I don't. I don't need you like you think. I do. 3

I stopped checking the time after three hours of driving, that's when I decided we were far enough to know that visiting wasn't an easy option. It was when I gave up on thinking that I could stay in touch with friends back home.
We reached the house as the sun was setting, and pulled up in front of a house almost similar in every way to our old one. I didn't understand the point of it.

"That's your room, sweetie." My mother had pointed into the room closest the front of the house, a fair size.
Setting my boxes down, I lay myself in the centre of the hardwood floor to recapture the sense of safety that I had with Matt earlier in the day - but it just wouldn't come. I should've known I couldn't fake a feeling like that.
I huffed frustratedly and sat up as my mother entered the room.
"Hey." I forced a smile.
"You okay?" She sat herself down beside me. I simply shrugged. "Listen, I know you didn't want to come, but I really want you to be happy. I'd like you to try and settle down here."
I nodded, silently.
"I'm glad I got to meet this infamous Matt boy, before we left though." She grinned as I looked up at her.
"You like him then?" I asked, avoiding eye-contact.
"If you like him, I like him. You have good judgement of people." She reached across and rubbed my shoulder. "You can ask him to come and stay for a while in the holidays, if you want."
"Thank you." I looked up at her and smiled, the first genuine smile I'd produced sinc e being here.
My mother stood up to leave, satisfied with what she had accomplished.

The following day I awoke from sleeping to find that I hadn't gone to bed at all. I had curled myself around one of my boxes on the floor where I had been sat talking with my mother.
My back ached and it took a while for me to get to my feet, before I went for a test of the shower.
I emerged refreshed and ready to tackle the day, trundling downstairs in my towel in search of the box marked 'Clothes'.
Upon entering the kitchen, I walked straight into a neighbourhood meet-and-greet, which I was not informed of.
"Oh, Thora! Go and put some clothes on, would you? Quickly!" My mother yelped, pushing me backwards out of the sight of onlooking neighbours and their children.
Running back upstairs with my face burning with embarrassment, I changed rapidly and closed myself up in my bedroom - not daring to face the people who had just seen me in my next-to-nothings.
This lasted a good ten minutes before an unfamiliar knock came to my bedroom door.
"Mum?" I called. No answer.
I moved cautiously to the door and pulled it open to find a tall boy, no younger than me, stood on the landing.
"Uh, can I help you?" I asked, utterly confused.
"Oh, your uh, your mom sent me up to introduce myself. I'm sorry, this is weird-" He turned away. "I'm Chase, anyway."
He waved back over his shoulder and retreated down the stairs.
I simply closed my door again and got back to unpacking, deep in thought and amusement at the situation that just occurred.

By the afternoon I had just one box left to unpack, but those were just personal things that I would reach for in my own time. They could stay in their box till then.
I only left my room when mother called me for dinner, which was far from a silent affair, involving much food sprayed across the table from my father - I'd never seen him speak so much in my life,
"Oh, the uh- the Baxters seemed lovely, didn't they dear?" He asked my mother, but spoke to me. "They've got a daughter four years younger than you, but she seems pretty mature for her age."
I shook my head at my mother, who gave me a look that said she agreed with me.
"No, no. I think she'd get along with Mrs. Broderick's daughter. She's exactly your age and I think she's into the same type of music as you. All that... noisey stuff, you know?" She laughed.
There was a moments silence as everybody re-stuffed their mouthes with food, but I paused, playing with the mashed potatoes on my plate.
"Who's son was that boy?" I eventually asked, still not looking up from my mash.
"What boy, sweetheart?" My father sprayed yet more masticated steak over the table at me.
"Uh, the one you sent up to introduce himself, Mum. Chase, I think he said his name was?"
My parents exchanged glances.
"I never sent anyone upstairs, Thora." My mother frowned. "What did he look like?"
I stuttered for a moment. "He was quite tall, about my age, blonde-ish hair... he sort of, got embarrassed and left again after telling me his name. It was weird."
"I'll ask around." Mother concurred.
The remainder of the meal was ate in complete silence, but I couldn't shake the image of this mysterious boy from my mind.