Song: Against the wind by Bob Seger

(Audrey plays it at the end of the chapter and I think the lyrics and the song just really fit with everything perfectly, I recommend listening to this song!)

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I stand under the doorway with my bag in one hand and a wet Cat clutched tightly to my chest in the other. With my heart racing and my mind slowly going into overdrive, I awkwardly smile at the two strangers who stood in front of me.

There was a short girl with dark hair and green eyes. Her hair was up to her shoulders and the over-sized shirt she wore had a picture of Garfield, which made me like her even more. She was beautiful, a natural kind of beauty.

The boy, however, was especially tall and seemed to be a bit older than the girl. He had dark brown hair and his eyes were a grey shade of blue, reminding me of the sky just before rain. He was wearing a huge smile and had his arm slung carelessly around the girl.

They were both goldenly beautiful and it made me want to puke. Here I was, standing wet and tangled, in a place I didn't know, with people I didn't know and most likely, looking the part of a drowned rat.

I really wish I would have brushed my hair before I came. Or at least had changed into some better clothes than grey sweatpants and a Nirvana T'shirt.

This was going spectacularly.

Don't get me wrong, I was so immensely grateful that Kenny and Margie were letting me stay with them, but today had been especially draining and now with the pressure of wanting to fit in and make their kids like me, I felt even more stressed.

If I was being completely honest with myself, all I wanted was to go to my room and fall asleep to Louis Armstrong while maybe curling into a ball and getting in a good cry. I also knew that, on the other hand, first impressions were everything and if I wanted this family to like me, I needed to not lock myself in a room.

I look over at Margie and Kenny before awkwardly letting out a small laugh.

This is so awkward. Even more awkward than telling your waiter, 'you too' after they told you to enjoy your meal.

"This is Audrey!", Margie begins with a huge smile, "She's going to be staying with us for a while," she introduces before turning to me. "Audrey, this is Jacob and Chandler," Margie says, nodding at the two teenagers who seemed to be close to my age.

"Hello," I squeak, finding myself to be at a loss for words, which was definitely new for me. "I'm Audrey,"

Crap. Margie literally just told them your name, you dumb egg.

Someone please crack the earth open and throw me inside. Why did I always seem to find a way to embarrass myself?

The girl chuckles, seeming to read my mind and steps forward, flashing me a huge smile, "Hi, I'm Chandler," she says before looking down at Cat. Her eyes widen a fraction and she quickly looks back up at me. "Who is this adorable munchkin?" she coos, petting the top of his head.

Alright, It's time to talk again, Audrey. This time make sure to think before you blurt out something stupid.

I look over to Kenny before answering. "This is Cat, he lives in my neighborhood," I say with a small smile, watching as Cat nuzzles his head into my arm.

That sounded normal, I say to myself, pleasantly surprised.

"He's adorable!" She squeals before her brother steps forward. He was taller now that he was closer, maybe 6'2. Tall enough to reach the frozen waffles in the freezer section of the store.

"Hi, I'm Jacob," He begins. "So, you work at the 'Friendly Market' with our Dad?"

"Yeah, I've been working there for about three months now,"

"That's pretty cool, what time's do you work?" He asks.

"I work 10:00am to 2:00pm on all days except weekends," I say before smiling over at Kenny. "Your Dad helped me get the job in the first place,"

Was that too much? Geeze, Audrey, you're talking too much again.

"Yeah, he 'helped' me get a job too, except I wasn't really wanting one in that moment." Chandler laughs, sending a playful glare towards her Dad.

"My kids aren't going to sit around the house playing Mario Kart all day and then ask for money when they want something," Kenny retorts before walking towards the kitchen.

Chandler scoffs before turning to me, "Mario Kart Wii? Dad, I think you mean some other game, Mario Kart is for kids,"

Kenny turns around and sends Chandler a bland look.

"Alright, I may still have my account but I hardly ever get on," She says before Jacob scoffs.

"I have no idea why they're acting like that," Chandler laughs, while elbowing Jacob in the side.

"It's a shame you don't get on very much, I love Mario Kart. Although I haven't played in a while." I laugh.

"Are you kidding? I'm like the master, who's your favorite character?" She exclaims happily.

"I really like Yoshi or Diddy Kong but Donkey Kong is definately my enemy,"

Donkey Kong, ever since I was a kid, has always been my least favorite character, anyone who played him immediately became my enemy.

"King Boo is the best, I mean look at him," Jacob laughs. "He's so cute,"

"You both are tripping, everyone knows that Bowser is the bomb!" Chandler interrupts with wide eyes.

"Well then how come I beat you in every game we play?" Jacob says with a smirk.

Chandler's face drops and her eyes narrow into slits, "You know that isn't true, you still run into all the walls and drive like a drunk baby,"

Jacob gasps, "I could beat both you and Audrey with my eyes closed, Chan."

I gasp, looking over at Chandler with wide eyes, how dare he bring me into this, "Oh, it's on-" I laugh. "-Like donkey kong,"

Oh. my. gosh.

What just came out of my mouth?

Chandler bursts into laughter at my nervous facial expresson and Jacob looks at us with a smile, "I didn't know anyone could be weirder than you, Chandler."

Chandler shoves Jacob in the shoulder, "There's only one way to find out if Jacob is still a terrible driver," she exclaims before running into the living room.

"Oh no," Jacob groans before Chandler rushes back in, holding three remotes.

"I think It's time to beat this loser, you ready, Rey?"

For a moment I'm taken by surprise, Rey, It was different. No one had ever called me that before. It wasn't like 'dree' or 'shrimp', it was new, something fresh. It reminded me that this was my chance. My chance to start over.

"I was born ready,"

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~ One hour later ~

It turned out that Jacob was actually really, really, really bad.

It didn't take long for Chandler and I to completely beast him in all the games we played. It was fun, I couldn't even remember the last time I had hung out with people my age and actually enjoyed it.

Chandler and I had a lot in common actually, we both liked Harry Styles, old cartoons, spider-man and jalepeno stuffed olives. She was fun to hang around and it almost seemed like we had been friends for years.

Jacob on the other hand was such a weirdo. He had a room full of pokèmon figurines and he named his jeep after a nuclear power plant. Shernobyl. He was still super fun to hang around and I could already feel him growing on me. Like a fungus.

I lie back against the couch and let out a laugh as Jacob glares at Chandler and I, "I totally let you both win," He shrugs when Chandler gives him an eye roll. "I felt bad for being so good."

"Is that why you kept falling off the road?" I ask with a smile.

"Mom! Dad! Audrey and Chandler are bullying me!" He yells, falling against a bean bag and glaring at us again.

Kenny walks in and sits down in an armchair across from me, a sandwich in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.

"Jacob, you're twenty years old, I think you can handle a couple of girls beating you in Mario Kart."

"It doesn't take a lot to beat him, I'm embarrassed at how bad you are," Chandler says while ruffling his hair.

"I still wonder how he got his driver's license." Kenny says before sipping his milk.

Jacob gasps before scoffing, "Dad, you were supposed to defend me, not take the girl's side!" He exclaims incredulously.

"Audrey, I wanted to talk to you about your job," He begins, ignoring Jacob. "I know with everything that happened you might want to quit-" Before he can continue I quickly interrupt.

My job? I didn't want to lose my job, I loved working at the Friendly Market, and I needed the money. I know what happened with Tyler was pretty dramatic and felt like it should be out of one of those crazy soap operas but I wasn't going to quit just because it might be a bit awkward.

"I can still work, what happened today happens to people all the time. I really need this job and if you're worried that things will be awkward, I'll try my best to-"

"Audrey," He says gently, "I was going to say, that I know you may want to quit but I have a better alternative. I was wondering if you'd like to change your work hours, I know it would be a bit later in the day but I think it would be for the best."

I put my controller down next to me and look at my hands, would it be for the best? I didn't want to make things awkward for everyone and Tyler did tell me to stay away from him.

"What would my hours be?" I ask.

"Well I don't want you to be out too late, so I'd say 4:00 to 7:00, if that's alright with you,"

That would give me time to catch up on my schoolwork and I'd stop showing up late because I forgot to wake up but I was still unsure.

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely," He says with a grin, "Just let me know by tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, I will," I say with an appreciative smile.

"Well it's been a long day and it's already getting late," Margie says, walking into the living room with a soft smile. "I think it would be a good idea if Chandler and Jacob showed Audrey to her room so she can get unpacked,"

Jacob groans from the bean bag and lets out a dramatic sigh, "Man, the next game I was going to totally go all out and completely beat you. Guess we'll have to wait,"

Chandler gives him a dead stare and I ignore him, looking back at Margie, "That would be great thanks," I say with a relieved sigh. I sit up from the couch and reach over and grab my bag, looking around the room for Cat.

"Here, let me take your bag," Jacob says before gently taking my backpack from my hand.

"Thanks," I reply before picking up Cat from under the coffee table and following Chandler up some stairs, throwing a quick glance over my shoulder towards Kenny and Margie.

I rub the top of Cat's head and take in a deep breath. Everything was going to be okay.

Chandler leads me down a hallway with Jacob following close behind. We pass two doors and a closet until we make it to the last door on the left. Chandler pushes the door open with her foot and we all walk inside, my eyes quickly meeting a medium-sized room with eggshell walls. A small wooden desk sat in the corner and centered in the middle of the farthest wall was a twin bed. The bed had blue covers, the kind of blue that made me feel like I was at the beach.

Jacob sets my backpack against the bottom of the desk and dusts his hands against his basketball shorts. "This is the room you'll be staying in, it used to belong to our sister but she moved to new york," Chandler begins. "She's attending NYU."

"My Dad went to NYU," I say before setting Cat down on the ground, letting him wander the room. "He wanted to be a Doctor."

"Did he do it?" Jacob asks, leaning against the door.

"Nope," I say, popping the p'. "My Dad met my Mom and ended up having me instead," I say with a laugh. "He never went back, became a stay at home Dad for me and my brother."

"That's still pretty cool, I bet he liked being able to spend time with ya'll," Jacob comments.

"Yeah," I say with a smile, "He did."

"Well we'll let you unpack and get settled but if you need anything, we'll just be in the room across," Chandler says, noticing the way I kept shifting uncomfortably.

"Thanks, that would be nice,"

"No problem," Jacob says before turning and walking out the door. Chandler follows him closely behind but before she leaves I notice her sliding something onto my counter.

"Hey, chandler!" I call out before she leaves.

"Yeah?" she asks, turning around with a smile.

"Thanks for the chocolate," I say, nodding over at the Hershey's chocolate bar that sat on top of the wooden shelf.

"You saw?" She says, shock written on her face.

I let out a laugh, before Jacob answers for me, "You're not exactly a ninja when it comes to being subtle."

Chandler lets out a huff, slapping Jacob across the head before looking at me with a smile, "I thought you might like it, kinda like when you go to a hotel and find mints or chocolate on the counters."

"Thanks," I smile. "I love chocolate, maybe even more than I love cake,"

"That must be a lot and don't say thanks to me, Jacob paid for it," she says with a grin.

I watch as she walks past a confused Jacob, patting him on the shoulder, "Maybe you shouldn't leave your cash on your bed, buddy," she grins. "Someone could take it."

"Chandler!" Jacob yells, walking after her. "I told you to stay out of my room!"

I let out a laugh before shutting the door behind them and falling back against my bed.

It was weird to have spent so much time hanging around people and actually having fun. It was even weirder to think that I was going to be living with them for a while. I let out a sigh and watch as Cat jumps up on the bed and curls up in a ball at my feet. I turn my head to the side and look out of the window at the empty streets.

The storm had moved east and so the rain had stopped, leaving everything dreary and wet in its place but sometimes when the sun would hit the water just right, it sort of, in its own depressing way, looked beautiful.

It made me feel pleasantly sad inside. If that made any sense at all.

I look over at the small alarm clock on my right and sigh when I read the time, 10:34.

My mind goes back to Tyler and my heart sinks. Everything seems so unreal, was I dreaming? I reach over and pinch my arm and let out a breath when I realize that this wasn't a dream.

How could so much change in a matter of one day? I no longer had Tyler as a friend, I was now living with cashier number four guy and it turns out I'm not incapable of making friends.

Everything was different.

Tyler. I missed him, I missed him a lot. I didn't want to admit it and I felt stupid for missing him but I did.

I had told him everything and shown him all of my scars and now he seemed like a stranger. A stranger who knew all my secrets. My stomach drops in regret and my heart suddenly feels like It had just been hit with a hammer.

What had I done?

The thing was, I knew what I had done. I knew deep down, I had started to love him. I still love him and I hate myself for it. I hate myself for loving someone that has never cared for me.

I pull my pillow close to me, holding it to my chest. I feel Cat move across the top of the bed towards me, his small face rubbing against my hand.

How could I love someone when I didn't even love myself?

I open my eyes and look across the room at the mirror that hung against the closet door. I look at the girl who is across from me, the girl in the reflection.

The girl who has brown hair that falls down her shoulders in soft, tangled waves and who has hazel brown eyes. I look at the girl with a few freckles above her nose and a bit of acne on her forehead. She was plain, normal and far from special but behind all that was Audrey.

Behind all that was a girl who loves old music and pop tarts, someone who taught herself how to play the guitar. She's the girl who dances in the kitchen while she cooks and the girl who rides her bike to the grocery store at two in the morning. She's the girl who goes into stores and smells all the candles, only to buy the one that smells most like men's cologne.

She's the girl who loves animals and eating macaroni. She's the girl who loves watching old movies and crushing on Cary Grant. She's the girl who wants to grow up, fall in love and get married, even if it's hard for her to imagine that someone would love her enough that they'd choose her over anyone to spend their life with.

She's the girl that wants to have children and adopt, even though she's afraid that she'll end up like her own mom.

She's the girl that was just starting to love herself. I look into my eyes and sigh, I hate that it took a man to help me start loving myself. I hate that I don't know how to love myself anymore now that he's gone.

Suddenly I feel myself begin to shake and I start to feel a bit lightheaded. I reach over and grab my bag, reaching in and grabbing a pop tart. With everything going on, I almost had forgotten to eat.

I was slipping into my old habits again and it had only been a few hours.

I know I had grown from the person I used to be, I had gotten a job, I had been eating healthily three times a day, never missing a meal. I had been sleeping better and making friends. I was doing better, and although Tyler helped me in a way, I did that all myself.

If I can do that, I know I can be happy by myself. I can learn to love myself the way I was beginning to.

I look over at Cat and smile, the first real smile I had given all day. I walk over to the dresser across the room and find a small radio on the top. I turn it to my favorite station and grin as, 'Against the wind,' by Bob Seger drifts through the speakers.

I pick Cat up, holding him in my arms and rock against the floor, my body swaying to the music.

The words of the song wrap around me and suddenly I know what I need to do. I know what I'll tell Kenny tomorrow and I know that everything will be fine.

My feet drift across the floor, Cat in my arms and smelling a bit like wet Frito's. But everything was perfect. Everything suddenly made sense.

"This is our song, Cat," I whisper.

I hear the rain pouring outside against the window and I close my eyes.

Everything may have been falling apart around me but I was still standing. I was still on both my feet and that was enough for me.

It was enough to keep me going.

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AN: This chapter was pretty difficult for me to write, I hope y'all enjoyed it! The next chapter will be of Tyler's pov! *Screams*

Dudes, what do you think of Audrey? She's really beginning to grow and learn to love herself for who she is, including her past... Ahh, Character development! Whoo hoo!

Here are some pictures of what I imagine Jacob and Chandler to look like but you guys can use whatever image you've created in your heads!

Anyways, I love y'all lots! Don't forget to vote and comment!

- Lee ;)