Music class was usually my favourite class, but this lesson was was so, so very boring. No, we didn't get to have a prac class today, where I could jam out on the guitar, no, instead we were all given dumbass theory work on Google Classroom — or those unfortunate enough to not have something to do it digitally on received a paper copy of it. And so, I kind of just sat there for half an hour, listening to my music - with M. Shadow's heavenly voice sounding through — and staring at my iPad screen that had my work on.

I sighed and rested my hand on my cheek with my elbow on the table, closing my eyes and just focusing on my music. Nothing To Say, by Slash but M. Shadows singing the whole song, was playing, and I hummed softly to the guitar, my fingers tapping the table in time with the drums.

When I opened my eyes up, the teacher was talking to some girl who was standing by the door, giving the teacher a slip of paper, and then the girl walked off. It was probably just the list thing to make sure that the people who usually skip class actually weren't there, but then the teacher, Mrs. Whitrow, approached me with that same slip she had just been given.

I paused my music, slipped my headphones around my neck and took the note from Miss and looked up at her with confusion.

"You need to go to the front office," Mrs. Whitrow explained, then she went to help one of the students who stuck their hand up to ask her a question.

I looked at the note, and it did indeed say that I had to head up to the front office now. I shrugged and grabbed my satchel, slinging it around my shoulders before I readjusted my headphones, unpaused my music and started heading to the front office.

I was quite surprised to see my step-dad Jakob standing there waiting for me, it wasn’t even lunch time, I still had half an hour left in my class, then lunch and then my final lesson for the day, which would’ve been PE. I quickly signed out and walked up to him, turning my music off and slipped my headphones back around my neck. "Is everything okay?"

"I'll explain back home," was all he said, turning around and made his way outside, myself following behind him as we made our way to the car.

---

"So... What's going on?" I asked cautiously as I dumped my bag on my bed, sitting next to it as Nathan took the seat at my desk.

"You know that I don't like hiding things from you, so I'm just going to say it straight," Jake started, a bit of a worried look on his face. "Personally I didn't want to have to do this but you'll be happier and safer — I spoke to your dad earlier today."

This made me pale. Thirteen years of no contact and then BAM! He's somehow gotten in contact with my step-dad? What the heck? "...And?"

At this rate, despite how serious he was, there seemed to be some sort of excitement in his eyes, "we've arranged for you to take the plane tonight, at 10:30—"

"Tonight!?" Holy shit! Thanks for the notice! "This isn't to do with mother, isn't it?"

"Ranna, I think you know that's exactly why I've done this."

I looked down, damn. This is very sudden. Just a good thing that my mother isn't currently present. "I see."

"Look, you clearly aren't happy here with her, you haven't been for the past four years," Jake looked around my room, sighing. "Whereas with your father, you're going to be so happy! Even I was extremely happy when I spoke to him, and this was my first time talking to him in my whole life.”

"Why would I be happy with someone who ditched me when I was, like, two?"

"There's a reason behind that, and I'm sure your father would be more than happy to explain that. I'm positive you'll understand why, too."

I didn’t really want to believe this, but seeing how I was leaving tonight, I didn’t really have a choice, now did I?

“Don’t worry about it,” Jake reassured me with a soft smile. “You’ll absolutely love him. He’s a little like me, actually, loves gaming and heavy metal music: he knows Avenged Sevenfold, for example.”

I didn’t know that ‘he knows Avenged Sevenfold’ was a little more on a personal level but I was to soon find out. “Really?”

”Yeah! He was awesome, he’s excited to see you and how much you’ve grown.”

Well, that’s something, I guess. “I suppose I should start packing then.”

”You should,” he nodded. He checked the time on his Apple Watch, “Well, I don’t speculate that you’re mother is going to be here, which leads me to my second point — she’s in hospital at the moment.”

”I thought she was in rehab in Melbourne?”

”That’s what I thought so, too.”

Well... that’s when I got thinking. I’m leaving, to go all the way to America... away from Canberra — Australia... that means I’ll never see that alcoholic mother of mine!

Sure, she’s a blood relative, but she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body, only focused on herself and her selfish needs, not caring and bothering to try and get better at these rehabs she goes to.

Jake got off of the chair and motioned for me to get off the bed, so I did and I was standing in front of him, where he leant down and hugged me, “I know this is sudden and very hard for you, has been for the past five years, but I’m doing what I think will make you happy.”

”Would I ever see you again?” I didn’t want to leave the best parent figure in my life because of my stupid mother.

Jake nodded his head, “absolutely. Hey, I liked you dad and I want to meet him in person, so of course. I’ll try and visit every now and then, but it won’t be often.” Obviously, who would want to sit on a plane for 13 hours straight? I’m pretty sure it was around 13 hours to California, anyway. Plus, it’d have to be expensive..

I’m not looking forward to that, I’ll tell you that much.

We finally broke the hug and, with a smile, Jake left to his own room and left me to get packing. “Oh, and don’t pack too many clothes, your father said he’d take you shopping and stuff,” then he left. Well, I checked the time first and saw that there was still five minutes until all of my friends finish class and have lunch, so I just put some music on.

I scrolled through my music, deciding on putting a song I hadn’t heard in a while: Haze by Device.

No, I totally didn’t find it just because M. Shadows sung along with David Draiman in this... hey, I liked Disturbed, don’t get me wrong but... I just love Matt’s voice, okay? I could seriously listen to him all day.

I just hummed to the first half of the song as I put my phone and iPad on charged and gathered all of the things I wanted to take. I mostly got my games — my 3DS, Nintendo Switch and their games, as well as grabbing some of my Xbox games. Sure, my actual dad might not have an Xbox, but I loved Final Fantasy XV and the Fallout series too much to leave them behind!

“Later in the evening, I can hear all the vices calling to me..

So I take another little taste, to liberate my mind!

From the finest kind...”

I started humming the second half of the song as I got out some of my books, really it was just the Assassin’s Creed, FNaF, Halo And Dragon Chronicles series that I got out and put on my bed.

“Yeah, the night’s beginning! And the sea of bodies crowd around me!

Ready to remember, all the greatest moments lived in their lifetime!!

For another night...”

Then I went though my clothes, looking for my band shirts, three pairs of tracksuit pants and my three favourite jumpers — which one was just plain blue with the Captain America shield on it and the other plain black with Marvel’s logo on it. The last one, my year ten jumper that had “Stallion Duck” on the back, which made me smile every time I saw or wore my jumper.

“The euphoric feeling is so right!

When it seized control, all of my inhibitions are left behind!

And I know that reality really won’t mind...!

A benevolent soul, who desires to leave all their cares behind...”

I checked the time once more and saw that it was 1:32: finally my friends would have finished class. I paused the song and went through my contacts to find a certain number.

I called it, and it answered after two rings, “hey, Tori.”

”Heyyy, it’s a Ranna!” Tori’s cheerful voice sounded, “where you at? You ditched usss!”

”Yes, it is a Ranna. And I have a reason,” I started, “and it’s not really a good one either..”

”Oh,” Tori’s voice calmed down, she could obviously tell that I was being serious. “Want me to put you on loud speaker?”

”If that’s alright.”

There was about three seconds of silence, “okay, you’re on loud speaker now.”

”I’m just gonna put this straight, I’m leaving tonight to go to America.”

”What?” And there was Amaryse.

”Why?” Thomas.

”Well, Jake organised it cause he knows I’m not happy here, haven’t for the past few years, living without proper blood related family, as you guys know about my mother—“

I was cut off by Tori, “why are you still calling her that? My dude, if you don’t see her as a mother, just... don’t call her that.”

She had a point. “Okay, then, she makes my life absolutely miserable, and Jake is so sure that I’m gonna love my actual dad — totally ignoring the fact that he hasn’t been in my life for thirteen years — and so he and my dad got me a ticket to leave for Huntington Beach tonight at 10:30.”

Silence.

”Damn..” Thomas muttered.

”I don’t know if that sucks or that’s a good thing,” Tori hummed, And I shrugged. Even if they couldn’t see that.

”I mean, I’m seeing this as a positive. Like, I’m going to Huntington Beach, do you know what that means?”

”What?” All three of them questioned at the same time.

”Well, remember how I’m always talking about how I want to meet Avenged Sevenfold?”

”Yeah?”

”Well, I’m going to the state they live in, so there’s that small possibility that I could actually go ahead and meet them!”

“That’d be so cool, meeting your idols,” Amaryse hummed, and she was completely correct about that.

“I know, right? I can only hope. But yeah, that’s all I wanted to say.”

”You’ll visit us, right?” It wasn’t a question, that was a demand by Tori.

”Of course. I’ll text you whenever I’m free or bored.” And then the timezones came to mind. “Or, at least, I will when I know you guys might be up. Cause I’m gonna get there at 6:30ish, so by the time it’s seven in Huntington, it’d be, like, 11 here in Canberra.”

”Well, we don’t care,” Tom was probably speaking for everyone there. “We’ll find the time to answer you, plus you know we don’t usually sleep until midnight anyway!” He had a very big point there.

”I suppose. Well, I’m gonna go, cause you’ll have to go to class soon, and I gotta actually pack my stuff in bags..”

”Hokay,” It was just Tori’s voice, she had obviously taken the phone off of loud speaker, “we all say bye and good luck. We’re gonna miss you.”

”I know, I’m gonna miss you guys heaps as well.”

”Text me as soon as you get there!”

”I will!”

And then the call ended. I sighed and looked at my stuff before I glanced around the room and my eyes fell upon my bass guitar, a simple black P-Bass. Simple, but amazing. If I was going to take anything with me, it’d be my bass.

I’d have to remind myself to get the case before tonight.

Notes