Neighbor Wars

Chapter 5- September

“Go away Leo!” I shout for him from inside the house. For the past week he has kept ringing the doorbell on our front door. I don’t know if he thinks it is funny, but I know that it isn’t. Mom and Dad are both late at work. Dad has been doing further investigation on the robbery at the Marin’s store. Mom always works overtime these days, and she’s been very depressed since Alexander left. Another ring comes to the door. I run down the stairs, and pull the door open. “Leo I am not joking. Go away!” I yell straight into his face. He just laughs. 

    That idiot. Why can’t he just take a hint? I hate him, and don’t want to see him right now. “Maybe if you would answer the door I would go away.” He says with a mischievous smile on his face. I hate it! 

    “Okay I opened the door, now what do you want?” I ask, bored, and annoyed I have to carry out a conversation with him.

    “I just have a letter for you.” He says and holds out a light pink envelope. On the outside it had my name printed with boy handwriting. 

    “What is this?” I ask, but he just turns around and walks towards his house. I don’t notice the fact that he walks right across the front lawn instead of using the cement pathway. I close the door. 

    I run up to my room, skipping every two steps. Why am I so anxious to open this letter that was delivered by him? I sit on my bed now. Studying the handwriting, it looks sloppy and rushed. I open it up and see a folded piece of lined paper, the kind we have at school. Inside is another sign of the messy handwriting. 

    Dear Marley, 

  I don’t expect you to know me. I am in your Geometry class. I sat in the back, I watched the whole incident in class a few weeks ago. I think what you did there was very cool, calling out Leo like that was genius. Point is, and I am just going to say this, I like you! If you could come see me in class tomorrow, just letting me knwo how you feel and that the letter wasn’t stupid. I would like that. 

        From, Cooper Stevenson

    I had sat back down on the breakfast bar in my kitchen. I almost choke on my muffin. I don’t even know who he is, let alone like him back.

     Since it was Sunday when I got the letter, I waited until the next day to ask Leo about the letter. “Why did you give this letter yesterday? And who the hell in Cooper Stevenson?” I ask him. He just points to the back of the room at some random guy I have never seen before. I walk back to the back of the room and stand in front of Cooper’s desk. The boy looks up, and looks very confused. 

    “Excuse me?!” He says in a startled voice and annoyed voice. This is strange because normally when people right love one a letter that explains that you like a person you normally don’t sound like you want to get them out  of your line of vision. 

    I set the letter in front of him, and he reads it. He starts to laugh, and looks up at me. “You really think that I would write you a letter like this to you!?” He says you like someone liking me is such an embarrassment. I feel my cheeks flush and get hot as I pull the letter off the desk, and walk back to my seat on the other side of the room. 

    The rest of class was filed with a boring lesson that I spaced out on.

    “Lara you know exactly how bad it was. I embarrassed my self because of a stupid letter that Leo gave me yesterday. He made me a fool on purpose. Didn’t you see him laughing?” I say in a quiet and panicked tone at the lunch table. Like always the school lunch in front of me on the green tray is disgusting. Today I sat with AJ. and Lara at our small table in the outside area. It is one of those warm summery fall days that are normally very nice, but today I just feel like hiding inside my room.