I remember the first time I saw her. Half asleep from the drive to her new house, she stumbled out of her car. Joining her sister and parents at the trunk of their car, she grabbed a couple of suitcases, and drowsily tugged them behind her. She disappeared inside the house, forcing me to stop watching her.
I stood from the front porch step I was previously sitting on, and went back into my house which was next to hers. I started up the wooden stairs, the sound of my boots hitting each step echoed in my silent house. When I reached the door of my room, I entered and shut the door behind me, locking it. I was a careful person, every movement I made I thought thoroughly about. My room was dark, so I moved to the far wall and opened my blinds. Straight across from my window was a bedroom window belonging to the family who had just moved in. As I focused on the neighbour's window, I saw that somebody was entering that room. It was her, carrying a box bigger than she was. She struggled for a bit and finally dropped it. She looked around the room and I backed away from my window in fear of her seeing me. I instinctively held my breath.
After a minute I let out a sigh and turned away from the window. I fell onto my bed and put my arms behind my head, staring at the lights hanging from my ceiling. I found myself thinking of her. There was something about her that intrigued me. Her appearance was so striking, yet so simple. With shoulder length blonde hair and what appeared to be brown eyes, she was very plain. But it was in the way she moved and held herself that made me look closer. I would never forget how much confidence she used to have, and how proudly she carried herself. It was really what originally drew me to her before he destroyed it. But we'll get to that.
Every time I shut my eyes, her face would flash in my mind. I had only seen her for a bit, but I remembered exactly what she looked like. A part of my brain began to think that I sounded like a creepy stalker, but another part decided it was just a silly infatuation and it would pass. This happens to everybody at some point or another, right?
After ten more minutes of picturing her, I started to doze off. When I awoke, the sky was dark. I rose from my bed and went back to the window. She was inside the other room again, but now there was a bed inside. She was hanging up posters. As creepy as it sounds, I stood and watched her put her room together. It neared 11pm, and she finally shut her light off and hopped on her bed. I stood for about two minutes more before I decided to do something with my life that didn't involve stalking my new neighbor. I turned on the string of lights hanging above my bed and pulled out my sketchpad. Her face still fresh in my mind, I began to draw her. The front door slammed and the reasonable part of me knew it was most likely my mother returning from work, but the cautious side of me tensed and listened closely to any other sounds.
There was the sound of keys hitting a table and a voice shouting, "I'm home." I finally relaxed and continued drawing. I spent half of the night sketching, and fell asleep around 5:30am. It wasn't until lunchtime the next day that I finally got out of bed and got dressed. It was a sunday before another week of school, so I finished whatever homework I had. Sick of being inside, I grabbed a sweater and my car keys. I shouted my goodbyes to my mother while I walked out the door and got into my car. Without thinking, I drove straight to my best friend's house. I texted him, and within five minutes he was climbing into my car.
"So what are we doing?" Charlie asked and began messing with my radio. I glared at him, but knew he wouldn't stop until he found the music he wanted. I sighed and put the car into drive. He knew exactly where we were going, as spending the day at the skatepark was a sunday ritual for us. We spent about five hours there, and I can't tell you how many times I fell because I was thinking of her.
------
Hey guys! This is just the beginning of what I'm hoping will be a great story. Please vote and comment, I'd love feedback. Best comment gets a dedication in the next chapter. I love you all!
