Page 1 of It's Just You

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Finn

“Pimple face, pimple face!”

“Ugh, I don’t want to be paired with that faggot.”

“Hey, come here, pimple face!”

I stared out over the road as I drove, haunted by specters from the past. The voices were familiar too, still echoing in my ears six years after we’d left this town. If anything, they’d gotten louder — which was why I’d learned to be a boss when it came to applying makeup. It not only made me kind of feel like I wore some kind of armor, but with enough skill, I could hide the imperfections in my skin that had caused me so much grief during school. Because, after all that time, I still was convinced that assholes only lived to make my life hell.

I hadn’t ever intended to come back, ever, but here I was, passing the sign to Dumbfuck, USA. Again.

Not willingly, though. It would never be willing.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Drumming my thumb on the steering wheel, I looked for the turn that would lead me to my parents’ new house. A lot of things had changed here: new buildings, new intersections, new paint jobs. It didn’t change my feelings, though. Those stayed the same.

I hated it here, and I didn’t want to be here. I resented my parents a little for deciding to move back.

The only bright spot about the summer vacation at my parents’ new home was that my high school best friend was in town too. We’d stayed in touch, but I could’ve continued to happily do that at a distance if it didn’t mean coming here.

My GPS told me to take the next right, so I did, even though it landed me deeper into the hell of suburbia. Perfectly mowed lawns, identical houses, flowers in the front… every retired couples’ dream — my parents included.

I probably wouldn’t have minded the surroundings if they hadn’t been here.

I tried to remind myself that the assholes I’d known back then were most likely gone — probably having moved on to greener pastures where there were more people to bully. That didn’t make me any more comfortable here.

“In 200 feet, your destination is on the left,” the male voice interrupted my musings. I followed the GPS’s instructions then parked in front of the two-story brick house. It was just as well manicured and maintained as every other house in the neighborhood, and the driveway even looked like it had been freshly swept. It could’ve been the model house in a magazine.

I double checked the address, hoping I’d gotten it wrong — hell, hoping I’d gotten the entire town wrong, just as I had over and over even after them telling me where they’d gone countless times. No such luck.

I put the car into park, staring at the house. I could see straight into the house with the bank of windows in the living room, and even that looked like a showpiece.

Opening the door to the car, I took another deep breath and got out. It was time to see my mom again and face my dad’s judgement. I loved my dad, but his opinions? Not so much.

The front door opened before I even reached it, and my mother stood there, smiling. The dress she wore was brightly colored with patches of flowers, while jewelry decorated her throat and wrist. Her slim figure was more due to her following the newest fad diet, but she had passed good genetics down to me too. For her, though, it was all about looks, and I couldn’t ever seem to get her to understand that she wasn’t twenty anymore. But I’d inherited some of her vanity, even if I didn’t bother with a restrictive diet.

Regular yoga sessions helped to keep my body in shape, and I had youth on my side. One day, I’d lose that crutch, and that was fine with me.

Well, that was a lie. It wasn’t okay at all, but I’d deal. It was something to worry about in the future, though, as I was happy with my body the way it looked now. As long as my face could be covered, I was just fine with my appearance.

Mom pulled me into an embrace when I got to the doorway, hugging me tightly. She’d lost weight since the last time I’d seen her, but that was hardly surprising.

“Hi, dear! How was your drive? Did you find the house okay?”

I hugged her back, enjoying this moment of peace. It would be over with soon enough. “It was good. Not much traffic, and it was easy to find the house.” Even if it did look like every other house on the street.

She stepped back, glancing over me. I could see the moment she realized I hadn’t followed her advice to tone it down. If anything, I may have even gone overboard just to piss my dad off even more. If I was going to feel his disdain for the makeup, I might as well make it worth it, right?

“Finn…”

I grinned at her. “Yes, I am wearing glitter. And yes, I love it.” With those words, I sidestepped her, looking for my father. I might as well get it over with.

I didn’t recognize anything about the house. It was new to me, obviously, but so was the furniture. It didn’t look like they’d brought anything from the old house, like they hadn’t wanted to even have a memory of their past. No, this was supposed to be a fresh start, they’d said.

In the town I’d grown up in. Which totally made sense.

Not.

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