The Girl Next Door

The Oddities

8 February 2023
"Hey Hanorah! Where you headed ??", I yelled in her direction as I ran to catch up with her. It was long past the last bell & nobody really hung around school for that long unless they were drinking, vaping, smoking or doing drugs. She seemed to be one of the very few at school who indulged in none of these vices

"I'm just goin' to the mangroves to clear my head. Fucked up an algebra test", she said as she braked her bicycle. The mangroves were those technically protected nature areas but nobody was there to stop people from going there from what I've observed

"Can I join ??", I asked. "You can show me around"
"Didn't your mom say you gotta get home by 2:30 ?? It's 2:21 already", she replied seemingly uncomfortable at my presence
"Well fuck curfew!", I exclaimed & she chuckled
"Y'know Arlo...I was going there to get some me time. Can we go together some other time ??", she said, almost pleadingly. As she spoke, I noticed a bright green lighter & what looked like a hand sanitizer in her skirt pocket
"Oh...alright", I said awkwardly before bidding her goodbye & going back home

About half an hour later, I hear a door slam outside. There was no screaming or confrontation over why she'd been late, so it'd probably be safe to assume she's home alone. A few moments later, I hear Closer by Halsey and the Chainsmokers playing on full blast
Yep, she's definitely home alone....time to pop in. Although I knew full well that she was wayy out of my league, I was still kind of hoping to shoot my shot with her. Needless to say, I chickened out and that didn't happen. I guess I'm just too afraid of rejection

Doorbell rings!

"Hey, you seem home alone so I thought I'd pop in...wanna watch a movie or somethin' ??", I said somewhat awkwardly
"Oh...yeah, sure. What d'you wanna watch ??", she asked as she welcomed me in
"Dunno, just somethin' sci - fi", I indicated
"Cool", she said as she put on the Maze Runner as we both hopped on the couch & chilled out
"I've heard things about you at school", I said a few minutes into the movie
"Yeah, I know I got a pretty terrible reputation", she said coolly, seeming unbothered. Wow she was so chill, calm & composed about it, I thought. That's what was most attractive about her - she didn't give 2 fucks about what people thought about her
"Yeah, high school can be brutal", I chuckled & she let out a soft laugh
"What're they sayin' about me anyway ??", she enquired
"That you got problems", I hesitantly informed
"Well they ain't wrong", she said with her mind elsewhere, probably in the movie
"Sorry ??", I muttered
"Uh, no nothing", she said

Not too long after, she went to the loo and asked to pause the movie. While she was gone, I grabbed the remote and began going through her international Netflix's homepage. She sure had weird interests, I thought since it consisted mainly of films like Ablaze, Pyromaniac, Backdraft, Not Our Son, A Pyromaniac's Love Story and A Dangerous Summer along with several half watched true crime shows like the serial killer tapes, MindHunter, House of Secrets and Dear Zachary

After the movie finished, I asked her to help me with some of my physics homework, as an excuse to spend more time with her. She was intelligent too, having earned 2 star badges and a blue tie while simultaneously being in the National Honor Society
"God! It's so hot in here, can we go to your room. You got AC in there right ??", I asked
"Uhm...yeah ok", she said somewhat hesitantly

We headed there and she switched on the AC...but soon an odor of burning paper filled the air as she explained me the ray diagrams of convex lenses. Though the smell dissipated after a while, I still wanted to know its source

"Hey, d'you smoke ??", I interrupted Hanorah as she explained where the image would be formed
"No, why ??", she said
"I mean the smell", I mumbled
"OH...that's from 603. Mr Spears is a huge smoker. I'm kinda surprised he hasn't dropped dead yet", she chuckled

The smell was more like burning paper than cigarette smoke but I accepted her explanation and didn't press further

10 February 2023
I'm walking home after running errands for my mom when I feel something, or someone, following me. Though it was late, around 9:30 pm to be exact, I didn't feel too scared as I'd heard this was a reletively safe neighborhood. I turned around but saw nothing
I looked up at the stars and then at my building. As my eyes dart around, I soon noticed Hanorah, playing with a lighter at her window, the fire beautifully illuminating her pretty face. She almost seemed transfixed on the flame. After a few seconds, she hastily backed away behind the curtains, as if she saw me and was trying to hide