The boy next door

For sale

Loud talking echoes through out the bus on the Friday afternoon as the bus comes to a halt at Tyler's stop only a little ways from his house. "Have a nice day Tyler." The bus driver says as kind as he could trying to ignore all the yells from the back of the bus. "You to sir." Tyler says stepping off the bus pausing his music. The bus doors shut and Tyler begins to walk home. He turns his music back on and hurries home so he could practice Basketball. Tryouts were soon and he wanted to make the varsity basketball team. He was a senior in high school so he thought he'd have a pretty good chance of making the team. He's played his whole life. His dad would always make him shoot hoops before dinner and during any free time. He thought basketball was a way of getting away from the real world and all the problems he had. As he's walking down his street he looks across the street and sees the White House with big glass Windows was for sale. It had a sign in the front yard in red letters that read "for sale". A family of four used to live there. A eleven year old boy and a thirteen year old girl and a sweet wife and husband. The husband had to travel all the time for his job and Tyler thought that's why they have to move. He took a moment just to look at the house and remember when the siblings would go outside on the swing and just play and laugh. "Sweet family." Tyler said under his breath. He gets to the front drive way of his house and sees the old basketball goal with the hoop strings hanging down. He grabs his basketball and dribbles it to the front door and leaves it there by the door. He knocks on the door and pulls his earbuds out. His mom answers the door and smiles. "Did you have a good day Tyler?" His mom asks opening the door. "Yeah, it was okay ready to be home."
"I'm sure you are we have you some dinner ready." Tyler's mom said closing the door behind the two. Tyler's dad was inside in the kitchen stirring the pot of soup. It smelled really good. It smelled like home. Tyler's dad would always prepare Tyler chicken soup almost every week because he knew how much Tyler liked it. Tyler's dad sees Tyler walk in the door. "Hey son glad your home. I made you soup I hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will, it smells great. I'll be right back I'm going to my room to set my stuff down."
Tyler goes upstairs and locks the door behind him. He goes to his bed and throws his school work on his bed not caring what kind of homework he probably had for that night. He takes off his shoes and walks to his desk and opens the blinds. He has the best view of the White House from his bedroom. He really didn't even know the family across the street but he had a sad feeling because they were leaving. He would always smile every time he saw the kids outside just having a great time and the mother would bring Popsicles outside on sunny days. The kids loved it there and it could only make him think how sad they probably were to be leaving. The thirteen year old would always have friends over and they'd always have little parties in the house. The little boy would also have friends over often but they'd rather be on the swing and play with little toy cars in the mud. Tyler felt like he knew this family but he's only really talked to them a few times he's lived here. Tyler closes the blinds and goes back downstairs to get some soup. The soup aroma was now spreading through out the house and it smelt wonderful. Tyler grabs a bowl and fills it to the rim with hot soup. He takes a seat at the table. "I saw the for sale sign on the way home. Why are they leaving?"
Tyler's mom takes her first bite of soup and answers "Brendon had to travel to Japan for work. Sarah and Brendon loved the house but they couldn't stay."
"That's a shame. The kids looked so happy."
Tyler says as he gets a heaping spoon full of soup. Tyler ate his dinner in silence. He didn't feel like talking. He knew he had a bunch of homework upstairs and hoops to shoot but he couldn't get his mind off that house and how happy the kids were. Tyler finishes his bowl and sets it in the sink and goes back upstairs. He looks at his backpack full of assignments and sheets to do but walks right past it and opens the blinds to take another look at the house. He re-read the sign just to make sure it said for sale and again he read in red letters "for sale". Brendon and Sarah and the two kids loved that home, all Tyler could hope was that the house would contain another happy family.
He closes the blinds and heads outside to shoot some basketball hoops. He really didn't want to do his assignments and all the homework. He just wanted to shoot hoops. That's all.
Tyler shoots for a few hours until it's too dark to see any longer. He goes back inside to take a shower and get ready for bed. He made a decision to skip his homework he had for that night. Tyler didn't care at this point about school. He hops in the shower and quickly rinses his hair and lathers on the body wash. He really did sweat it was a good work out. Tyler takes a decent fifteen minutes shower and raps a towel around his waist and looks at himself in the mirror. He notices all the flaws and imperfections on his body. All the things he utterly hated. All the things he really hated. He wipes the fog off the mirror and looks at his face. How pale and soft it was. How is hair laid down over his eyes. He brushes his hair back and walks out the bathroom. He throws on a old tee shirt and boxers. He brushes his hair and teeth and heads to bed. He lays in bed and looks at the ceiling and all he can think about was that house and those kids. How they always played. How there life almost seemed perfect.
                                    •••
"What about mine?" Tyler asks himself as he doses off to sleep.