2. He didn't know that she didn't know his name.
'If you really cared, why did you push me away?' Marissa was about to turn the page when the door burst open, startling her.
"Do you ever knock Jesse?!" Marissa placed her bookmark in the book she was currently reading and set it down.
"Oh whatever just get downstairs, the neighbors are here." And just like that, Jesse left the room. Marissa slipped on a pair of flats and walked out after her sister. As she walked down the steps, she couldn't help but notice a certain handsome boy. His hair was tousled but it worked with his uniform which he didn't change out of. He must've not cared about first impressions either. Before he was able to catch her staring Marissa turned her head towards Mrs. Kane.
"Good evening Mrs. Kane, it's so nice to meet you." Mrs. Kane smiled.
"And I would say the same to you! Have you met my son yet dear?"
"I believe I haven't. And you are?" She turned her head towards the boy and smiled. He had hazel eyes and was currently rocking a disheveled look with his hair. It made him look boyish, even though he was probably the same age as her. Her smile turned into a slight frown when she met his scowl. What did she ever do to him?
He didn't answer her question and walked upstairs. "I need to use the bathroom." What a rude one. A handsome one though.
"I am so very sorry about my son. He is usually this quiet to everyone."
Marissa dismissed the apology and decided to follow him up the stairs. "I'll try to get him to warm up to me Mrs. Kane don't worry." She smiled brightly and went up the stairs two at a time. She was starting to get nervous, since they have never really talked to each other before. By the time she made it up the stairs, Mrs. Kane's son had exited the bathroom. As he turned around, he looked right at Marissa and froze. She raised her eyebrows, and watched as his cheeks started to turn red.
She cleared her throat. "So, you're a student at The Academy?" He blinked before he nodded.
"Senior. You?" His voice was low, but not low enough for her to miss how smooth his voice was. She swooned a little on the inside.
"Senior at Layton High." Awkward silence ensued, and neither of them could bear it. Marissa was ready to continue their small talk-
"That's cool I guess. Wish you attended The Academy though. Wouldn't mind another pretty face to see everyday." Now she blushed. Was he really complimenting her? If he was, she wouldn't mind some more.
"Oh really? Well, I don't think the same for you." She was teasing, and he knew it.
"Nah, it's fine. You're right. Wouldn't want to inflate my ego even more." And at that, he gave her a wink and she laughed.
"Shall we?" She nodded and went down the stairs, with him following behind her.
Neighbor boy wasn't that bad. If only she knew his name.
"Hey, what's your name?" As they took their seats at the dining table, his tipped up in a small smile.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Well of course she did. "Tell you what." She leaned closer to him. "You have 5 guesses, and you can ask me any question you want, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with the letters in my name." Marissa pouted. This obviously amused him, but not her. Why was he making this a guessing game? However, she really wanted to put a name to his face, and decided to play along.
"Oh, fine." At that, his smile got bigger, and she smiled back. She had a feeling that this was going to be fun, and when her mother passed the potatoes, she plopped some on her plate and ate dinner with a smile the entire night.
•
As he lay down on his bed, he turned his head to the left, where through his window, his lovely neighbor Marissa was currently reading a book. He was thankful that she never closed her curtains at this time, because he loved to see her in her element, attentive to the pages of her book, smiling and laughing and crying and every emotion in between. This was just one of her passions. And he would know, for he had been sneaking a peek at his next door neighbor every night, ever since he moved in the summer before freshman year, falling for her as each night went by. It was really sad that she never knew his name.
