this small bookstore a few blocks from her apartment building. She saw the help wanted flyer in the window and decided to stop in. As she walked inside, the smell of old books practically slapped her in the face. It felt like home. Piper was always a bit of a book nerd who chose to find happiness in books and comics and used them as a way to escape reality when her parents started fighting again.

Sat leaning behind the front desk was an older gentleman who had long grey hair tied up in a braid. His face was down in a newspaper when he heard the door chime ring. Looking up, he smiled warmly at Piper as he folded the newspaper up and sat it aside. "If you're here about the job, it's yours missy.. You're the first person to walk in here all day and it's almost closing time." He chuckled while pointing towards the flyer. Piper was shocked and silent at first, she had never been offered a job position without some sort of interview or audition..

"I can tell you're a good one.." He said as if he could read her thoughts. He reached under the desk and brought out a few forms before he slid them across. If he was willing to give her a chance, she'd be more than happy to take it.. "Thank you.." She spoke quietly while she filled out the paperwork Pops needed.. That's what he told her to call him.. and left with a wave and a smile on her face.

Easy enough.

Her first day would be in two days and she was nervous, but excited. Heres to hoping that things would continue to be easy going and would prove that the move was worth it.

_______________________________

HI GUYS. so i woke up one morning with a story plot in my head and i'm HOPING and praying (to something that has never showed me anything, YOU GET IT) that i can do it justice. pls be kind, i haven't written a story, a published one for that matter, in a long time. see you in chapter two. (;