FIXING MR PERFECT

CHAPTER FOUR

     If you were asked to choose one of these two outfits,which would you pick? I just love the colour combination of the both of them and they both have black my favourite colour in clothes! *Just saying*
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       My heart thudded painfully against my ribcage as I increased my pace,realizing that the footsteps were getting closer and louder. I mumbled short prayers to the heavens. When had I ever wronged anyone? Was this how my life was going to end so suddenly? I visualised my already prepared epitaph:
     Amanda Hathaway, a teenage girl born in 2001 and the only darling child of her parents ,died by a case of homicide on the cold street while on her way home from school. She remains forever engraved in the depths of our hearts. (R.I.P)
     I didn't bother looking back for the fear of coming face to face with my stalker,who was probably a heavily built man,armed with all sorts of weapons to carry out a smooth untraceable job. My mind was running wild or maybe I was simply over reacting.
     Gathering up the courage that might eventually cost me my precious life,I took the risk of turning around. My eyes rounded up in amusement.
    "Marcus what the hell are you doing following me?"
     Marcus stopped dead in his tracks and shot me his trade mark glare as though it could suck the living daylight out of me. Could it?
    "I have better things to do with my life than following someone like you". He retorted and brushed past me.
   I scrunched up my nose in distaste. Whoever said he was perfect?
     I used this opportunity to get a better view of him. Don't judge me,I was a teenager after all. He wasn't that bad either. Okay that was an understatement. He was freaking hot,but that didn't make me want to kiss the ground he walked on. I wasn't demented.
     My body suddenly came in contact with something hard. It took me seconds to realize I had bumped into Marcus. Colour me totally red! Now he had every reason to tease me.
      I took a quick glance around,wondering why we stopped all of a sudden. Everywhere looked familiar - of course it did,it was my house! That didn't explain why Marcus stopped too. The image of the figure standing by the window next door flooded my senses. Could that really have been him?
     He glared at me for the umpteenth time today. "Rule number one: Don't lose focus while checking me out".
     With that he walked to the house next door,unlocked it and slammed the door shut. Gosh,how embarrassing! I stomped my foot on the floor,taking out my frustration on the poor ground.
     After letting that all out of my system,I pressed the doorbell, while standing in the porch. My dad swung open the door in a few seconds and shut it after me.
    "How're you doing dad?"I asked,ever so casually.
    "Not so good". He replied with a slow gruff voice.
     My lips twitched,noticing the dark circles under his eyes. That was surely a bad sign. "What happened? Is something wrong?"
    "No.I'm just not feeling too good. Fix yourself something to eat when you're ready. I'll be in my room if you need me".
     I nodded and watched as he walked up the stairs looking so tired and worn out. Maybe staying at home everyday was getting into him really bad. Could it be fever or flu? Or maybe just lack of exercise? But he visited the gym once in a while so what could the problem be?
     I scurried up the stairs to my room and slammed the door shut,tossing my school bag on a nearby stool. Kicking of my shoes,I shook my hair out of the band holding it together. The house was so silent,I could literally hear my own heartbeat.
    "Now to let in some fresh air" I said to myself,walking towards the closed windows. One by one I drew the curtains apart and opened the shutters.
     This time,I got a better view of the house next door. The window was widely open,giving me the opportunity to freely assess it. I gazed into what seemed to be a bedroom,belonging to Marcus,I guess.
     It wasn't like a typical teenage boy's bedroom with posters of rock bands,boy bands or girls in bikinis on the beach,scattered clothes and underwear,littered pizza carton and canned drinks,game pads,disabled action figures and all that jazz.
     Everything was surprisingly intact. It was perfect - even a little bit too perfect. What was he? My mother? As I was about leaving the window,Marcus sauntered in,looking angry and confused. That caught my attention.
     Unexpectedly, he pulled off his long sleeved shirt and hung it in his mahogany closet. Only his white singlet covered his bare chest. I willed myself to stop looking but that was when my brain remembered to go on vacation. My hands went numb when he shot a pair of cold eyes at me from across his room.
     He maintained his glare on me as he walked to his window. A smirk danced on his lips. "Rule number two: It's plain rude to watch a guy undress just to fulfill your lustful desire".
     My fists curled into a ball. Oh snap! Not again! Why did he always have to show up at the wrong time? I opened my mouth to speak when he  drew his curtains together,blotting his figure away. Damn he and his stupid ego!
     Silence echoed through the house once again like I were in a cemetery. I changed into comfortable clothes and bounded down the stairs in search of something to eat. In the end,I settled with a bowl of chips and ketchup.
     I tried reading,texting, singing and watching TV but none of them worked. Geez,being an only child sucked! There was no body to talk to and no annoying sibling to frustrate me. This house was boring me out I had to leave as soon as possible.
     The door to dad's room screeched open and I popped my head into the room.
    "Dad,I'm going out for a stroll. Is there anything you'd want me to get for you?"
     There was movement under the covers like rats were holding a fiesta in there. Pardon my thinking. He finally sat upright.
    "The list of things I want you  to get from the grocery store is on the counter with the money beside it".
    "I'll be back as soon as possible dad,take care". My gaze lingered on him for a while before leaving the room. I took the list and money,grabbed a black jacket from a rack near the door and shut the door.
    The harsh wind tousled my hair about. Some strands found their way into my mouth. The "Anne's grocery store" wasn't far away so I jugged all the way there.
     The door made a clinging sound as I walked into the cozy store. Adults,teenagers,kids and grannies walked about,assessing different staple foods,cooking equipments and liquors. I took out the crumpled list of grocery supplies from my pocket and began searching for the items one by one.
     The place was pretty impressive! I walked around the store,checking out the latest models of toasting machines,coffee makers and ovens.
    A woman beside me was trying to get something from the upper shelf when the carton of a coffee machine toppled over. I caught it just in time before it could crash on the floor. Well,who knew my reflexes could come in handy?
    The woman brushed her hair aside,putting a hand across her chest in relief. "Thank you dear. That would have cost me a lot".
     Shrugging it off ever so easily,I handed her the carton.
    " Here you go without any bump or crack".
     She carefully put it in the cart where other supplies were. "What's your name?"
   "Amanda". I answered and proceeded to go my way when she continued talking. Shucks!
     "You don't know how exhausted I am!" She exclaimed. Uh- oh! That wasn't a good sign.
   "I've just come back from work and I decided to go shopping for the family".
   "You know how teenage male sons can be!"
    "No I don't! I'm not married for Christ's sake!" My inner voice screamed but I kept on a calm face. Typical me in time of confusion. I wasn't give lessons on how to calm an hysterical woman!
     I couldn't just walk away so I had to listen to her pour her heart out before me like I could solve all her problems with a snap of my finger. News flash, I couldn't!
     At last,we left the grocery store together with full grocery bags on both hands. She walked towards a black car and put the bags in the back of the car.
    "Where are you heading to Amanda? Maybe I could give you a ride". She paused and looked at me for a brief moment." I'm taking this lane. If that's the direction of your house you can hop in".
     It was probably a wrong move on my part when I got into the car. She got in too and turned on the ignition,causing the car to rev to life.
     "You know the funny thing about kids?" She chirped in.
    I leaned on the head rest in exasperation. Here we go again. Something told me it was gonna be a long long drive.
  

       *Hides in a corner with a sheepish look on my face* Hope you liked this chapter. Anyway,the next chapters would feature more of Amanda and Marcus. Thanks for coming this far and pardon me if there are errors.       
     You,yes you! Yoda best!