Taking Chances

There once was a chance I didn't take. It could've changed my life forever. Sometimes I think back about it and wonder what would've happened if I did take this particular chance. Everybody makes mistakes, right?

Although I love Tennessee, Florida is my true home. I moved to Jefferson City, Tennessee seven years ago. I was seven years old, and going into the second grade. I worried because I didn't know anybody, even though I don't have a hard time making new friends. I felt different, like I didn't belong.

After all, I was from the city. I was used to high class. You know, continental breakfast every morning, your clothes already picked out for you, your driver ready to take you to school at a precise time. Then, my dad got a job transfer. When we arrived, I was in shock. There were no big lights, people, huge buildings, and hardly any cars. All you could see was dirt, miles and miles of dirt.

Eventually the first day of school came. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Okay, it was more than a bit. I cried during the Pledge of Allegiance and held on to my dad's leg screaming bloody murder so he wouldn't leave me in that death trap. Although my plan didn't work, in the end I was a little glad that it didn't. By the end of the day, I became friends with almost the whole second grade. Everyone thought it was amazing that I didn't have an accent like theirs. They were all in awe when I told them about my city life back home, like it was all a fantasy to them. They were all packed full with questions, and I got pounded with them when it came time for recess.

I guess you could say I got used to the country life. Every now and then I miss Florida more than anything, but then I start to think about all the amazing friendships I've made here, all the kind people, and also my family. Then one day, my mother called. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. I just expected a friendly "hello" or "I miss you". I was wrong. My mother called to tell me that she had big news. We were moving back to Florida.

Mom was the heart and soul of her company back in Florida. She ran it with everything she had and worked until her fingers were blue. She had to leave that all behind when Dad got a job transfer here. She didn't want to be separated from my dad and me, so she went along with us to Tennessee. Of course, I had no say in whether we moved or not, for I was only seven. I didn't even know what three multiplied by three was equal to. Back to the present time, Mom's company wanted her back. They heard she wanted to move back to town, and they were frantic with joy. Mom would've been ignorant to turn down the offer, but I made her. I wasn't going to dare leave Tennessee, not now. I have a new family at my dad's house, I have a huge amount of friends, my church is extra ordinary, I'm on the varsity volleyball