ODD // [FIRST DRAFT]

Segment 17

From behind a street lamp, I scrutinize the house. There are no cars parked outside and from the glimpses I get of Nathan's silhouette here and there I conclude that he is home alone. He settles down in one place, seemingly occupied once more with his game. A faint trail of songs emanate from the house. I'm guessing he ditched the earphones.

Should I knock on the door? Pretend that I happen to be a sales girl? "Hi, would you care to buy these non-existent bonbons?" He already knows me though, as his classmate. Can I just knock and pretend to wonder something like "Is Laura home?" even though I know she is not? As I'm processing all these thoughts, I find myself walking towards the back of the house.

That's when it occurs to me that I can avoid having a conversation entirely.

I can simply take a peek through the windows, find Laura's room, have a look at the type of things she has lying around, and deduce what gift suits her best based on that! Everyone has a little of their character splashed about in their rooms. As long as Nathan remains on the opposite side of the house drowning in his game I should have nothing to fear.

The windows are all slightly ajar so I easily move from the kitchen to storage room and finally to something that seems close enough to be a bedroom. The glass is closed and is reflecting the world outside so I have to press my face against the window pane to see through.

There is a bed, a cupboard, a shelf and then all of a sudden there are eyes – staring straight at me.

Mortified, I abruptly push myself away from the window, landing on my bottom.

The window flies open and Nathan's head pokes out, his face twisted into confusion. He stares at me for a minute, then blinks, as if he might be seeing things. I consider making a run for it, or even telling him that he is dreaming ("What you see is not real, merely a vision sent from a parallel world!"), but I'm too dazed to act smart.

"Heather? W-what are you doing here?"

I spew a few blundering sounds in attempt of an answer.

"You scared the crap out of me!" He exclaims, his voice cracking the way boys' voices do at this age. "Why are you outside our window?"

"J-just casually passing by," I shrug – to display casualness.

I can see from his grimace that he doesn't really believe me. We stay in our positions for a moment, Nathan reluctantly scratching his head, leaning over the window like someone inspecting an eccentric insect that made its way into his property, and me looking up at him from the ground like a stray cat begging to be let into the house. I get up hastily so that's we're at eye-level.

Not a good idea seeing as that requires more eye contact.

"Laura isn't at home now," Nathan says.

"Oh really.." I mumble, feigning ignorance, as though I'm not already fully aware that she has gymnastics after school.

"Would you, um, like a drink or something?" Nathan offers half-heartedly, as if he's taking precautions just in case it says somewhere in the book of manners "tis proper to act hospitable towards thy guests (even those outside the window)".

"Uh, no thanks I'm good, I was just leaving."

"I'll tell Laura you passed by."

"Oh no! No, no, there's no need for that. Don't tell her, at all, okay? Yeah, just... just don't."

Nathan studies me suspiciously before he starts shooting questions left and right. "What were you really doing here?"

"I just needed to... return something I borrowed."

"Through the window?"

"Um.. I was just looking for the door."

"Couldn't you have returned it in school?"

"It was urgent. I guess. You can't tell Laura about this though."

"Why not?"

"She, um, just, just don't tell her okay?"

"Ooo-kaay," Nathan retreats from his quizzing. He squints at me, as if he is thinking of something, before he deadpans, "What do I get in return for my silence?"

"Are you... bribing me?" I squawk incredulously.

"You're obviously up to something fishy. I better be covering this up for a good reason."

I consider telling him the truth, but it's too embarrassing to admit out loud. "I couldn't pluck up the nerve to ask you about a gift and ended up following you all the way to your house". What would he think of me if I say that?

I sigh. "It's not fishy but fine. What would you like me to do? Buy you lunches? Do your homework?"

"Of course not! Do I look like a bully to you?"

"Bribing is a form of bullying either way!"

Nathan rolls his eyes. "I just need your help, alright? It's nothing tyrannical."

I cock my head curiously as it sounds like he already has something in mind. He leans forward, resting his arms on the window sill.

"What I'm about to tell you," he glances around briefly, lowering his voice, "you can't tell to anyone, especially not Laura. She'll make sure the entire school knows. So you have to promise me to keep it on the low, the way I'll keep..." he wiggles his fingers in the air between us, "this to myself."

I nod nervously, wondering what it is I'm about to know and what part I'll be playing in it. He speaks softly, as if he is handing me a treasure made of glass. A secret.

"There's someone I like and I... want to confess that to her. But it's not as easy as it sounds. I want you to help me talk to her somehow."

Me of all people! Do I look like a wedding planner? A wing woman?

I almost snort out loud. "What makes you think I can set you up with a girl?"

"Because she's one of your friends," he mumbles, blushing.

That takes me aback for a moment. Partly because I'm surprised people have already pegged me as a friend of the girls I made a History project with, and partly because, well, he expects me to create a social situation between him and someone I know when I can barely handle one for myself.

However, it still sounds better than having Laura know I was hanging around her house. I decide to go along; perhaps starting a conversation could be easier when I'm not the main participant in it.

"Well who is it then? Massa?" I guess, since Massa is the prettiest.

"No," he says as his face turns into a deeper shade of... "Scarlet."