Thanks for all the reads! I'm glad y'all seem to like it. Please comment anything. I'd love some feedback on my story and I'd love to hear from you guys.
~Bibliophile15
"Hello?" Finley answered.
"Hey, Fin, Do u feel like going to a party Friday night?" I asked.
"Who's party?"
"My neighbor's."
"Which neighbor?"
"My new neighbor's."
"What new neighbor?"
"My brand new hot neigh-"
"What! You never told me you had a new neighbor! Especially not a hot one! What's his name? What school does he go to? How old is-"
"Gosh calm your tits, Fin. His name is Dustin. He goes to our school. And he's our age."
"Dani, when did he move in?"
"Um... last weekend..." I braced myself.
"Why are you telling me this now! It's been a whole week and you are just telling me that you found out that you have a hot neighbor!"
Bracing myself didn't help at all. "Well I needed to make sure that he was cute and not a jerk..." I tried to calm her down.
"Chica, I don't care. You just need to realize that I'm in your driveway now so let me in. We have a boy to talk about."
"Alright, come in the door's open." I said as I hung up the phone.
Finley opened the front door and bounded up the stairs to my room. She quickly opened my door and belly-flopped onto my queen bed, and stared at me with her you-better-start-talking-about-about-this-hot-boy look.
I couldn't blame her. I would've done the same thing to her.
"Soo..." Fin started.
"Okay. So, his name is Dustin, and he's really cute and tall and dreamy" Why'd I have to say that particular adjective... "and he plays soccer." OH gosh, he never actually told me that. "You know our motto-"
"LEAN AND TONED!" She exclaimed, and flopped over as she swung her arms to create emphasis.
"Yes, he's leanand toned, and he has short-ish brown hair," I said and waved my hand to show that I meant so-so, "and I really need you to come to his par-"
"It's his party?!"
"Yeah..."
"You really think that I would let you go alone to a cute guy's party? You must be delirious. You would have to strap me into a straight jacket, tie me to a chair, and have your brother's football team sit on me before I'd even consider not going because it would take me at least five minutes to make them run away screaming while I recite any romantic book or poem that I've memorized, you know how many I could choose from, and then another ten to untie myself," she explained.
"Oh don't worry, I know of your capabilities because I've taught you well young grasshopper."
I know this because one day she and I were talking about who we shipped more with Simon from The Mortal Instruments. We must've sat there for at least a good hour debating on whether he is a better couple with Isabelle or Maia. I was relentless about Sizzy, I love Simon and Izzy so much, and she kept saying that he and Maia were better for each other. But, anyway, my brother and his friends walked in after practice one day and the minute they saw us sitting at the kitchen table, they immediately pivoted in the other direction before they thought we would see them. Unfortunately for them, I was facing the door they walked in through and whispered to Fin that we on a new mission: annoy the football players. She accepted the challenge.
Of course, we did annoy them to the point where they eventually left and we had the house to ourselves again because my mom was at work.
"Alright, good. Now let's see what your outfit options are..." she said as she stood up and pointed her fingers to make an "L" with the forefinger and thumb like the thinker before heading to my closet.
Dustin's POV
"Mom! what do I do now? I already set out the food dishes and took out the ground meat to thaw for the burgers." I asked her as I walked into the kitchen.
"You should go shower, and get ready. We will start grilling after people have arrived, so no need to worry about that. Also, don't worry about the food. I have that under control, and I know now not to let you touch anything other than the grill. If even that after our last experience with you cooking."
"Okay, I know I'm a terrible cook, but no one said that you needed to rub it in my face."
"Sorry, sweety, you know I love you, and you know I just want everyone here to be safe. We don't want anyone eating charred burgers, now. Do we?" She stated her point.
"Okay! Okay!" I surrendered with my hands raised and lowered my head. "You're right. I'll leave the cooking to you, but is there anything else I can do?"
"There's a dead frog in the pool. Could you get it out for me?" she asked and smiled with pleading eyes and her hands cupped together under her chin.
"Always leaving it to me. I see."
"Sorry, hun, you know how I am with things like that."
"Don't worry I do. I remember it very clearly. Whenever you see blood and such, you start to see stars, your hands go numb, et cetera, et cetera." I said as I walked out the back door from the den.
"Thanks sweety!" She yelled after me through the back door.
I walked outside and grabbed the net that I use to get debris out of our pool. At least it wasn't a total loss because now I could hear Danielle and her friend talking through her open window. Her bedroom window was visible from where I was standing in my backyard because the window is on the side of her house. They seemed to be talking about a party.
"Ok, Dani, what style shall we model on Friday?"
Could they be talking about my party? I'll just take a little longer with the frog than it would normally call for.
"You should wear something purple. It matches your brown eyes and brings out your blonde hair, Fin."
"And green for you, Dani. We need to snaz you up!"
"Fin, why are you saying 'snaz'? You sound like my mo- Wait! Have you been texting her agin!?"
"Maybe..." She said stopping at each syllable and putting emphasis on the "be".
Apparently Danielle's friend likes to text her mom. It's not unheard of, but it's still odd.
"Just don't go around telling people this. Okay?" Finley said as she waved and pointed her finger.
"I won't. Don't worry."
Okay. I should probably stop eavesdropping before one of them looks out the window and sees me and actually get the frog out of the pool.
"Mr. Frog, I'm so sorry it had to end this way. Drowning is not a preferable death, especially for amphibians. Because, well, you know. Y'all can swim and breathe water and stuff. " I said as I scooped him out with the net. I could kind of see why my mom doesn't like dealing with any kind of dead thing or cut or loose tooth, for that matter, but I'm completely fine with it. I just hope they don't hear me talking to the frog.
They did seem to stop talking. I looked up and saw a straight-haired blonde looking down at me with big brown eyes. Once she saw me looking up at her, she fell out of view back into Danielle's room with a thump and another scream from Danielle asking what happened. There was a pause. It probably consisted of, Finley, I think her name was, whispering to Danielle. They both started cracking up laughing, and Danielle walked into view and said, "Hey, Dustin!"
"Hey! What's up?" I replied.
"Book prices." Danielle's friend mumbled very loudly since I could hear her from my backyard and she is upstairs in someone else's house.
"True." I said, and I heard a little, muffled, scream from behind Danielle. She laughed.
"Why can't hardcovers and paperbacks be the same price?" Dani asked me with her elbows resting on the window sill and head hanging out the window. Her long brown wavy-curly hair was flowing slightly as a soft breeze blew.
"Beats me." I answered slapping my hands on my sides as a result of bringing them up like one would in confusion . "I always want hardcovers because they're just amazing. I can't explain it any other way. But, I want to buy twice as many books than I could when buying hardcovers but I can only do that when I buy paperbacks. Do you see my problem?"
"Yes!" She exclaimed with a smile. "I experience the same thing! I love hardcovers because you don't have to worry about creasing the spine and having the corners of the cover fold. And the same with paperbacks."
"I hate when people crease the spine! I have to keep my books in the most pristine condition possible."
"What's your favorite series?" asked Finley.
"Oh my gosh. I- Umm... That's really hard. I can't decide." I said.
"How big is your bookshelf?" Finley questioned again.
"I don't know off the top of my head but if y'all want to come over and see it you can." I offered.
"Yes!" I heard them exclaim together.
"Just come over whenever your ready. I'll be here."
"Okay. Thank you, Dustin." Danielle said.
"No problem."
"We'll be over in a few minutes." Finley said, and as Danielle was closing the window, I could hear and just make out the figure of Finley dancing and singing "We're gonna read some bo-oks. We're gonna read some bo-oks." And making "books" have an extra syllable.
~~~
Thanks so much for reading my story. I have a lot of school work so I won't be able to update very often, but thank you again for reading. HUGS FOR EVERYONE!