It's an odd feeling being underwater, it's not uncomfortable if you're expecting it. I expect it most mornings and afternoons, it's one of the few parts of my reality that I look forward to. 

Forcing myself to feel something other than resentment, anger or loneliness.

My reality.

If you were to look at my life from the outside you'd likely come to the conclusion that I'm just a poor little rich girl who is unhappy with her lot in life. Truth be told, I am unhappy. Before you jump to conclusions however, let me give a quick explanation of what it's like to live as Leah Munroe.

Sixteen years ago I was born to two parents who loved me, I assume they loved me. Why would you have a kid together if you didn't love each other, yourself and them eventual kid? Anyway, they brought me into the world and not long after my dad split. Mom doesn't give any particular reason, she actually gives no reasons for why he left other than it didn't work out.

I've always accepted that explanation, that things between them never worked out. But in my dad leaving me...my mom left too.

See, one of them is wealthy.

Wealthy enough that I have a nanny, a butler and a maid that live in with me full time. To me, Margaretta, my nanny has always been my mom. She's been there when I've gotten in trouble, when I've needed hugs or medical attention. She's attended every single one of my surfing competitions, she's helped negotiate some of the minor contracts that I've been offered.

My birth mom?

Jenny's paid for everything with little or no question. She keeps money in my credit card, more than I would ever need but her motto is...you never know. I always know how much I'll need, I never get carried away with spending her money. The thought is always sour in my mouth when I think about the money Jenny so readily has available for me, she's my mother and my provider and yet she's neither of those things.

A chill runs down my spine and I realize I've spent enough time in the water for the morning, Jenny flew in late last night. Lord knows what she's doing here in California but yet her presence in the house has sent everyone into overdrive, I guess the last week of school is a big deal and she wants to make sure I'm doing well enough that she can start loosening some of the restrictions she's put on me and my 'staff'.

Truth be told the staff are more family than any family I've ever had, including Jenny.Paddling into shore I'm surprised to see Jenny standing there with a light blanket wrapped around her shoulders, she's never been one to watch me surf and has never waited for me to come in. And yet when I approach her she offers me my usual towel, I don't question it and take it to wrap around me.

"What are you doing awake so early? You got in really late last night." I try not to keep tabs on Jenny but something about the question and statement brings an odd expression to her face.

"I always admire your dedication to surfing." Was all she said, which confused me. Jenny knows my surfing routine? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised...Retta and Abigail likely keep her updated on progress and whatever else satisfies her curiosity but hearing any sort of praise or positivity coming from Jenny is like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.

"Ugh, thanks." I head up to the house without another word to shower and ready for one of my last days at school for the year before summer break. I've made no plans for summer other than surfing all day and spending time out with a few close friends.

When I'm freshly washed and in a pair of ripped and faded jeans, a plain white t-shirt, sunglasses and sneakers I head downstairs for breakfast. It's still fairly early in the morning, so I have a lot of time to eat breakfast and get everything ready for the school morning.

The last week of school is something I'm not a fan of, it's the post exam week and there's not a whole lot left to do other than drag out the torture of going to class, packing everything up and getting ready for next year. My thoughts are interrupted when I come into the kitchen to find Jenny standing over the breakfast bar, dressed in her usual business attire looking at the food that Margaretta has rustled up.

"Thank you Retta, it looks delicious." I say as I sit down, Retta offers me a relaxed smile as she turns and frowns at Jenny. Was she worried that my birth mother would hate her cooking? It was hard to say as Retta's face and expression were closed off and guarded.

"Why are you here anyway Jenny?" My mom winces when I use her given name, truth is I've never really called her mom and Margaretta hates it. She thinks and has always been vocal about me calling Jenny 'mother' but that's a special name I reserve for someone like Retta.

Before she can answer however, the doorbell rings and Margaretta rushes off to answer it. Something doesn't feel right this morning, a feeling of unease begins to grow in the pit of my stomach as I stare at Jenny. She's looking at me but can't quite meet my eye, as if I'll know the answer to that question when our eyes meet. Though the question is answered when my eyes land on the new arrival and I immediately shoot an accusing look at Margaretta who ducks her head and leaves the room.

What brings my attention back to Murphy however is that he's followed by several other people.

"What the fuck is this?" I ask calmly. This brings Jenny's attention squarely to me and she narrows her eyes in anger at me.

"Leah! Watch your language." When Jenny or Murphy ever spoke to me like that it always angered me, they never raised me but acted like that had every right to parent me now...now that it was convenient for them.

"You blindside me like this? I'm entitled to say whatever I want in whatever tone I wish! You can't do this to me, I'm sixteen. You've both ignored me for that long, what makes you think you can just waltz in here and uproot my life like it's nothing?" Margaretta has come back into the kitchen, my tone and volume must have brought her running back in. It was her expression that made me stop and actually look at her, she'd been crying but I wondered briefly if it was over me.

"You rang them? Retta, you asked them to come and get me? Why?" I asked, going to her. Out of everyone in this god forsaken house she was the only one who I knew wouldn't lie to me.

"Kevin had a heart attack last night, he's in the hospital. He's stable but it's done a lot of damage to him and he's going to need all the help he can get if he's to recover properly. Please don't be angry with me...with us." It felt as if the pit of my stomach dropped out and a gaping hole sat in my heart, Kevin was Margaretta's father but it felt like he was my father too.

He'd taught me so much and had done everything that a father had done for me but he'd always maintained a professional distance from me. I'd always wanted him to show me affection like he did to Margaretta but he continually reminded me that he was my butler and driver, it was never out of spite. That much I understood, but it always made me yearn for something more from Murphy.

Hearing that Kevin was ill though, hearing that he'd been in pain brought the reality of this situation into full focus. Retta, Kevin and their family needed my support so I turned to Jenny and eyed her suspiciously, there was no amusement in her expression, nothing to hint that she took enjoyment out of the situation.

"You'll pay for all his medical bills?" I wanted to demand it but I couldn't bring myself to, not when Murphy and his entire family stood there.

Margaretta made a noise but Jenny held her hand up, "It's already been taken care of and I'll support him for as long as he needs. But Leah, we need you to do this. Kevin, in his delirium wanted to get to you to ensure you were taken care of." I knew what the unsaid was, if I did this and moved with Murphy then Retta could give her father some good news that would alleviate some of the stress he was feeling.

"Fine. But I'm doing it for Retta and Kevin, not for either of you two. I'm taking my credit card and whatever else I need." There was a snort from the doorway, I turned my attention to Murphy and his family. It was like they'd brought the whole town with them. He stood there with his arm slung around a woman's shoulder, she assumed this was his wife Trisha and their many children."Why don't you just hurry up and pack already, we're wasting time so your drama queen behind can throw a tantrum." Leah narrowed her eyes at the girl that spoke, before she could say or do anything however Murphy's wife ducked out from under his arm, handed the kid she had been holding over to Murphy and grabbed her daughter by the scruff of her shirt before hauling her outside.

"Sorry about her, y'know how teens can be. It's been a long trip for us." Leah stared at Murphy then at Jenny, waiting for someone to say something.

"They're staying a couple of days to give you time to pack your things and so they can rest. It's a 17 hour straight drive back to Montana." I flinched at that. I had to be in a house with Murphy, his wife and their bunch of kids for a few days packing everything, making sure nothing was broken or ruined?

"And you're leaving?" I asked Jenny pointedly. She gave me a tight smile as she put a hand on my shoulder, Murphy came over and touched her shoulder lightly. I could see colour rise in Jenny's cheeks as she pulled away from both of us, she couldn't be in the same house as Murphy?

"I have to return, I don't want to say that my life is in New York. But I have a feeling you'll tolerate your f...Murphy more than you will me. I do love you Leah and I want what is best for you, Murphy has a daughter your age and a loving family environment. It's something I could never give you." I was confused by what Jenny was saying, in one sense she was trying to reassure me but at the same time she was abandoning me for her life back in the city?

"I'd rather live a life in New York than move to the middle of nowhere with a family I don't belong in." Murphy groaned, I looked at him. Really looked at him and realized I was almost an exact carbon copy of him...just the feminine version.

"Leah you belong in a family, if it's mine or your mom's then so be it. But for the time being you can't stay here alone so you're coming back to Montana with us. We can figure everything out over the summer, if after summer break you don't want to be anywhere near us or the ranch then we'll let you go. If you decide on something else, that you want to travel, develop a drug habit and live as a bum on the street then I'll support that too." I tried not to smile at the joke but rolled my eyes and looked back at Jenny.

"So you've got a family in New York as well? Am I a dirty little secret between the two of you?" Jenny and Murphy looked at each other, a look passed between the two of them that I couldn't quite read but it was gone when Trisha came back through the door with a very red faced girl.

"Sorry for my outburst, it wont happen again." I frowned, it wasn't really sincere and Trisha seemed to understand that but couldn't really reprimand her daughter again. To keep the peace I nodded before turning back to my parents.

"Fine, I'm still taking everything I need to feel at home there." I wasn't budging on that.

"That's okay Leah, we brought a trailer with us in case you wanted to bring stuff with you. Now, should we unpack so your mom can get on the road?" Looking at Jenny I tried not to let my nerves get the better of me, I'd never been left with Murphy. Despite Jenny being absent much of my life I knew her better and knew how to be around her better.

"I'll show you to your rooms, Leah why don't you see your mom off?" Retta said as she motioned for Murphy, Trisha and their three kids to follow her.

I followed Jenny to the door, sure enough there was a private car sitting in the driveway waiting for her. Murphy's truck and trailer was sitting on the perfectly manicured lawn out of the way. "If you need anything while you're in Montana, use your credit card. It always has money in it, you know that Leah. If you have any competitions coming up there's money there for you to fly. I know you have sponsorships to keep to and I never want to keep you from that part of your life." Jenny sighed heavily as she walked out to the car, I followed her at a short distance.

"You owe me some explanations, after this summer I'm going to demand them." I said accusingly as I watched Jenny climb into the back sit. She paused mid descent and looked at me with sadness in her eyes before nodding. She didn't say anything else as the driver closed the door and whisked Jenny out of my life once again.

I went back inside to finish my breakfast before it grew too cold that heating it wouldn't save it. The issue was, there was now a spare plate of food but more than one mouth to eat it.

"Okay, everyone is settled in. I'm sorry to have done this to you Leah, I know how much you loved your life here but sometimes we need our family to lean on." I could never be mad at Retta, she was my real mother figure when my own was absent. I stood from where I'd been eating breakfast and went around to give her a hug, out of everyone she deserved my support right now.

"Don't apologize Retta, I get it. This way at least you know I'll be fed and have company. But you better text and call this summer, Jenny said I can fly down for the local competitions." Retta gave me an extra tight squeeze, she was probably going to start crying soon which would set me off and we'd never get anywhere.

"I will, I'm going to need updates at least once a day. You've been excused from school for the rest of the week, the office just needs you to go in to clean out your locker and sign a few things but otherwise you're officially on school break." I sighed heavily as I buried my face in the crook of Retta's neck, the reality of what was happening and where I was going slowly sinking in as time went by.

"Try and be happy, give Murphy a chance...and your mom. They both have reasons for how this all ended up. But remember that none of this is your fault, okay I better go. Remember, eat regularly and stay hydrated." I nodded as Retta pulled away and left the house, she blew me a kiss from the front door and it took everything for me to stay rooted to the spot and not chase her down.

A few minutes went by as I watched the door that the two most familiar people I'd known had left through, now I was in a house that I loved with people I didn't know.

"Leah? You okay?" I heard it but didn't think she'd ever ask me such a sincere question.

Turning my head to look at Trisha I nodded and smiled a little. "You should rest, seventeen hours is a long drive for anyone. Retta said I'm excused from school for the week but I might as well go and get all the paperwork signed, you don't have to worry I can walk down. It's literally just a 20 minute walk there, I'll be right back after I get everything done." Trisha frowned at me, ready to say something but was interrupted by a yawn.

"Are you sure? I can go with you or Murphy can, you don't have to do it by yourself." I shook my head at her offer and question though. It was unnecessary and I could do it all myself without them having to suffer being awake a moment longer.

"Honestly it's fine, go. Rest. I'll be back by at least 3pm." Trisha frowned again but I left her and went up to my room to grab a few extra things before heading out. I thought momentarily of taking my car but didn't want to risk getting pulled over, I was only on my provisional license anyway and Kevin was usually with me when I did drive.

Instead I grabbed my long board and grabbed my house keys before heading towards school.

AN: Hey guys, so finally (5 years later) I'm actually posting the rewritten version of this. It's different to the original, the plot is still similar but some of the character names have changed and the tone of the story overall.

I like this version much more than the first, this one has had time put into it and developed more to carry though the plot smoothly.

The chapters will average about 3000 words and I'll endeavor to keep them that long. 

New chapters will be posted once a week.

I hope you enjoy.