My Neighbor

Chapter 18: The B Word

The music played exceptionally loud in my ear as I placed the cigarette to my lips and took a pull from it.  The smoke filtered through my nose and my mouth as I exhaled and looked out across the vast back yard of my father's house.  I had spent the majority of my time in my room with my headphones in.  Only a day had passed, but I already felt odd. Odd about my father.  Odd about my stepmom.  And odd about my extra 'friendly' neighbor.

I took a drag from the cigarette one last time before I put it out and set the butt on the ledge of the porch.  I stood up and brushed the back of my pants before turning around and almost running directly into my father. I stumbled back and then stopped glaring at him slightly annoyed.

Rolling my eyes I pull my ear buds from my ear. "Yeah?" I ask my voice clear with irritation.

"Nothing.   I was just checking on you," he says.  Suddenly the air thickens with tension and an awkward silence overlaps us.  We stood there statuesque and facing one another until finally I sighed.

"Look, I understand I'll be here for a while, but this whole communicating with one another thing doesn't have to happen right now.  I wanted to try to get to know you, but I just realized I don't think I'm ready to."

"Are you saying you want to go back home?" he asked his voice dropping in disappointment.

Going back home meant going to my life, going back to Kayla and probably never talking to my father again.  All of those things seemed appealing to me at the moment, but despite the anger –that hit me out of nowhere- I wanted to try, eventually.

"No, I'm saying I need time, I guess."

"Good.  I'm happy you're here son."

"Yeah.  Whatever. "

"You start school tomorrow," he tells me and I don't respond. "You smoke cigarettes?" He narrowed his eyes watching me.

"Yeah.  Occasionally."

"You're only sixteen, Landon. You shouldn't be smoking.  How the hell do you buy cigarettes?"

"Look at you." I chuckled amused and annoyed by his supposedly fatherly concern.

"Landon." He stopped heaving a breath of what seemed like frustration. "I'll see you at Dinner."  With one last look he turned away from me and fled back into the house.  Lugubriously I turn away and sigh heavily.  The sun looked as though it was preparing to set.  I braced my hands on the porch's ledge in front of me and glared out at the setting sun.

"Hey there," a voice said from the side of the house.  I push myself away from the ledge and turn in the direction that the voice came from.

Standing beside the steps that led up to the porch was Samantha.  When she saw me look in her direction a smile spread across her face.

"Landon, right?"

"Yeah," I say cocking a brow.

"Can I come up?"

"Uhhh," I stammered unsure of what I should do.  I glance around the porch area before I nod slightly.  It was probably a bad idea to even involve myself with this girl.

She smirked and climbed up the stairs to where I was.  When she was face to face with me I noticed her appearance.  She was wearing a very revealing swimming suit.  I frowned in disapproval and then turned away. I glanced at her.

"Uh, did you want Annie?"

"Nope." When she said it she deliberately popped the P and took a seat in one of the chairs on the porch.  "I came to see my new hot neighbor." Her eyes began to glow with a very familiar glint and I shook my head.