Chapter 3
Cecelia Larson loves her mom.
She loves how much her mother cares, how funny she is, how passionate she is. Her mother, tying with her dad, is the most amazing person on Earth. Cecelia doesn’t think anyone could be sweeter than her.
Her parents are just about a perfect match for each other as well. They coexist so beautifully, and are so deeply, madly in love. They had two amazing children in a gorgeous house. It was a small house, sure, but it was still stunning. Cecelia believes that nothing could ever be bad in this world. Ever. Not with the family she has. Everything just fits. All the puzzle pieces go together.
Cecelia Larson’s fantasy of a perfect world is about to explode.
Cecelia is coming home the day before spring break of her freshman year. She’s walking down the sidewalk, headphones in and blasting ABBA’s Dancing Queen through her Walkman. She unlocks the front door to find both her parents sitting on the couch next to each other. Her mother’s ankles are crossed with her hands folded in her lap, while her dad fidgets with his hands, a nervous tic Cecelia had developed over the years. She flicks off her headphones and pauses the music to turn and address her parents.
“So, uh, what’s going on?” There are traces of confusion in her voice. Her parents are usually very upbeat, happy, perfect people. None of this makes sense.
“Sweetie,” her mother starts. Her voice cracks a little as she says it, like she’s going to start crying. “We need to tell you something.”
Cecelia’s father still hasn’t looked up from his hands. What is going on? Her dad sighs and finally gives Cecelia his attention, hands still fidgeting.
“We’re going to…God sorry. I just have to say it. We’re splitting up.” Tears lace her mother’s eyes as the words leave her dad’s mouth. A million thoughts are running through Cecelia’s mind at the speed of light. So many questions, so much anger, fear, confusion, sadness. It’s like her brain is a soda someone shook up and decided to open. She thinks her brain might actually explode.
“Cee, know this is not your fault. Your father and I both love you very much. And we’ll still keep in contact. We just think, romantically, it’s not working anymore.” The floodgates have opened in Cecelia’s eyes. She rushes upstairs to her room and sobs into her pillow throughout the whole night, not caring if all the world hears her. Her parents were supposed to be perfect together. They were perfect together. They couldn’t split up.
Cecelia later learned that there wouldn’t even be shared custody. Her mom was a great person, but I guess she had better things to do than be a single mom. They still talk to each other and communicate, but they haven’t seen each other since the split was finalized. Which is sad, of course, but both Cecelia and James really do love living with their dad. He tries his best, and is still a great person. He hasn’t really dated anyone, but can you blame him?
She finished off the rest of her freshman year in New York. Not long after the year ended, her father, brother, and herself packed up their stuff and moved down to Hawkins, IN.
~*~
Right now, Cecelia is in her bedroom, sitting at her vanity and questioning everything.
It’s 6:30 in the morning and she still has an hour to get ready before she has to leave for school. She’s a little more confident today, and thanks to Robin she knows her way around the school a little better.
Cecelia brushes out her hair and throws it up into a ponytail, and pulls on a regular old shirt and shorts. She seats herself back on the chair in front of her vanity to do her makeup.
Her dad knocks on her door. “Come in!” she shouts from the chair. “Ready to go, Cee?”
“Uh, yeah yeah, I’ll be out in just a second.” Her dad left her room. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed. She quickly finished her mascara, grabbed her backpack, and flung open her bedroom door. She hurried downstairs and ran out the front door and into her dad’s car, throwing open the door and seating herself into the passenger seat. They drive up to the high school, James mumbling out a “bye” and her dad telling her to have a great day and to make good choices.
She walks into the front door and straight to her locker, Robin already waiting at hers, which is conveniently next to Cecelia’s.
“Hey Celia!” Robin shouts to her. Cecelia offers a small smile and a wave and she makes her way toward the girl. The students of Hawkins High are really starting to flood the halls now, most likely considering the fact that the warning bell for first period will ring in about 10 minutes. Today, Cecelia will go to her first period, since she’s on time. Unfortunately, chemistry is her first class of the day. Maybe she’ll just skip again.
Cecelia decides against it and locates chemistry with ease (and assistance from Robin). She finds an empty seat in the back and settles herself into the chair and places her backpack beside her on the floor. Her teacher, Mr. Mulner, tells the class to be quiet so he can start the lesson. But before he starts said lesson, he decides to call out Cecelia.
“I understand there is a new student in our midst. Miss. Cecelia Larson, all the way from New York!” Cecelia shrivels up in her seat. The whole class has their attention on her. She knows none of them and she feels small. She just awkwardly smiles and then becomes extremely invested in the empty notebook page in front of her.
“No need to be shy, Miss. Larson. Any fun facts you want to tell us about New York? Why’d you move here?” Cecelia wants the spotlight off of her. So she just spews the same bullshit that she told Robin.
“We moved here because I guess my dad just wanted a break from the city.” Her eyes don’t look up to meet Mr. Mulner’s.
“Well, we’re very glad to have you here, Cecelia. Now, to today’s lesson. Who can tell me what the mitochondria is?” Hands fly up around her. Cecelia thinks she might actually be sick. She’s never been like this before. No, she’s supposed to be the loud, confident city girl; not the quiet, shy new kid.
Maybe she was only like that because she just knew more people in New York. Maybe when she’s not surrounded by people she knows, this is who she really is. Perhaps, maybe, this whole time she was deceiving everyone, including herself. Maybe she just needs to warm up to Hawkins. Yes, that’s it. She just has to grow more acclimated to this new environment and then she will have more friends than James.
She’ll have more friends. She just has to get used to this first.