Open Hearts

Welcome to part 2 of my story Open Hearts. I had fun writing the first part and I'm excited to continue on with Keaton's story.

 

Recap:

Last time on Open Hearts, Our protagonist Keaton, was excited about buying his new phone but his parents had some news to give him first. News that would change his life forever.

Part 2: 

It wasn't long before my dad walked in through the front door and asked me to take a seat on the couch. He seemed confident, more excited than my mother was. He loosened his tie before sitting in the recliner chair opposite of our couch.

"Now Keats, I have some big news to tell you but it's important that you keep an open mind when I do."

Keats was a nickname my father called me whenever he wanted to annoy me or baby me. I didn't like it very much and that made me dread his "big news" even more.

I sunk back down into the leather sofa and awaited his news. I glanced over at my mother for a moment and noticed her brown eyes piercing through me. Watching my every move, it was like she was afraid of how I would react and was studying me to make sure I was ok. My father started to speak again.

"So you know how my job basically involves me building stuff for other people right?"

I nodded back at him in agreement.

My dad didn't really build things physically, he was a engineer for airplane manufacturers. His job was mostly drawing blueprints so things could be built correctly I guess.

"Well son, I got an offer from a different company to come work for them from now on and I decided to take it."

At first this news didn't seem very big to me. So what that he got a new job? I mean it's cool and all for him but that doesn't seem so major to me.

"That's cool dad, so are you going to be making more money now or something."

My dad's face crinkled a bit, he pushed his glasses up off his nose and slowly stroked his mustache as he contemplated his next words.

"Well yes, I will be, but that's not the big news. You see, my new job is in California, and all three of us are going to move out there soon."

You could see the relief on his face after getting his words out and dropping the bombshell finally. He looked back at me, eyes identical to mine, scanning my face and anxiously awaiting my reaction.

I felt like a ton of bricks had landed on me. How was I supposed to feel after hearing that. I thought about my friends and family, my school and my house, all the little things I had come to love about my current life. I was happy before now so why did he have to go and change everything. My mind swirled thinking about the complexities of moving across the country and all the things I would be leaving behind. With each passing moment it felt like a new weight was being added to my shoulders. My anxiety got the best of me and I decided that I couldn't give an intelligent response right now. With that thought in mind I stood up and walked out of the living room only giving my best one word response in return.

"Cool" I mumbled with my eyes firmly locked to the ground in front of me.

Before they could say anything else I was already up the stairs and locking the door behind me. I collapsed on my bed and buried my face into my pillow. I needed time to think about everything and I just didn't want to speak with anyone right now.

I woke up a few hours later. I looked over at my alarm clock and read the time. 1:13 am. The last thing I remember was thinking about the move and then I blacked out. I pulled myself out of bed to use the bathroom. I felt like I was on autopilot or just a zombie going through his motions. After a quick pee I took my clothes off and climbed back into my queen sized bed. Laying back I thought longer about having to move across the country. I had a few friends, I had some family here too. But in reality it's not like I couldn't live without them. So what was I so scared of? To be honest I'm afraid of change. New school, new friends and a new environment is a lot to take in and I'm not sure I can handle it. My mind wandered and drifted until sleep got the better of me once again.

The next morning I opened my eyes and felt pretty distressed despite a whole 11 hours of sleep. I had no desire to get up and was content on living the rest of my life in my room. Maybe then my parents will just leave me here and I won't have to go. Even my childish brain knew better than this though.

Just as I was about to get up I noticed a familiar feeling down under. I was hard. Like a steal pipe my boner was making a noticeable tent in my sheets. This was no rare occasion though, it seems I wake up most mornings like this. And for the sake of my routine I knew just what to do to get rid of it.

I wasted no time grabbing ahold of my self through the sheets and giving it a few tugs. I then used my right hand to push the sheets down below my thighs. With my morning wood now exposed to the cool air I started to gently peel my foreskin back and rub my thumb against the the exposed tip. A small moan almost escaped my mouth when another noise broke the silence in the air abruptly.

I quickly pulled my sheets back up to my chest and rolled over to my side to hide my now softening penis. The sound I heard was that of my doorknob turning but no one came in.

"Keaton, are you awake honey?" My mother's soft voice called out to me.

It was then that I remembered I locked the door last night and that's why she couldn't come in.

"Yes mom I'll be out in a second" I yelled back.

My response seemed good enough as I heard the soft steps of someone descending the stairs. I took in a deep disappointed breath and pulled myself out of bed.

"Another time" I said out loud.

I got dressed quickly and went downstairs to get some food. I had skipped dinner the previous night and I was starving. My mother most have assumed how hungry I would be because she already had breakfast cooking. I heard the crackling of bacon and smelt the aroma of fresh coffee filling the air as I reached the last step. Unlike most kids my age I actually really enjoyed coffee.

My mother stood in the kitchen in her typical red morning robe. My mother stood only 5'3 and was fairly thin. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She, like my dad, wore glasses. She was an attractive woman and I can see why my dad fell for her.

I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and proceeded to pour my morning coffee. My mother glanced over and smiled at me. I guess she found it amusing that her 13 year old son enjoys coffee. Or maybe it's just seeing me out and about after last night that made her happy.

I glanced over and met her gaze.

"Morning." Was all I could manage to grumble out.

"Good morning hun. I hope you slept well." She reached over and stroked the hair on my forehead away from eyes.

"Yeah I slept fine." I managed to say in return.

It didn't take long for breakfast to be ready and for me to consume everything that was on my plate. Once I felt satisfied eating I put my dishes away and helped clean up. My mother had mentioned how my father went out for a bit and would be back soon. I watched TV for a lil bit in the living room when I heard the front door open.

My dad came in holding a white plastic bag and looked over at me with a smile. I was curious as to what he had on his mind and what he had in the bag. I looked back at him inquisitively.

My dad was kind of tall, he stood at about 6'2. He wasn't very fat, in fact he was kind of buff. He had broad shoulders and a defined jawline to add to his manly features. His hair was brown, the same as my mother and I. And behind his glasses he shared the same blue-ish green eyes as me.

He held the bag out in front of him and gestured for me to take it.

"This is for you Keats." He said.

I grabbed the bag cautiously and slowly opened it up to reveal a small white cardboard box with the Apple logo on it. It was at this point I knew exactly what it was. However, I needed to confirm my suspicion by opening the box. Without much surprise I was greeted to a brand new IPhone wrapped in a plastic seal. I was so excited I felt I could nearly cry. But then my feeling of excitement was replaced with confusion. I looked up at my dad puzzled as to why he bought it.

"But I didn't give you my $250 yet, why did you buy it without me?"

My father, still smiling, replied quickly.

"Don't worry about paying the $250 this is a present for you. Actually it's an apology as well. I know moving will be hard on you and this is my way of saying I appreciate you sacrificing for us."

Well it's not like I had much choice on the matter but still, my father's words touched me. I felt a little bit better now, even though I was clearly being bribed.

"So what should I do with all the money I saved up?"

My mother spoke up from the kitchen. "You can keep it and buy something for yourself like a video game."

"Or you could buy a surfboard with it, I didn't get the chance to tell you before that we will be less than a mile from the beach in our new home. You could try learning to surf" My father chimed in.

Learning to surf, that idea swirled around in my mind for a bit. This is all turning into reality very quickly. Soon I'll be a Californian!

"Sounds good I guess. So when are we moving dad."

"Well, we leave in 12 days." He said with a nervous tone.

I felt as if my jaw had nearly hit the floor. 12 days! Are you kidding me!? That's it!? I thought to myself.

"Now I know it's soon Keats, but we have to move quickly as part of my hiring process. My first day is in 2 weeks."

"Okay, well I guess I'll start packing." I said with a bit of concern in my voice.

"We'll start tomorrow, for now why don't you get used to your new phone and think of things to buy with your money." My dad said.

"Great idea honey, go setup your phone and we'll discuss the move later." My mother said as she walked into the living room. She obviously knew not to try and overload me with too much info at once.

I agreed to the plan and took my new phone up to my room to try and set it up. It wasn't very hard after I got ITunes up and working. I was downloading apps and wallpapers within minutes of having my new IPhone.

The rest of my day was pretty simple. I played with my phone and talked with my parents about our new home and city. While I definitely wasn't excited about the packing part, I can't say I'm too sad about leaving now. In truth I was excited after hearing them out. A house so close to the beach just seemed so inviting. I also saw pictures of the house too. It was a pretty large two story home from what I could tell but it would be hard to judge until I saw it in person. Soon the moving day would be here and I would start a new life. I was scared, but still excited for what's to come.

The next 12 days was mostly filled with us packing. We had some family over one night to say our goodbyes before the move. I spent the night at my friend Ryan's house on Tuesday so we could hang out one last time. We had only known each other since last summer but he was still the best friend I had. Saying goodbye to everyone was tough to say the least but I got through it without tears. Finally the day of the move came and I was all packed and ready to go. My father left the day before to get things ready for us at the new house. So today it was just me and my mother going to the airport.

I smiled as we pulled out of the driveway and I looked at our house one last time. A simple, two story home surrounded by large oak trees that gave us shade during the Florida summers and the ugly faded yellow paint that we never got around to re-doing. I took in every last detail before the car drove away and our previous life was out of sight. I grabbed my backpack and pulled a small drawing pad out and a few pencils. I spent the next few hours recreating the view of my old house from memory. It wasn't a perfect photograph but I was satisfied with it once we arrived at the airport and I put my new drawing away.

It wasn't long before me and my mom boarded the plan. Most of our luggage had already been moved so now it was just us two that needed to arrive. I've been on a few vacations before but I've never been to California. I've never lived anywhere else but Florida actually. The engine roared as the plane accelerated down the runway and we quickly took to the skies. It would be a long and uneventful plane ride before we touched down on west coast soil. I spent most of the flight cycling between the same songs over and over again and doodling in my drawing pad. Finally we had arrived and it was time to exit the plane and start our new life.

I wish I could explain all the sights and sounds and feelings I was experiencing as my dad picked us up from the airport but in truth, I just don't remember anything. I was asleep 5 minutes into our car ride as a result of the jet lag and excitement of the trip. When I finally came to my parents were grabbing some fast food for us to eat since we didn't have food to cook at our house. I chose a chicken sandwich with onion rings and a sprite. It was about as good as fast food gets and I was definitely too hungry to make any complaints.

Our new home was in Redondo beach. From what I've read, it's one of three beach cities in Los Angeles County. The brochures showed smiling couples and families enjoying the sun on sandy beaches. It didn't take long before I could smell the salty sea air with the car window rolled down. The sun was setting as we pulled into our driveway. It was weird to think I have never seen this place before, but I'll be seeing it thousands of more times from this point on.

I grabbed my bag and jumped out of the car. In the driveway was the U-Haul truck that was used before to bring most of our luggage. Beside that was a 2016 black Ford Explorer that we would be renting until our car got here next week. The house was more impressive in person. It seems to have been built fairly recently. It sat on a hill that gave it a slight vantage point for looking out at the ocean. The wooden panels on the outside gave it a somewhat rustic look but the large glass windows on all sides showed the house's modern side. A few trees were dotted around the yard including some palm trees in the front. Around back was a decently sized in-ground pool and a small indoor shower area for washing salt and sand off your body I assume. The house was large and felt grand and impressive as I stood before it. I stood in wonder for a moment before my mother called to me.

"Come on Keaton we have to unpack a few things before bed time."

I heard my mother's words but decided to take one last look around my surroundings before going inside. The other houses on our street seemed a lil bit more aged and colorful. It gave the street a cozy coastal town feel. Which would make sense all things considered. I guess this made our home stand out like a sore thumb. But one other thing stood out to me as I scanned the neighborhood around me. I noticed a few boys walking down the sidewalk about 100 feet from me heading in my direction. There was four of them and they all looked about my age. It was getting dark so it was hard to see them until they got close to me. They were bouncing a basketball and laughing loudly to each other jokes. The time came when they finally walked in front of my house. All four of them looked over to see me standing in front of the U-Haul in my driveway. The one boy bouncing the basketball picked up his dribble and stopped in his tracks. He called out to me.

"You the new kid in town?" He said in a smug kind of way.

I sheepishly replied with one hand tightly gripping the other. "Yes I guess I am. Nice to meet you. I'm Keaton."

Another boy stepped forward and began introducing everyone. "I'm David" The brown haired, brown eyed boy said. He was about 5'4 and pretty slim.

He pointed at the red haired and freckled boy carrying the basketball. "He's Michael" Michael was the shortest and skinniest boy of the bunch.

David reached back and put his hand on the third boy's shoulder and said "This is Chris." Chris had blackish hair and green eyes. He was about the same height as me but weighed a bit more.

And right before David introduced the fourth and final boy, the mystery boy stepped forward and spoke on his own. "I'm Bjorn" He said with a slight accent.

The combination of the boy's blonde hair, blue eyes and European accent made him stand out amongst the group of four. He smiled when my gaze met his and I couldn't help but smile back.

Just before I was about to speak I heard my mother's voice call out to me once again. This time louder and more insistent. I decided it was best to not keep her waiting.

"Sorry guys but I gotta go unpack. I'll see you around I guess."

The four boys nodded agreeingly and headed on their way. I took one last look back before heading inside and out of the corner of my eye I swear I saw Bjorn looking back at me for a moment. For some reason I found him intriguing. And that smile, well I guess it was just nice having the locals be so friendly to me right? I hope I get to see him again soon. But for now I gotta help unpack and with that in mind I closed the front door behind me and looked around my new home.

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Okay guys that's the end of part 2. I hope to release at least two parts a week, maybe three as long as you guys are enjoying them. Once again thank you so much to the people who emailed me with support and suggestions. Let me know what you guys think of this part by emailing me at openhearts1999@gmail.com

Be sure to stay tuned for part three coming soon.