“There it is!” My stepdad, David, exclaimed as we pulled into the driveway. My stomach dropped, and in a moment of realization, I thought to myself, “Could this really be my future?” We had just arrived at a house to tour, as we were looking to move. I did not want to move. I dreaded the idea of having a new neighborhood, a new school, new friends, a completely new life. I didn’t think that anything good could come from this change. It was 2020, the middle of COVID-19, and I was getting ready for a big change: middle school. In a few months I would start “real school," and I was not ready for that, much less moving into a new school where I didn’t know anyone at all.

On the ride over to the house tour, I drowned everything out by listening to rap, music I thought defined me, music that would later change. When we arrived, I stepped out of the car, shoved my hands in my pockets, and looked down to the ground, determined to seem uninterested. While my mom and stepdad talked to the realtor, I looked around at the house. The house stood in front of me, with perfectly white paint and neatly placed bricks forming a chevron pattern. It looked nicer than I had expected, and it was right next to a lake. I was genuinely interested in the lake, but I pretended not to care, trying to contain my excitement.

As we entered the house, I looked around, noticing the open floor plan, the many windows, and a fireplace in the back of the room. My mom began making excited comments toward the cabinets and floors. I stopped paying attention and walked away, hoping my attitude would somehow stop us from moving. I pictured myself at home, in bed, not having to worry about any of this. After we were done with the main floor, we decided to make our way downstairs. The bottom of the stairs led us into a room with four doors, one in each corner. Each of those doors led to a bedroom, which I inspected carefully. I thought that if I were going to be forced to live here, I’d at least want to pick the best room.

With the inside of the house complete, we made our way outside onto the deck. The deck was lit up with light from the sun reflecting off the lake. As I looked beyond the deck, I saw the lake in person for the first time. The moment my eyes met the lake, I immediately started imagining all the exciting things to do on the lake, like kayaking or fishing. At that moment I felt something shift. I didn’t want to admit it, but seeing the lake excited me. For a moment I decided to put aside my frustration and try to picture myself here. A couple minutes later my mom told me that she and David liked the house and that they wanted to buy it. I happily agreed.

© Elijah. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.