1. Piece of mind

I flip through the pages of my book, happy that I finally have the chance to relax a bit. This week has been exhausting and I smile, looking around my happy place. There aren't many around in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Finding this hill is the best thing that could possibly happen to me.

My father has been laughing at me, telling me I am a grandma stuck in the spirit of a 17 year old. It may be true. I enjoy silence and being alone way too much for my age. My hill consists of two trees between which I have attached a ham-mack that I am currently laying on, and a couple rocks. Neil, my best friend, helped me set up a wooden picnic table once, but there was a storm that ended up breaking it. I felt sad, I truly loved that picnic table.

I look at my phone and see it is now 8:30pm and starting to get dark. Late evenings are my favorite moment of the day and I could stay here forever, but I just know that dad would get mad and decide to go so I don't cause him any trouble. I will miss these late August nights once winter comes. I make sure I put my book and highlighter in the basket of my bike so I don't forget them and get on my bike. I live 15 minutes away from here, thankfully it's not too far. I smile at the horizon, I will never get tired of this place. Neil is the only one that knows about it and I am seriously gate keeping it from the rest of the world and don't plan on changing that.

The sky turns bright purple as I ride home and a soft indie song comes on. The warm air hugs my skin and I feel alive. Forget all my problems and smile at the world around me, wishing this happiness could last forever.

As I arrive, I am surprised to see the door of my house already opened.

"Dad?" I ask

"Here sweetie!" I hear his voice from the kitchen. I make my way up to him ; he's cooking. The room smells nice.

"Pasta?" I ask, smiling, knowing he's probably making my favorite and that he isn't the best cook, so there truly isn't much he would have the skills to do.

"Yes! Trying not to mess it up." He jokes, making me laugh

My dad and I haven't had the easiest relationship since my mom's passing. He had been struggling a lot, which in turn affected me more than it should have. My father is a great person ; he just never successfully found his way around the whole parenting thing. My mother and him had me when they were both 18. He had been living with his aunt and uncle that took him in when he was 10 because his parents had a car crash. They took care of me a lot when I was a baby, because he wanted to get a diploma in real estate ; Aunt Sadie and Uncle Bern. I smile at the thought of them. They left for Africa around five years ago and don't text as much anymore. Hell, they only send us postcards for Christmas and our birthdays, with pictures of them with elephants somewhere in Tanzania. I'm happy for them though. They are both very adventurous and never truly found happiness here in Phoenix.

While my dad was a student, my mom was a teacher. It was a lot for both of them, both financially and emotionally. They were 18 and truly not ready to be committed adults yet. I couldn't possibly picture myself with a family and children. Their story during my childhood involved lots of financial problems, heartbreak and unhealthy coping mechanisms. My mom's parents never approved of my dad nor me, so they cut all types of communication with her and moved to another state when she was just 20.

My mom got very sick when I was around 10 years old. Her breast cancer dragged on, disappearing and reappearing. My dad managed to become a good agent, but her situation was draining him. He couldn't bear the thought of her passing or me growing up without a mother, so he found refuge in drugs and alcohol. My early teenage years consisted of me taking care of him and visiting my mom in the hospital while trying to navigate through life and school.

"What are you thinking about" My dad says, waiting for the pasta to boil, interrupting my thought process.

"Nothing, how was your day?" I ask, diverting the subject

"Eh. Just the usual. These same clients are a pain in the ass." He laughs, releasing some of the annoyance

"The Nelsons?" I ask, keeping up with previous conversations

"Yeah. I think I'll give them a final contract date 'cause I can't keep carrying this no more. What about you, what did you do today?" He asks me, interested

"Had a late morning, did some reading and went to the hill." I say, sharing my simple but fulfilling day.

"Damn Alex, go to a party or something" He says, making fun of me

"Meh. They're draining. I got one next Friday though." I say, remembering Neil's friend Cameron invited us both to his place, for the last big summer party before the school year starts.

"You going with Neil?" He asks caringly. My dad trusts Neil ; he thought we were dating and teased me about it for the longest time but we have been inseparable for three years now and by now his doubts are long gone, since Neil spends half of his time at our place.

"Yeah, don't worry the place isn't far either so I'll walk home" I say

"Okay, be careful honey. By the way, the new neighbors are coming tomorrow, we should have some food ready in case they want to come in. And be nice." He warns me

"Oh, right." I remember and groan. "Do you know if they have kids?" I ask, interested. I tend to babysit around the neighborhood whenever I can so I don't have to depend on my father for money.

"Three." He raises his eyebrows "From what I remember a 12 year old girl and 6 year old twins."

My future neighbors found this house thanks to my dad's real estate company, so he knows all there is to know about them. I hope they are welcoming and that the kids aren't going to be a pain in the ass. I laugh to myself at that thought, oh god, I really hope I would be able to handle them.