Gina's POV - (4 years old)
I grew up in Alabama with my mom and my big brother. My life was pretty amazing, ya know these Disney princesses who basically have everything where their kids, like Rapunzel, Ariel, or Anna, that was me.
But then like Rapunzel, the stepmother comes and takes me away from everything I love.
I ran up to my room crying because of what my mom told me, she decided to join F.E.M.A. to help other people, but how did that help me? She told me that it meant we had to move away. The problem was I didn't wanna move, I had the perfect life in Alabama, the perfect school, the perfect friends, I basically had everything here.
I lay down in my bed, my vision blurred cause of the tears. I hear a knock on the door. "Come in" the words softly trembled from my lips. My older teenage brother Jamie walks into my room. His lips formed a sad smile, wearing his favorite black jacket with multicolored spots and signs. I loved my older brother, he would play and crack jokes with me all day. He would always be the one who would make me feel better, he even taught me some things about dancing.
"You okay, Gigi?" He asks me. I shook my head, I was trying to stop the tears and put on a brave face just for him, but it didn't work, they still ran down my cheek as I sat up on my bed. Jamie walks to my bed and jumps on it, making the bed jiggle and a quick laugh escaped my throat.
"There's that adorable laugh I love. What's wrong, sis?" he asks as he placed my head on his lap.
"I don't wanna move. I love everything here, my friends, my school, my teachers, I love everything about Alabama." My tears begin to stain Jamie's sweatpants. "Gigi, I know this must be hard for you" he starts as he holds up my chin, making me look at him and he wipes the tears from my eyes. "It's hard for me and mom too. But when you think about it, we have to move so mom can help and save lives. And we're moving to California, you can make friends at the beach."
He still notices that I have big and puffy eyes and more tears are coming down like a waterfall. "Oh, come here, Gigi" he pulls me up and gives me a hug, pulling me in, I sit down on his lap and lean my head on his chest crying. He kisses my forehead and in a soft voice says. "It'll be fine, G", and "I love you."
I feel so lucky just to have an older brother like him by my side. He was really the best guy I could ever ask for.
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Gina - (9 years old)
It's been a couple years in California and after a while, I made peace with it, the school was great, the kids were nice and I loved the beach more than anything. The only problem is that Jamie wasn't around as much as he used to be after he left for college, I wonder what happened to him.
My mom walks into my room a few minutes after I came home from school. "Hey sweetie, how's your foot?" A while ago, I broke my big toe kicking Jamie in the knee. "It's getting better" I smiled, I still had the cast on my foot and plenty of kids at school offered to sign it. "Hey mom, when's Jamie coming home?" The moment I asked that I quickly regretted it because a sad look formed on her face.
"You know what? Never mind" I say, tears threatening to form in my eyes. "Baby?" She was about to start talking again, but I didn't want to do I changed the topic.
"Are we're moving again?" I ask, it brought a shocked look on her face. "I saw the boxes downstairs."
My mom's head dropped as she only said two words.
"North Carolina."
My head dropped as well, it's just like Alabama, I had a perfect life, perfect friends, the perfect school and we're up and moving, I didn't have anything else to say to her. "How long do I have?" I ask, tears ready to fall.
"A week."
I didn't say anything else after that, but my mom could tell I wanted to be alone, so she walked out and gently closed my door, and that's when I finally decided to let the tears out, but I stuff my head in my pillow so she wouldn't hear me.
I know what your thinking and no, I wasn't sad that we were moving again, I was sad that Jamie, my brother, the one person I could talk to about all my problems, wasn't coming back.
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Gina - (13 years old)
It was a day after my 13th birthday, it was a princess party, which I, without a doubt say, I loved, all my friends at my school came, there was cake, games, and my most favorite of all, dancing, which I'm a pro at, not to brag.
I was helping my mom bring down all the balloons, but now that the happiness was gone, it became filled with sadness. "Baby, what's wrong?" My mom asks, she placed her hand on my shoulder that made me look at her. "I guess I'm just a little sad that Jamie wasn't here," I said, when I was a kid, Jamie would always sing me a special song and do this whole choreographed dance, he would be next to me, taking my hand and cutting the cake, and be there to help me open my first present.
"I know baby girl, I miss him too" My mom gave me a big hug. I looked behind her to see a couple boxes, I knew that could only mean one thing.
"We're moving again?!?" I ask, moving away from the hug." "Baby, I..." My mom starts but I cut her off.
"When were you gonna tell me?" I ask her, she answered a few weeks after my birthday. I couldn't believe what she said, I always open up to the people I meet and I always have to move after, I didn't know what else to say, so I didn't, instead, I ran to my room, leaving her down there and slamming the door.
I slid my body down the door pulling my knees up to my chest and started telling my eyes out, I always have to move, I can never just stay in one place.
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Gina - (15 years old)
After time and time of moving, I found myself in Utah, my first day at the High School, East High. Yep, that's right, the same East High where High School Musical, one of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movies was shot.
After me moving so many times, I learned a life lesson, I shouldn't open myself up or let anyone in, cause the next thing I know is that mom will be telling me I'll be moving again, if I don't care as much, I won't be as sad or attached. Just hide behind my walls until you have to be on the run again, I'm safer that way. So far, it was working.
It was my first day at school so I didn't know where any of my classes were, so I was just wandering around the school. I was bound to find my class, eventually, right?
Someone's lipstick rolled next to my foot. I look down and see a girl grabbing her stuff. I kneel down and hand her lipstick back. "This yours?"
The girl had had brown eyes, as well as long brown hair to match, she wore a pink leather jacket, a sweater, jeans, and brown boots.
"Yes, thank you!"
"Yeah, um, actually, any chance you know where these classes are?" I show her my new class. "Yea, these are all the same classes as me," She said and told me to follow her down the halls to our class.
"By the way, I'm Nina, but everyone calls me Nini."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Gina."
"Hey, Neens!"
I look to my side and saw a group of kids walking towards us, they all looked nice and friendly except for one, who wore a hoodie over his head, had guy-liner, and kept his hands in his pocket.
"Oh hey, guys" Nini waved at them. "This is my new friend, Gina. Gina these are my friends, Kourtney, EJ, Ashlyn, Carlos, Seb, Big Red, and Ricky."
Most of them waved, smiled, and said nice to meet you, but Ricky just nodded his head and said hi, I wondered what was wrong with him.
"Nice to meet you guys" I smile. As I walk off with them, I got a text from my mom.
I smiled at the text. Weird, even if I don't believe a word she's saying, I might as well play along, just to amuse me.
So that's Gina. Her brother Jamie might play a good part in her journey, I kinda tried to mention Jamie in the final part, but I didn't know how to bring him in. Do you think she'll open herself up, or stay closed? E.J.'s coming up next.