Learning How to Live
Summary
I was always a bit of a loner. My only friend was my best friend. I never had that deep talk you have once in a while with your mom or dad. You know, when you’re all mixed up and you don’t know where you stand, when you are searching yourself.
I’m still searching my true colors. I guess we all do.
I don’t have the most beautiful family history: my mother was pregnant of me in the end of her senior year. My parents were always arguing about nonsense things. I tried, believed me, to cope and understand the meaning. It was hard, to be honest. I never stepped in their games, too afraid to get hurt by words, or worse, by slaps, punches or kicks. I think the biggest mistake they ever did together was having my sister, Kacey. They decided to have another kid, so it could help their marriage to not fall apart.
And guess what, it just help to fall apart even more.
I found this park I never knew it existed. It’s kind of hidden, to be honest. Hard to find when you don’t want to adventure your feet anywhere than the main roads. I was twelve when I found it, a night of summer. Since then, it’s my spot.
I like being outside, because it’s always silent. I love silence.
I guess you can say I’m not really participating in life. I don’t have tons of friends, or boyfriends, or amazing parents to tell them something interesting about my life. Because my life is boring. Maybe I just don’t know how to live my life.
What’s wrong with spending my days in this park? I once asked myself. We all have different ways to live our life, and it occurs to be my way.
I was sure it was the right way, until this boy discovered my park and told me otherwise.
Characters
Cameron Ross
17 years old, high school senior year. He is in most of Lyvia’s courses. He knows her since kindergarten, but they never really talked to each other as friends. He’s a popular kid, means he’s in the soccer team of the school, seem to get a lot of girls, but sometimes appearances are deceptive. Cameron hides a whole different personality in him. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes, 5’11’’ and he hates the humiliation.
Esther Garris
36 years old. She has two jobs to support her family. She became pregnant of Lyvia at the end of her senior year and she married Spencer Vanover after she discovers her pregnancy. Four years later, the couple decide to have another child because their marriage is falling apart. Now, Esther fights all the time with Kacey and tried to be a good mother in the entire obstacle this dysfunctional family has to live. Brown curly hair, blue eyes and 5’7’’. She’s exhausted and mentally drained.
Harry Styles
19 years old. Member of an international band called ‘’One Direction’’. He doesn’t give two pieces of shit about his band no more. The only things he has an interest is his phone, twitter, Instagram, tattoos and women. Dark brown curly hair, green eyes, 6’0’’ and has one night stand.
Kacey Vanover
14 years old, high school freshman year. Young sister of Lyvia. Little punk in her teenage crisis. Rebellious with her family and thinks the world flies around her. Doesn’t listen to the rules and always find her way out from problems. Brown straight hair, grey eyes, 5’3’’ and has a ring nose. She will desperately act like an older teenager, and that will bring a lot of problems to her.
Liam Payne
20 years old. Member of an international band called ‘’One Direction’’. He’s the only one who still cares about the band, and hopes that they will be able to build back the strong friendship they used to have. He tries desperately to revive the flame that burnt inside them. Light brown hair, light brown eyes, 5’11’’ and dating Sophia Smith.
Louis Tomlinson
21 years old. Member of an international band called ‘’One Direction’’. Him and Harry are the two members of the band that changed the most. He broke up with his most recent girlfriend, Eleanor Calder. Since then, he’s not the same: he drinks a lot, he’s hiding all day in his apartment and argues all the time with his no longer best buddies. Brown hair, blue eyes, 5’9’’.
Lyvia Vanover
18 years old, high school senior year (she started one year later because of lack of funds). She has an open mind and thinks all the time. She likes to watch her surrounding and be outside. She wishes that one day, she will be able to get out from Salmon Arm and pursue her studies in University. Even if she never been out from her town, she still knows a lot about what’s going on in the world. Long brown wavy hair, grey eyes, 5’6’’ and slim. She has a natural talent in drawing and her best friend (and almost only friend) is Shellie Morrill.
Niall Horan
20 years old. Member of an international band called ‘’One Direction’’. He has enough from all the shits going on in the band and lost all hopes from their recovery. Blond dyed hair, blue eyes, 5’8’’ and he’s single since a long time.
One Direction
A worldwide band created in a reality show in 2010 called ‘’The X Factor’’. They finished in the third place, but that didn’t stop them to successfully start an important career in the music industry. However, after 3 years of intense non-stop work, the band can’t hold it together much longer. Management sent the boys in a small town in British Columbia and forbid them to have cellphones, computers, anything they could use to communicate with the entire world, which bothers a lot Harry. They can’t leave Salmon Arm until the band fixed all their problems.
Paul Higgins
43 years old. Bodyguard and tour management of ‘’One Direction’’. He’s in charged to make sure the boys won’t leave until everyone is back to their normal self. He’s the most nostalgic about what happened to the band. He is the only one that the group is still nice towards him.
Shellie Morrill
17 years old, high school senior year. Best friend since first year of elementary school with Lyvia Vanover. She’s quiet when needs to be, but not afraid to tell her mind out loud if you irritate her. She doesn’t care if she’s stuck in Salmon Arm for the rest of her life; she will live what life had decided to bring her. Quite flirty with guys. She loves computers and she’s one rare people in Salmon Arm to own one. Long ginger hair in dreads, blue eyes, 5’5’’ and slim, maybe a little too much.
Spencer Vanover
37 years old. Father of Kacey and Lyvia and ex-husband of Esther Garris. Short temper, alcoholic, violent, and missing. He left his family after beating his wife while he was drunk, two years ago. Never came home after. Brownish hair, grey eyes and 5’9’’.
Zayn Malik
20 years old. Member of an international band called ‘’One Direction’’. He wished his band wouldn’t be in the current situation they are, but he knew deep down it was imminent. He’s not a big talker, but if you ask for his opinion, sit comfortably and listen carefully. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes, 5’9’’ and he’s engaged to Perrie Edwards.
Chapters
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My Secret Park
‘’Well that’s new. Someone finally acknowledged the existence of this place.’’
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'Vacation'
‘’Management sent us here to rebuilt our ‘group spirit’, but it’s a total waste of time.’’
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Wicked Spoon
It’s pleasant to talk to someone other than Shellie, mom or Kacey. Why did I refuse to before?
