Peace, Love, and Sabotage

By Samantha Stratman

After moving to the glamorous city of Beverly Hills, Freshman Emily Walters must find where she belongs. Fitting in isn’t the easiest thing for Emily, given her introverted personality (and lack of money). However, after wanting to earn some extra money as a babysitter, Emily ends up babysitting her crush’s little sister. Soon enough, after learning more about each other through the struggles of caring for a two-year-old, Emily finds herself with a new boyfriend, Tyler. With a new group of friends and a hot new boyfriend, nothing could ruin Emily’s new life. Except for Tyler’s jealous ex-girlfriend, Tiffany. When Tiffany plans to sabotage Emily’s new life, Emily must hang on, and through it all, stay true to herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312410251

Book preview

Peace, Love, and Sabotage

Peace, Love, and Sabotage

Samantha Stratman

Copyright © 2014, Samantha Stratman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-312-41025-1

Dedication

~To my parents, who have been there for me in everything I do, and to my sister Jessica, who has remained my best friend through thick and thin. ~

Peace, Love, and Sabotage

Chapter 1

I casually wake up to a cloudless sky on Saturday morning. I stretch and yawn, glancing out my window. The morning sunshine is pouring through the blinds and I watch lazily as the dust mites dance in the light. Today I feel different than most days, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I slowly get out of bed, rubbing my eyes and that’s when it hits me. We’re moving today. All of our stuff is packed in boxes labeled clothes and essentials and books". I’m half excited half nervous. My mom landed a job as an English teacher at Roseview Academy, an elite private school in Beverly Hills, so we decided to make the move to Beverly Hills. As much as I would prefer to go to a public school, where I belong, my parents are sending me to Roseview because our tuition is free.  My family and I aren’t rich, so we won’t be living in the classic giant houses that you think of when you think of Beverly Hills. We’re moving to a very nice, cozy apartment.

I’m kind of scared because I’m not rich, and I don’t have designer brand clothing.  Most of my clothes are from Forever 21, which at my old school was considered designer, but here, I don’t think it will cut it. My old friend, Amanda, told me that I won’t find any friends down-to-earth there, and they’ll all be shallow air heads who don’t see beyond labels. I know it’ll take some getting used to, but maybe she’s wrong. Maybe the typical shallow rich kid is just a stereo-type, and they really are good people. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Knock, knock. My mom comes in with an ear to ear grin that makes my mouth hurt just looking at it. Is, your stuff packed? We’re loading up the truck right now. I run over to the window, look out, and sure enough, there’s a U-Haul truck outside our house. I can see my dad coming out with boxes, and putting them in the back. This is it. I sigh. I was born in this house, and after fourteen years, we’re finally moving. I always thought it would be exciting to move, but now that it’s actually happening, I can’t bear it. I can feel tears springing to my eyes and wipe away at them to keep them from streaming down my cheeks. I urge myself not to cry and compose myself quickly.

Yes, I just wanted to say one final goodbye to the house. I walk past my mom and out into the hall.  I walk through the rooms remembering all of the memories that have lived through the years. I stop at my mom’s room, and remember her reading me all the poems she wrote when she was ten years old, and how lame we thought they were. I smile at the thought. I was laughing so hard, my face turned red. So did my mom’s. I pass by my bathroom, which was the first big girl toilet I experimented with after my potty-training. I fell into the toilet, and started wailing so hard, the neighbors called the police. I actually got stuck. As I pass by the kitchen, I remember, when my mom was making a cake, and I wanted to taste the batter, so I climbed up onto the counter, and dipped my finger in.  The bowl ended up falling and the batter spilled everywhere. My mom got really mad at me. The last stop is the backyard. My mom and dad would sit outside on the plastic chairs my dad got at a garage sale for one dollar each. They would laugh and talk, and I would swim around in the make shift pool my dad set up for me. It was fine while it lasted, until one of the thorns on the rose I was holding popped a hole in the pool and the whole thing deflated. Water was everywhere.

You ready? my mom’s voice interrupts my train of thought and I swivel around to face her. I hold out my arms silently asking for a hug. She envelops me and I remember hugging her that one time in seventh grade, when those girls were so mean to me. I have to admit, making friends wasn’t the easiest thing in my book. I was very shy, and still am now, around people in general, especially boys. I’ve always wished I could be more outgoing, but my mom said to love who I am, and to only want to be who I am. When she releases me from her grasp, I can see her eyes are watery too. The sea-blue color of her eyes, sparkle under her tears. She walks over to the bathroom grabs a tissue, and wipes my eyes and hers. How about we go get some ice cream, and talk about this. We can focus on the positives and the new memories we can create in the new apartment. Does that sound fine to you? She looks down at me and I nod. Good, let’s go.

~

We pull up in front of Coldstone and after about five different tries my mom finally gets the car parked. That was after my mom rolled down the window, and asked a random lady with her dog to help guide her in. And after six cars honked at her.

Once I get out of the car, I embrace all the familiar shops and food places lining the street. Baja Fresh, Noah’s Bagels, Jamba Juice, and my favorite, Buffalo Exchange. It’s a second hand store, but looks so posh with its mannequins out front and in-style clothing, you couldn’t even tell. I follow my mom into the shop and peer into the ice cream case where all the ice cream is. My mom looks at me expectantly, waiting for my order.

The usual, please. My usual consists of cake batter ice cream, mixed in with bits of Red Velvet cake. It’s to die for. After my mom gets our ice cream, we walk outside to look for a table. It’s a Saturday afternoon, so the place is crowded as usual. There are aggravated mothers with strollers, trying to keep their toddlers in reach. A little boy bumps into me, and I nearly drop my ice cream.

Sorry. She looks at me apologetically. Dylan, get over here! she yells.

How about Starbucks? my mom asks, pointing to a table in front of the coffee house.

That works.  We walk over to it, and grab a table.

So, are you nervous to be starting at a new school on Monday? asks my mom, taking a bite of her vanilla ice cream.

No. I lie. I can’t tell my mom I’m embarrassed of my clothing. She’ll just give me her whole lecture on how I’m just lucky I have clothes. She still uses the story, (which I’ve stopped believing years ago, but she doesn’t care) about how her family was so poor, her only clothes were a bed sheet, and a potato sack.

Really? I thought you would be, considering you’re starting in the second semester. It’s February you know.

I know! I yell indignantly. I know the date! 

Alright, I just wanted to make sure you knew.

Hey Emily!I hear a familiar voice yell out. Emily!!! I turn around in my chair, and see my best friend from middle school and elementary school, Amanda approaching me with two bags of clothes from Buffalo Exchange in each hand. How are you, I heard you’re moving schools. I’m so sad. She frowns, jokingly, and I brighten up just seeing her friendly face. Mom, over here!!! she shouts, waving over her mom who is running across the cross walk. As her mom approaches, she places her hands on her knees and is panting like she just ran a marathon.

Hey, guys, I heard your big news, congratulations. She hugs my mom, and then pulls over a chair. Amanda grabs one too, and as our moms begin to talk, she turns to face me.

Look, I just bought the cutest clothes. She says as she pulls out a romper and some sandals. Only twenty dollars, for both. She smiles triumphantly. "I absolutely love bargain hunting."

Me too. I say eyeing the clothes she’s holding. Wow, these really were only twenty dollars? I say astounded.

Yup. Ooh, and I got you this. She holds up a t-shirt with the phrase, I love my best friend but can’t be with her because I have to move to Beverly Hills, and she only gave me this t-shirt to remember her. Wow.

This is so specific, how did you find one that said this? I ask, wide-eyed. Amanda laughs.

I made it, you dope! You really think I could find a shirt this specific? I do realize I probably sounded pretty stupid.

No, I guess not. I say giggling.

Well, we have to get going; we have to meet my sister down the block. Amanda’s mom, Cathy, says as she stands up. Good luck with the move, and honey, she looks my straight in the eye, don’t you ever become a snooty girl, like those in Beverly Hills. You are a beautiful person already; you don’t have to sink to their levels. I nod, letting the words sink in.

Ok, bye you guys. I wave to Amanda, and after she leaves, turn to face my mom.

Cathy was right. Emily, you don’t have to sink to their level.

Ok. As my mom throws her ice cream container in the trash, I realize I’ve only taken two bites of my ice cream.

So, are you ready, to drive around the city one last time before we move? My mom smiles and I stand up.

Lets.

~

When my mom and I get home at around six o’clock, our house isn’t recognizable. Every piece of furniture has been moved, and everything is gone. I see my dad, standing in our old living room staring at the walls.

Dad? I knock on the wall and he turns around.

Come here. he says waving me over. I walk over to him and he puts an arm around me. I’m going to miss our house, he says gravely. But I know we’ll love our new one. he says unconvincingly, and I feel bad for him. Dad was the worst one to accept the news. When my mom first told us at dinner, he didn’t say anything, and just walked away from the table in the middle of dinner. Afterwards, he just said we weren’t going to move, that our house meant too much to him. A few days later after the sore subject had worn off a little; my mom told him that we could just rent our house out, so that we could always come back to it, if we needed to. Dad finally agreed, and after that, we just started packing our belongings.

Are you ready to go see our new apartment? he asks as a sly smile slips onto his face. I look up at him smiling, and hug him tight. Even though we’re moving, the memories will always be in our hearts, and we’ll never forget them.

I’m ready. We let go of each other and walk out the door and over to the car where my mom is waiting. I buckle my seat and watch our house as we back out of the driveway. I say one final goodbye to our house, blowing it a kiss, and watch it disappear in the distance.

~

During the drive, nobody says anything. The U-Haul is driving carefully behind us, and as we approach Beverly Hills, I can see the enormous houses on the residential streets. We take a quick zip along them, just looking at them for fun, and then finally pull in front of our new apartment building. It’s pretty nice, actually. It’s been recently remodeled, and I can see inside the grand area. We couldn’t afford a house here, and even the apartments were expensive, but my parents didn’t want to spare any expense, so we moved to one of the nicest apartments we knew of.

As the movers started unloading our stuff, my dad went over to help them, but my mom and I went ahead to see our new home. Our apartment building is a big tall building that says The Palace on it where a big clock with roman numerals sits centered on the building. We push open the double doors, and the grand entrance is so amazing, it takes my breath away.  It’s a big vast lobby with tile floor, big nice elegant elevators, and a nice spiral staircase the sweeps all the way up to the fifth floor. Plus, there’s a big Grand piano, with a pianist who is currently playing Fur Elise on it. It’s amazing! It looks like a five star hotel, except what’s even better is we live here!

Come on mom, let’s go! I grab her hand and run towards the sweeping staircase.

Whoa, whoa whoa. I am not climbing the steps to the fourth floor, I’m too tired. I’m taking the elevator.

Fine, I’ll race you! I excitedly start running up the stairs, when all of a sudden I bump into a boy who looks about sixteen. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes ever, with brown hair that sweeps across his forehead when he swishes it. Hi. Sorry. I gulp nervously, eating my words. My face is flushing red and I look away to calm down. This is why I think I’ll never get a date, I can’t even say hi to a guy without hyperventilating. I force myself to look at him.

Hi, I’m Tyler.

I’m Emily.

He sticks out his hand to shake mine, but I just can’t. I can’t do it. My hands are clammy and warm, but I can’t tell him that. I discreetly wipe my hands on my jeans, and shake his hand nervously. When I pull my hand away, I avert my eyes quickly, my face burning. Crap. I totally screwed that one up.

Well, I’ll see you around then. He looks down awkwardly, and brushes past me down the stairs. I sigh and look down at my feet, planted on the floor. I just want to bury my head in my knees and sit behind that plant. I spot a pot with flowers and can totally see myself hiding there. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. When I look down I can see Tyler with some girl who looks like a bikini model, yelling at him. Why is she treating him so poorly? He’s so cute and she’s treating him so bad. Well, from what I can see. For all I know she could be saying I love you.

I lean on the banister staring at him dreamily, and then suddenly jolt to life. He’s coming upstairs! Crap! Crap! Crap! I start running down the hall when I bump into my mom.

What took you so long? she asks peering at me curiously.

Uh why don’t I tell you later, and we can go and see our new home?

~

The rest of the night was all a blur. My dad managed to get all of the boxes and furniture in the apartment by 9:30 and after, we just pulled out our sleeping bags and slept on the floor. I wake up the next morning, with a horrible pain in my neck. I must have slept wrong. I kick the sleeping bag off of me and stand up. I walk over to the kitchen, and already my mom has pulled out some of our cooking supplies, and is whipping up a delicious batch of pancakes.

Want any pancakes, love? she asks as she flips them on the pan.

Sure. I take a seat on one of the swivel chairs and rest my arms on the bar. My mom places the plate in front of me and I dig in.

So, I have a surprise for you! says my mom excitedly as I begin to eat.

What? I ask, intrigued.

I’m going to take you shopping! I know you’re starting at a new school, and everything, and want to make a good impression on your first day, so I want to get you some new clothes.

"But we have to wear uniforms. Remember? It’s a private school."

I know. But you’ll need some new clothes for the weekends when you want to hang out with your friends.

Wow. I can’t believe it. I almost never get new clothes, unless it’s my birthday, Christmas, or back-to-school shopping, and even that’s a maybe. Thanks mom! I jump off the stool and give her a big hug.

Why don’t you go and get ready, and I’ll meet you by the front door.

Ok! I shovel down the pancakes, and gulp down the last bit of orange juice. I run to my room in a hurry, and bump into my dad. Sorry dad! I didn’t see you there.

Why are you so excited? he asks curiously, eyeing my mom.

Because, Luke, I’m taking Emily shopping. I smile at my mom and she smiles back.

Shopping? Is it your birthday already? He peers at his watch sarcastically, and I roll my eyes.

I’ll be out in a flash! I run into my bare room, and tear open the box marked clothes. I don’t even care what I’m pulling out, just as long as it’s a top and a pair of bottoms. I end up pulling out a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt that says I love NY. I quickly brush my hair, and brush my teeth with my mom’s toothbrush because I don’t feel like getting out my own. When I’m finished, I run into the kitchen. I’m ready!

Ok, go get into the car, and I’ll meet you down there, I just need to find my purse.

Ok. I open up the door and skip down the hall, passing all the other doors. Gosh, it’s so weird to live in an apartment. Everything is just so different and foreign. I continue skipping, oblivious to my surroundings, when all of a sudden I bump into somebody. Oh, sorry I… I trail off when I see him. It’s Tyler. Tyler of all people. I look down at my feet again, and want to kick myself. Why? Why is it always him?

Hey, Emily, how are you? I will myself to look up and force a bright smile.

Good… and you?

Fine, I was on my way out actually. We both look