The Undercover Agent

Chapter 2

"Just finish up by putting your hair neatly and I'll meet you downstairs at sharply ten minutes." My mom reprimands as she herself rushes to get her hair and makeup done. No, mom. I don't want to. I just embarrassed myself in front of our new neighbor so please, go away.

I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that I looked fine. Not really gorgeous, but fine. I didn't want to overdo myself because that dude might think that I was doing all of this for him. I don't want to see him so there. What an arrogant little prick, treating a resident like that.

"Stella, let's get going!" She screams. I grab my purse and sprinted until I reached the front door. They were fixing themselves and my brother, William, was not here yet...as usual. He was always late and we were used to it.

Mom looked at her watch and pouted; I focus my gaze on the window of the Halcomb's and realized that they had blinders coated with a curtain, then a huge cabinet. I can tell. Private people, huh?

We walked a few steps until we got to their front lawn. We ring the doorbell, specifically mom, and waited. The door swishes open and I never knew that that big house looked super comfortable from the inside. The smell of a freshly cooked meal tickled my nostrils and I inhaled. I wish mom cooks stuff as good smelling as this.

"Well, hello there, dear!" the high pitched voice of the dude's mom squealed practically at my mom's ear. Mom smiled and showed her pearly whites while I scan the couple in front of me. They looked like one of those stereotype kinds of families that lived in the 50s.

"Good evening, hon!" I always liked that about my mom. They only met and she's already giving her a nickname. I don't even give William a nickname, let alone some stranger that I just met. No offense, mom.

As they chat along and my legs get numb, they finally decided to come inside and start chatting again. I was just sitting patiently and was entertaining myself with dad's reactions. He looked as bored as a dog in a cat party, if you know what I mean.

So I was just sitting there, minding my own business when suddenly, a very disturbing sight was in front of me.

It was the dude from the library. So I was right. He was the dude that moved next door.

He cleared his throat and suddenly, all eyes were on him. I looked at my dad and he was examining him vigorously. He just smiled politely and sat beside his mom with his tie undone. What I noticed about this family is their house is completely...comfortable. You'd really think this is a home.

As the minutes, and it felt like hours, pass by, everyone was quite enjoying themselves. Except for me. I am not much of a social person so I'd rather sit in a tub and take a quite relaxing bath than meet people. Their topics were all so random, from politics to having heated debates, it was traumatizing.

And finally, we got to the table. Imagine what we could have eaten a while ago when they were all babbling about how Britney Spears' new body suits her. I looked scrumptiously at the food in front of me and I almost licked my lips. In fact, I just came here for the food.

When we ate, everyone was quiet at first, obviously tired from all the talking they did. But dad suddenly choked on his steak and everyone started laughing. And then Mr. Halcomb told us a story involving a steak and a dirty plate that I never got the chance to listen to because 'dude-who-was-rude-to-me-at-the-library' was adjacent to my seat, which made me really conscious.

When we were done eating they started talking again and I excused myself to go to the restroom. I closed the door shut and looked at myself in the mirror. I pulled out my purse, and retouched some parts that need retouching. I drop them to the purse and closed it with a rush.

I open the door and because I was quiet the whole evening, I decided to ask them if I could go outside for a bit of fresh air. They said okay and I scurried down to the backyard. When I opened the sliding door, I stepped outside and looked at the once mesmerizing background.

Now it looked abandoned. Weeds growing out of the ground's every pore, it's not really your dream garden. But the ornamental flowers that once made me gasp were still there and I walked towards it, touching it. I closed my eyes and smiled because of all the memories that I once had in this same backyard.

I turned around, still with my eyes closed and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and start to find something that I can sit on. They had a swing way back. Maybe they took it when they moved. I sit down on a plastic chair and just close my eyes, the faint noise of people chattering and cutlery clashing repeating in my head.

"You do know that sleeping in someone else's house is rude, right?" A voice said beside me. I opened my eyes quickly and looked at him. I almost laughed.

"Well, isn't this ironic, you talking about rudeness and all.” I commented sarcastically. I saw that he looked really formal now and his glasses kind of ruined the formality.

 He pulled a plastic chair as well from the table and sat down next to me, a few inches until our skin will touch. He folded the tux's sleeves and it kind of increased his attractiveness, but he's rude. So no. "And I wasn't sleeping."

"But you were closing your eyes." He looked at me intently now.

"No, I wasn't." I said my eyes almost big as a Tarsier's.

"Yes," he leaned closer, making me feel his breathing. "You were."

"I wasn't." I looked at the opposite direction.

"If you say so then."

Awkward silence followed and I just hoped to start a conversation.

"So how is your first day in Ridgefield?" I asked him politely.

"It's none of your business."

Okay. In all seriousness, that pissed me off.

"Fine then." I heard a ring from his pocket and his face, from this calm, lean look was replaced with alert and worry.

 I quickly look back and saw that his parents also got the same look in their faces. Almost in unison, they opened their much updated phones, (which I didn't expect from them) and made a look of horror in their faces.

He slid his phone back in his pocket and left me sitting there, struck in awe on how they were worried but not in a panicking way. I just sat there for a few minutes and thought about what he said.

"It's none of your business."

I and that boy will never be friends. Or even acquaintances.

***

"Why did they end the occasion early again?" My brother, William, who ditched us, asks mom as my mom was taking off those awfully old-fashioned clips in her hair. I'm just sitting here watching a movie.

"They said their aunt got a heart attack and they were needed because apparently, the girl was financially corrupted."

"Send my condolences then." William offers. It didn't help because mom shot him a glare. Mom was always like that, William too, he doesn't know when to stop kidding, and sometimes, he isn't even kidding.

"Oh and Stella, your shift at John's will start tomorrow. I signed you up seeing that all you do all this time is use your computer and tw---what do you call this, twerk?"

"Tweet," I corrected.

She bobbed her head. "Yes, tweet, and besides, I'm just helping you make your semestral break useful."

I nodded as I shove some chips in my mouth.

Hm, Productive. I hope so.