Seated at my desk with a pile of papers that are useless to me but deemed important homework papers by school officials, I simply sat and stared.
I hear a knock at the door causing me to turn to face it as my door opens and before I have time to reply, in comes my older brother, what a wonderful surprise.
"Can I look out of your window?" he says as he eyes my window.
He walks towards it and peers over the white shades with out waiting for a response, yet again. It's as if my words have no significance or value and he just asks to be polite.
"Why?" I ask him from my desk, playing with my pencil.
"A new family is moving in next door and I need to see if my future girlfriend is going to be living next door"
"How creepy of you"
"But why my window" I add.
"Because you practically live in the attic so you have the window with the best view"
"Wow, you really are creepy"
Nico, my brother, continues to look out the window and then quickly retreats looking disappointed.
"They don't have an girls my age." he says disappointed with a frown as he exits my room.
"But they have a son that looks about your age" he adds as he closes the door.
I turn back towards my horrid math homework. Nico's last words echo in my head as I stare at my half finished work. I ponder my options, continue with math or be a creep like Nico and look at my neighbor. I guess when you think about it I was just being a good member of my community by investigating who my new neighbors would be, right? Being the procrastinator that I am, I allow curiosity to get the better of me.
I get off my purple swivel deck chair and proceed to my window sill to peer over my shades.
I watch as a tall man with brown hair takes a box labeled Layla in pink marker to the open garage. A woman with caramel ombre hair walks out of the garage to get another box from the moving van. A little girl, who I assume is Layla, walks next to her as if she was attached to her mother's hip. Layla takes a pillow and seems to yell at someone and proceeds to wave them over. A teen, about my age, walks towards her and pats her on the head before taking out a box labeled C&M.
I stare at the family who unloads the moving van in an efficient way. They work as a team walking from the van to the garage and then back. I realized that staring for as long as I have makes me more of a creep then Nico and thus I move away before the new neighbors realize how creepy I was for staring.
New neighbors, I think. Why in the world would a family want to move to such an old boring town like Arcanus Wood. A town with a population of less than 12,000, the closest mall like center being 45 minutes away, only one school district in town, and having next to nothing interesting to do around here, why would they choose Arcanus?
Now don't get me wrong, if I lived in a bigger town I would probably have worst self worth issues. However, living in a small town meant that everyone knew everyone, making it a lose lose situation. But nevertheless, I high doubted Arcanus seemed like a town where the average family would want to raise their family.
I end up finishing all my homework around 10 pm, when I finally stopped procrastinating. So I get up from my desk and grab my phone and earbuds to relax for the night. Scrolling through my playlist I walk down the stairs from my "attic of a bedroom" into the bathroom. I look in the mirror and well you know...same old same old. I brush my teeth, floss, wash my teeth, and brush my hair into a loose braid. When I finish I walk back into my dwelling to 'sleep' for the night, if you can even call that sleep.
- - -
"Nev...Nev?" the voice called but it just seemed to distant to care. Sleeping just seemed to addicting to wake up...
Wake up I thought, causing me to open my eyes.
"You overslept" Nico said followed by a fit of laughter.
"What?!?" I looked at my phone to see it was 7:48 am.
"You overslept" he said again, continuing to laugh.
"That's not possible, I...I"
"Need to get up before you're late" he stated, ending my sentence.
Quickly realizing what was happening, I began running to the bathroom.
"I don't know what's funnier, you finally getting a full night's sleep and waking up late or you looking like such a hectic mess." Nico said while following me down.
"Shut up will you."
"Kids what's going on" I heard my mom ask.
"Nothing" I relied as I put my toothbrush in my mouth.
"Actually mother dearest, Nevan overslept" Nico answered provoking me.
"Really...Nevan you slept, a full night's rest with not nightmares"
"I think this counts as more than a full night's rest"
"I told you to shut up, Nico" I said as I spat out the white foamy toothpaste.
"Nevan, watch your words"
"Ya Nev, shouldn't you be in a better mood since you slept"
"What other mood should I be in when I have to deal with you" I mumbled as I slammed the bathroom door closed behind me.
Running up the stairs all I could think about was how far from routine my morning was going. I felt so frazzled that I didn't know where to start with getting ready.
"Mom said we're leaving in 10 minutes"
"Go away will you" I proclaimed slamming the door again.
Which part of my regimen would be left undone and where should I even start. Ten minutes I thought, I could do it right?
I went to my closet peering in and suddenly every outfit I had ever created left my brain. I grabbed the first black jeans and a blue hoodie I saw because that seemed okay to wear, I hoped. Putting them on as fast as humanly possible I went for my hair brush to tame my wavy bed head locks, pulling it into a ponytail. I applied deodorant and a bit of mascara. I looked at the mirror, knowing I had only a few more minute before I had to leave.
I still had spots and bags under my brown eyes, but there was no more time. I knew I was far from presentable but time was up. Today I would have to face the people of school and I just hoped the few hours of extra sleep would help me.
"Nevan, you ready sweety" my mom called, pulling me away from thoughts.
I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to pick up a banana and yogurt for the ride to school.
"Sweety, I don't know if I should be proud that you finally slept or if I should be mad that you woke up late"
"How about we figure that out on the way to school so we won't be late"
"Oh yes of course, let's go...Nico get down here"
"How is it that your still the last one out when I woke up later than you" I teased.
"How is it that your still unbearable when you actually got sleep"
"Be quiet"
Boy would this feel like such a long day. A day of facing fears and insecurities. Insecurities that could have been masked if I had just woken up on time. Speaking of masked...I realized that I had forgot to put on my mask. And so thus began a day of tragedies, my melodramatic self thought.
YOU ARE READING
This Old Town
General Fiction- I turn in fear as I become fully aware that I am on the ground allowing, whatever 'it' was that was chasing me, to attack. I wince in pain as I sit myself up and look around for the nearest place of shelter. I look right to left, as I do the blood...
