Welcome to Moongate

Five: Nothing Ever Changes Around Here

Trever carried my bags into the house, leading up to the same bedroom on the second floor that I’d grown up in. A few things had changed, but most stayed the same. There was the same pale blue duvet fluffed up over the mattress, but at least my mother had purchased new pillows before my last visit. The walls were that same tacky flower printed wallpaper, with wood panelling across the bottom half of the room just like you imagined your grandparents house might look. The posters and photos I’d plastered over my wall in high school were long gone now, only a select few now placed into frames and hung properly.

I picked up a framed photo on my nightstand, smiling down at the photo of me and my high school best friend Corey and I. The photo was taken on prom night, the two of us with our arms wrapped around each other. The two of us had the biggest smiles on our faces, but this photo was taken long before that night turned upside down.

I shook the memory away before my mind could linger on it for too long, then set the photo back onto my nightstand. I would definitely have to reach out to Corey, tell her I was back in town. Like everyone else, it had been a while since I’d seen her. She understood though, she found this town just as boring as I did. Yet, she still chose to stay. She said she could never leave her family, or her stable job teaching at the primary school, but really I think there’s a part of her that likes the small quiet life that this town offers, even if she didn’t want to admit that to me.

Besides, Corey and I still kept in touch. The third Saturday of every month was our day to FaceTime. On our last call we’d been talking about boys, Corey having been on several failed dates over the past few months. Leo had interrupted the call, popping into the room to say hi like the charming man I thought he was, then disappearing into the other room to give us privacy. Corey had raved about how lucky I was, how wonderful he was. Oh she was definitely in for a surprise when I announced my arrival.

I threw open my suitcase on my bed, unzipped it, then began unpacking my things. My dresser drawers and closet here were mostly empty, only a few outfits I’d left here that I hadn’t care enough about to pack. It felt too surreal, seeing my outfits from California cramming my closet full now. Half of these clothes I doubted I’d ever even find a reason to wear here, they were far to dressy and I would stick out like a sore thumb, and that was the last thing I needed. All I wanted was to blend in, to get through these next few months as unseen as possible.

Just as I was putting away my empty suitcase a deep yell echoed down the hallway. “Tallyyyy!” It called out, a set of heavy footsteps moving across the creaky hardwood floor in the hallway. Before I could even turn, my bedroom door was bursting open and a broad shouldered, towering statue was bursting into my room and scooping me up into his arms. My brother Marcus was squeezing me into a bear hug so tight that I struggled to even pull my own arms out so I could hug him back.

“I missed you so much,” I couldn’t help but squeal, hugging him back. I didn’t have a favourite sibling, no, but Marcus certainly did hold a special place in my heart. The way he always saw the good in the world, and had that everlasting smile plastered across his face, was something I was forever grateful for.

Unlike Trevor, Marcus’ life here was far less stable. He jumped from job to job and had never held a serious relationship. None of that mattered though, not to the people here. He was Marcus. They didn’t expect him to be anything more than that.

“Not nearly enough apparently, why haven’t you come to visit me in so long?” He pulled back and gave me those puppy dog eyes that made the guilt wash over me in harsh waves. It wasn’t just my mother I’d let down by not visiting for so long, I’d forgotten about my brother too.

“Why would she want to visit you?” Trevor came in, quickly ruining the sweetness of the moment. For that I was grateful though. Marcus’ puppy dog eyes were long gone, now changed pack to that playful grey as he launched himself towards Trevor and the two tangled in a squabble.

“Boys, boys,” I calmed the two of them, grabbed a handful of the back of each of their t shirts and pulling them apart just like we were kids again. They were far stronger than I was now, and we all knew too well that if they were really fighting then I wouldn’t stand a chance in separating them. Right now though, they played along. They bowed away from each other, each letting out a gentle chuckle as they turned their attention back to me. There was a quick shift in the energy, Marcus smiling at me as if he was suddenly bursting to say something. He gave a sideways glance to Trevor who was already looking disappointed. I watched this exchange between them, my eyes slowly getting wider with anticipation.

“We’re going to a party!” Marcus announced, hands thrown in the air like Trevor and I were supposed to jump up and cheer. Were either of us surprised? Not int he slightest. It was a Saturday night, and Marcus might be a few years older now, but there were no other expectations for his plans on a Saturday night. If Marcus hadn’t found a party to go to, then we might have been surprised.

“Who’s party?” Trevor asked, but I already knew the answer. It was a Saturday night, the last Saturday before the official start of summer. It might not be high school anymore, but tradition was tradition around here.

“Ryland’s,” Marcus and I chimed in at the exact same time, and Marcus’s eyes lit up in amazement. “Woah, first day back in town and you’ve already got the scoop on the latest rager, good for you Tal,” his hand clapped against my back in congratulations and gave me a gentle shake. That was hardly true though.

“Where else would a party be on a Saturday night?” I shrugged my shoulders, a little less than enthused. My first night back in town and attending a party? That wasn’t exactly a part of the under the radar summer I’d been hoping for. With Marcus’ gleaming smile though, I was having a really hard time mustering up the courage to say no.

Marcus didn’t catch on to my comment, his eyes still sparkling with excitement. “That’s right sis! No better place for it,” he cheered on excitedly, but Trevor was giving me that look out of the corner of his eye. “I’m going to get ready then mom’s making dinner, told us it’ll be ready soon,” Marcus added, before skipping out of the room and heading down to the hallway towards his own.

I smiled after him before turning my attention back to Trevor. My smile quickly dropped, Trevor still eying me intensely. “Don’t start,” He said sternly, his arms folding over his chest now.

“Don’t start what? I didn’t do anything?” I shrugged my shoulders at him, turning my attention back to the belongings I’d laid out on my dresser. I shuffled them around aimlessly, but Trevor didn’t drop the conversation.

“Don’t do that thing you always do Tally, act like your life in California is better than life here. Don’t act like everything here is so predictable, like your above our lifestyle or something,” He took a step closer as he spoke, his voice dropping an octave so there was no chance of anyone overhearing us. My back went rigid, but before I could answer, Trevor had followed in Marcus’ footsteps and left me alone in my bedroom.

Trevor saw right through me, he always had, and he certainly wouldn’t put up with it. I remembered our last fight, Trevor telling me they would be better off if I stopped coming home for a while. If I thought really hard about it, maybe that was the real reason I hadn’t been back here in so long. Not that I could blame him for saying it. I didn’t want him to think I looked down on him or Marcus, I never would, but my life in California was better than life here. Or at least, it was.