Home

I stared intently at my new apartment. It wasn't much, but it was now home, even though that word makes my skin crawl. I glanced nervously at the parking lot, noticing the few empty cars parking randomly throughout the lot, my bright red SUV sitting there almost like it's telling me to drive as far away as possible.

Glancing back to the apartment building, I prepared myself for the hike up those never ending stairs. I squinted against the bright yellow siding that have been recently painted with an orange trim. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of living in candy corn colored apartments.

Off to the side, a small run down playground sat. No children nearby, but you can see the wear and tear on the slide from too many little feet running up it to the top. The wood chips were sprinkled here and there, but didn't completely cover up the black garbage bags underneath it.

Clenching my duffle bag, I head up the narrow stairs for three flights in total. I grimace at the boxes the movers had left outside my door. I hope the neighbors didn't see that. Quickly unlocking the door to D204, I dragged the three medium boxes inside, noting one is for bathroom and the other two are for storage. The door slammed shut behind me with a loud bang that echoed off the emptiness of my new apartment.

I sighed deeply, with relief, but also with fear. I've never lived on my own before and I just hope I can live here in peace. Setting the boxes off to the side, I decided to check out the rest of the apartment real quick. I've had a look before, but only at the model apartment which was a two bedroom. I opted for a one bedroom instead since it's just me.

Walking right in from the front door, the bathroom was off to the right. It had one large oval sink with lots of drawers underneath it. Perfect for all of my lotions and hair accessories. A small cabinet sat above the toilet, allowing me to be able to put medicines of all sorts in there. There wasn't a bath, but a very large open shower with two small sections for soaps, shampoos, and other items to sit on while showering. The stacking washing and drying were brand new and gleamed with need behind the bathroom door.

From the bathroom, a storage unit sat with sliding wooden doors on the left. Lots of storage space, but could also be used as a pantry. Straight back from the front door, a walk-in closet sat. More storage space, but could also be used as a home office. To the right of the closet, sat the kitchen with brand new stainless steel appliances. I ran my fingers over the fake marble countertops, a sad smile forming on my face at the thought of making dinner by myself. Opening up the fridge, there was plenty of space and then some. Five cabinets sat along the wall for food storage and dishes.

The living room was connected and it wasn't very big, just lots of open space. My eyes lit up though as I took notice of the door leading outside to my balcony. Forgetting about the bedroom, I unlocked the balcony door, and slipped out. The fresh air hit my face and I smiled, like really smiled as I leaned against the wobbly railing. A feeling of home rushed through me as I took in the view of the woods behind me. A small patch of green grass extended, but for miles beyond that, all I could see was trees and my heart hurt. The greenery made me feel at home, but I wasn't really. Enjoying the view for a few more moments, I went back inside and peaked in at the bedroom off of the living room.

It was a medium sized room, which was able to fit my queen sized bed that leaned against the wall. I bit my lip, hungry growing inside. I decided to call the nearest place that delivered pizza. With dinner on it's way, I got to work reinventing my life and making my future brighter.