Noelani thought this to herself as she surveyed her new neighborhood.

Noelani looked out the back right window of her father's slate gray Ford truck, taking in the cloudy, light gray sky above her.

An ocean, another island and two thousand, four hundred and two miles were in between Noelani and her home island of Oahu, Hawaii.

In the front of the truck, was her father Alejandro and Noelani's new stepmother, Erin.

Next to and halfway on Noelani's lap was her dogs, Cinnamon, her eight month old Bernese Mountain Dog-Golden Retriever Mix and Blue, her one year old Siberian Husky-Australian Shepard Mix, respectively.

The truck rode through a neighborhood of Spanish style houses and short to medium length palm trees.

Alejandro turned the corner then pulled into the driveway of a two story, sand colored house.

"Home sweet home." Erin said in a cheerful tone, and Alejandro turned to peek at Noelani's reaction.

But she refused to look at her father, choosing instead to gently scratch Blue's neck.

Alejandro sighed, turning off the car.

Without waiting for them, Noelani pushes the car door open and let her feet dangle for a moment before hopping down from the truck.

Blue and Cinnamon followed without hesitation, paddling inside the house in front of Noelani.

Alejandro was unloading the cargo bed of all of Noelani's suitcases and moving boxes, placing them on the driveway next to him.

"We don't have a punching bag yet but your surfboard is in the garage," Erin said in a careful tone, walking up behind where Noelani stood in the kitchen.

"Do you wanna see your room? We got an interior decorator." Erin continued.

"Sure. Sounds good." Noelani replies with a tight, close mouthed smile.

So Noelani followed her stepmother up the staircase and to the right in the hallway.

"Uh, I'll let you get settled." Erin pursed her lips to the side a little then went back downstairs.

Noelani stood at the closed doorway, examining it.

If she closed her eyes long enough, maybe, just maybe, she could imagine that she was back in her old room in her old house on the island.

Imagine that the salt of the ocean was still fragrant in her nostrils, that the sunset colored hibiscuses were outside her window and that the sky was a pleasant baby blue.

But she wasn't home.

This was Noelani's new reality.

So she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Well, at least they got this right.

The bedroom was spacious with decor that looked straight out a tumblr aesthetic.

Behind the white sleigh bed, on the back wall was a blue tapestry with an orange sun split in half and a white and silver moon in the middle.

LED lights and fairy lights were placed and hung around the corners of the ceiling, while there was a double window that you had to push out to open.

Beneath the window was a white window seat, complete with orange decorative pillows.

Near the dresser that covered the entire wall to Noelani's right was a wicker circle hammock that was hung from the ceiling.

"Do you like it? I tried to make sure you would like it." Alejandro spoke behind her.

"I love it." Noelani stated bluntly.

"I... I know that you don't want to be here, but I really think that this place could be really good for you if you give it a chance. Just... Can you try?"

Noelani turned to grab the moving box from his hands, "I can try. For you."

It was silent but it was heard between the father and daughter, loud and clear.

Not for her.

Alejandro sighed and before he could respond the doorbell rang.

"Can you, uh, go get that while I get the rest of your stuff?"

"Sure." Noelani places the box on the chocolate brown hardwood floor then walked down the stairs.

Noelani yanked open the front door to observe an Asian girl about 5'4 with hair just a tad darker than her own.

"Hey, I'm Jasmine. I live down the street and my mom saw a move in truck a couple days ago so she made brownies." Jasmine gestured to the plate of brownies she had in one hand.

"Thanks. I'm Noel." She smiled at the shorter girl, taking the cellophane wrapped plastic plate from her, "Yeah, I just moved here."

"Oh, hello." Alejandro came to stand in the doorway next to his daughter.

"I was just giving-," Jasmine's phone began to ring, "Excuse me."

Noelani attempted to step away but Alejandro put his arm around her, forcing Noelani to stay put.

"Uh, sorry about that.. My friend was going on and on about a party-."

And Noelani tuned out.

Jasmine had mentioned a party.

In front of Noelani's father.

Which meant she was going out tonight.

"Would you want to come?" Jasmine asked, predictably.

"Uh," Alejandro jostled Noelani slightly, "Yeah, yeah sure."

Fuck.

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