My Big, Bad Neighbor

Prologue

Prologue
Kelly's POV

A loud rumble of thunder wakes me up, and I jolt out of bed, startled. Normally, I would've slept right through, but today for some reason, I wasn't sleeping through it.

And with that, I take it as a sign that it's time to just get up. There's no way that I'd be falling back asleep after waking up like that.

As I remove the covers and swing my legs out from under the blankets, I yawn and look at the clock.

It's surprisingly not that early; it's ten am. But the heavy clouds in the sky make me think it's much earlier.

On normal days I sleep until noon, so I feel a bit out of it as I stand up and make my way to my closet to pick some clothes out for the day.

I choose a comfortable, plain purple tank top and some white shorts from my dresser.

It's the last week of summer vacation. Since it is, I'm basically carefree with what I actually wear, since I have no one judging me like everyone does to one another in school.

Just as I get my shirt on, my door opens quickly, revealing my brother who goes red when he realizes he almost saw me changing.

Thank god he missed it by like a second.

"Jack, what do you want?" I ask my fourteen year old brother.

"Sorry." He bursts and I shake my head at him in response, as if I'm saying 'It's no big deal.' Jack doesn't step into my room, and instead stays in the same spot. "Mom said you need to get downstairs. She wants you to go next door."

"Nobody's next door..." I say. It's true, my best friend, Emma, moved at the beginning of the year out of the house that I almost know better than mine and to a house a block over. The house has been empty since.

Jack shakes his head. "Actually, there are. They're moving in today."

My eyes go wide. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

He shrugs. "Mom didn't know until she saw the moving van."

"Why am I the one going next door? I'm not the type of person to show our 'neighborly hospitality,' that's mom's thing."

"I don't know, Kel. She just told me and I'm the messenger. Ask her yourself." He gets annoyed and without waiting for a response, he closes my door.

"Knock next time!" I call to him.

I hear a grumble behind the door and I roll my eyes.

Once I'm dressed and look at least a little nice, I walk sluggishly down the steps. I don't like the fact that I have to be the one to meet the new neighbors first. I'm not that talkative with new faces. I never have been.

I smell brownies as I make it into the kitchen.

Mom's 'Welcome to the neighborhood,' brownies.

She never makes food for us that has too much sugar in it because she's super worried about our nutrition, but for whatever reason, whenever someone new moves in, she makes brownies for the family that's new to our block.

I bet they taste wonderful.

"Why do I have to be the one to meet the neighbors?" I ask.

"Because you should. I shouldn't be the only one doing it every time a new person moves in nearby." She says, putting her hands on her hips.

I roll my eyes. "You make it sound like a new person moves in every day."

"Kelly Anne Newberly, don't you dare roll your eyes at me." She says.