i did the best i could, so enjoy. Chapter 1: Fresh Start “Please fasten your seatbelts for landing, thank you.” said the flight attendant over the microphone. Or was it the speakers? Who cares? I’m finally in Seattle, the place I’ve always wanted to be. I have extended family in this city. I needed to see them. I just got out of college, or graduated from APU. Alaska Pacific University, if you were wondering. You probably weren’t, but that’s alright. I’m in Seattle! The landing was bumpy, but I lived. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here to tell you my story about my trip to Seattle. By the way, I’m Marcy Allen. Marcy Sara Allen. I’m ashamed of my middle and last name. They don’t work together. They never did. I’m 22 years old and have long, black hair, green eyes, and chocolate complexion. My nickname was Bubbly. They finally let us off the plane. I swear to God himself, my legs were not working right. A little bug called Jet Lag! Hoorah. I straightened myself out to walk normally. I eventually did. There was supposed to be a taxi cab waiting for me. Or maybe a limo! Not likely, but a girl can dream, can’t she? Ohhhh. I’m tired. I need to go home. My bubbly meter was running out. Wait. I don’t have a home yet. Oh, right, my cousin Phoebe was supposed to be my ride. She was a female taxi driver. Hopefully, her cab was under mint condition. It didn’t need to, but keep your expectations high. You’ll get by in life. I kept searching the airport until I found my cousin. She was holding up a sign that said ‘Welcome to Seattle, Marcy!’ And welcome I was when I met her. She dropped her sign and wrapped her arms around me. “Marcy! I’m so glad to see you. It’s been what? 12 years? Oh, God, I missed you.” she gasped in my ear. “I know, I’ve missed you, too, Phoebe. You’ve grown up!” I gasped in her ear. We released each other, then started walking to the exit. “How was your flight?” she asked me. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder. “Great, except for the food. It was fine, but it can be better.” I said. “Yeah, that’s Monocle Airline. It won’t rise to its full potential.” “Oh. Well, it got me here in one piece. That’s all that matters.” “Aw, you’re so positive, Marcy. How do you do that?” “Just look on the bright side.” I said, grinning. We arrived at the taxi cab. She got on the drivers’ side and I hopped in the back. My suitcase and bag weighed nearly a ton. Yet, the taxi cab could support its weight. I was going to stay with Phoebe until I can get the money for an apartment. But I knew it was gonna be fun. When me and Phoebe hung out as kids, we used to act like teenagers. Reading magazines, trying on makeup, and stealing her mom’s laptop to look at boy bands and choose who we want to date, then hate. Date Then Hate was a game we played as girls. We’d choose a cute male celebrity to want to date, then when he’d do something bad, like start a fight or break up with their girlfriends, we’d hate them for the rest of our lives. That was a promise. Whoever had the least amount of hated celebrities at the end of the year won. I always won. I choose good, innocent boys. But there was one celebrity I had to hate. Only one. Devon Carter. He was a kid star, only 2 years older than us. He played the pre-teen Caleb Washington on the show ‘Failure March’ a comedy on a dysfunctional family. It was hilarious. I loved him. Until he was caught doing drugs in his dressing room. They had to cancel the whole show completely, because who can possibly replace Devon Carter? From the day I read the article, I had to hate him, and for real I did. I was so against drugs and because of that, they canceled my favorite show. I told Phoebe that if I ever met him, I would punch him in the face. I was so serious. Good, or bad thing he disappeared off the face of the earth right after that. We finally arrived at Phoebe’s home after a while. She parked in her parking lot. She turned to me, then smiled. “Alright, we’re here. Look, though, there’s some more family inside, so develop a hug tolerance.” she said. “Too late.” I said, grinning. She smiled back. We got out of the car and she helped me with my bags. I carried them myself into the house. When I walked in, I saw a group of people. Their eyes shot straight at me. And whoo! Did they shower me with hugs. I felt like an anaconda was wrapping its whole body around me and choking the life out of me, but I loved it, every second of it. I felt loved. I was loved. Now, I can finally feel it every day.