Sunburned and sandy, 14-year-old Rodney Thompson trudged up the driveway after a day at the beach with his friends, only to be confronted by an unwelcome sight: a "For Sale" sign planted firmly in their front lawn. Dumbfounded, he burst through the front door and found his mom, Sasha, talking to a sharply dressed realtor in the living room.
"Mom? What's going on?" Rodney stammered, his voice cracking with distress.
Sasha glanced at the realtor before turning to her son. "Rodney, I got a new job in Strathroy. I know this is short notice but the job starts September 1st."
"Strathroy?" Rodney echoed, feeling as if the floor had just dropped out from beneath him. Where the hell was Strathroy, it didn't even sound like a real place.
"Living in the city has become too expensive, and the hospital is demanding I work longer hours without offering overtime" she explained, her voice firm and resolute. "Selling the house will give us a fresh start and a change of pace."
"But... I like things just the way they are." Rodney's sensitive brown eyes brimmed with unshed tears, his voice barely audible.
"Life is full of changes, Rodney," Sasha replied, her tone bordering on harsh. "You'll have to get over it. I have to do what is best for us."
With that, Rodney retreated to his room, slamming the door behind him. He threw himself onto his bed, feeling like a crashed astronaut trapped on an empty asteroid, adrift in an uncaring universe. As he lay there, wallowing in self-pity, he heard his sister Marcy's gentle knock on the door.
"Rod, Mom doesn't want to leave either," Marcy said softly, her voice muffled by the barrier between them. "But this job means she can finally have some time for herself. You know, ever since Dad died last year, she hasn't done anything but work. I don't even think she has really processed it herself."
"Easy for you to say," Rodney muttered under his breath, but the weight of his sister's words hung heavy on his heart. She was right after all, their mom had been working overtime to keep the house and to keep up with their hobbies. Rodney couldn't remember a time he saw his mom shed a tear since the funeral.
"Just give it a try, please for mom," Marcy asked, her tone was soft but serious.
Rodney took a breath, "OK, I will give it a shot,"
A week later, Rodney found himself squished into the backseat of their packed car, watching Toronto recede in the rear-view mirror. As the Thompsons hit the road, he couldn't help but worry about starting high school in a small town. He hoped that Strathroy might offer him a clean slate, ever since his dad passed away his only real friend in Toronto was Ally, the rest he felt just kind of tolerated him. He knew he wasn't much fun to be around anymore, but at a new school maybe that could change.
-----
They pulled up to a small white house on an overgrown corner lot. Both Rodney and Marcy were unimpressed, large weeds sprouted out from the cracks in the driveway. The musty scent of old memories greeted them as they stepped out of the car and gazed upon the discoloured siding of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. Rodney shuddered at the thought of just how creepy the basement must be – how could he ever bring new friends here?
"Maybe it won't be so bad on the inside," Rodney mused, trying to convince himself more than anyone else. "After all, mom did say it was charming."
"Exactly," Marcy agreed, her freckled face glowing with optimism. "And besides, paint was invented for a reason right?"
Inside his new room, Rodney squinted at the paisley wallpaper that adorned the walls of his room. His imagination twisted it into a mysterious new planet teeming with danger and hidden secrets. He stood there, lost in thought when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Ally's name glowed across the screen.
"Hey, Ally!" Rodney greeted, his face lighting up as he answered the FaceTime call from his best friend. "I didn't think you'd be able to talk so soon."
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"Of course I would!" Ally said, her long blonde hair framing her captivating blue eyes. "We just got back into the country, and I saw your text. I can't believe you moved away, Rodney! High school won't be the same without you." Ally's mom was a big-time author and they had gone to Paris over the summer so she could write her latest romance novel.
"Trust me, I feel the same way," he sighed, running a hand through his short brown hair. "I don't know how I'm going to survive small-town life."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Ally said reassuringly. "You'll make new friends and show them all how smart you are. And who knows? Maybe I'll come visit sometime."
"Really?" The idea of Ally visiting him in Strathroy brightened Rodney's day considerably. "That would be amazing."
"Definitely." She smiled, and Rodney felt his heart flutter. "Stay strong, okay? You're going to do great. I miss you already."
"Miss you too," Rodney started before Ally's brother called her to come get her bags.
"Well that is my queue," Ally said flashing Rodney a smile that made his heart melt. "Seriously I can't wait to hear all about your new high school on Monday. It is coming to be awesome, I just know it."
"Thanks, Ally," he said softly, before they said their goodbyes and hung up. A bittersweet feeling washed over him – he wished he had told her how he really felt before he moved away. They had been friends since the first grade but something changed in seventh grade when Ally jokingly kissed him at a party.
Pulling his attention away from his phone, Rodney turned his attention back to the room his mother assigned him. The walls were bare and the carpet was worn, but it was his space. As he began unpacking boxes, he stumbled upon a collection of old photos: renting bikes with friends, hanging out by the water, and going to Blue Jays games with his dad.
The memories tugged at his heart, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he might not have anything in common with anyone at his new school. His thoughts raced, overflowing with anxiety and uncertainty. The night crawled by and he decided to skip the Chinese takeout and head to bed early, wondering what his first day of high school would bring.
-----
The morning sun glinted off the orange exterior of SDCI, casting a warm glow on the school's green doors. It was an odd colour combination that made the school look like it was carved from a pumpkin. Rodney hesitated for a moment, his imagination transforming the crowd of shuffling students into a bustling spaceport filled with alien creatures. It was like he were an explorer, about to embark on an interstellar adventure.
"Hey, watch it!" a voice snapped, jolting Rodney back to reality as another student bumped into him. Flushed with embarrassment and anxiety, he hurried through the green doors and found himself in the busy cafeteria. The air buzzed with excited chatter as student volunteers stood at long tables, handing out class schedules.
Rodney's heart pounded in his chest as he scanned the room, finally locating the line for last names ending in T. He shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited, rehearsing a mental pep talk to get him through the day. At last, it was his turn. "Rodney Thompson," he muttered to the volunteer, who handed him a schedule with a friendly smile.
"First class is Geography with Mrs. Willberry," he read aloud, not exactly his favorite subject. His mouth was dry, and he could practically feel the weight of the unknown pressing down on him. Swallowing hard, Rodney made his way to the classroom and took a seat near the front, hoping to go unnoticed by the crowd of freshmen filing in.
His pulse raced, and he couldn't help but feel like a lone astronaut once more, stranded in uncharted territory. But then, as if the universe itself had heard his pleas, Ally strolled into the classroom, her blond hair bouncing with each step. Rodney blinked in disbelief, he had to double-take to be sure he wasn't dreaming. I was her though, the pink Boba tea keychain he gave her was dangling from her checker backpack.
"Ally?" he stammered, unable to suppress his shock. She grinned, her blue eyes sparkling as she slid into the empty seat beside him. "I didn't know you were moving here, too!"
"Surprise!" she exclaimed, her laughter like a lifeline flung across the vast expanse of space. "My mom's doing research for her new small-town mystery novel "Cornfields and Killers", so I may have mentioned the perfect small town for her to do her research in."
"That is amazing!" Rodney said, he was going to get the high school experience he had always wanted after all.
"Well I couldn't let you face the farmers alone," She joked. "Besides high school would be no fun at all without you," As Ally smiled, Rodney couldn't help but feel as though a rescue team had traversed the cosmos just to find him. His heart swelled with relief and gratitude, his earlier fears melting away in the warmth of her presence.
"Alright, class," Mrs. Willberry called out, bringing everyone's attention to the front. As the lesson began, Rodney struggled to concentrate on anything other than Ally's proximity. Her casual touch on his arm sent shivers up his spine, and all he could think about was how he was given a second chance to finally tell Ally how he felt.
Determined not to let this opportunity slip through his fingers, Rodney made a silent pact with himself: before the end of the school year, he would tell Ally that he wanted to be more than just friends. And as he glanced over at her, stealing a quick look at her radiant smile, he felt a surge of hope that maybe – just maybe – his new life in Strathroy wouldn't be so bad after all.