Neighbors

Neighbors V

Chapter 5

O H  H O W  T H E  T A B L E S  H A V E  T U R N E D

I get home around 3:00 p.m. and my mom isn't here. No surprise. I make myself a bowl of soup and settle down on the couch, wanting to enjoy the lonely feeling of the house. I eat my soup while watching some random old movie and laughing at the funny faces they make and look at the camera like in The Office. Old movies are the best.

I'm laughing at a girl who has a crazy eye look at the camera as she sticks her tongue out at some guy, who walked past the camera, but she's looking right into the eyes of the people watching. It's supposed to make people laugh, I realize. People aren't supposed to watch this for education, they watch it for amusement.

A knock at the door brings me to get up from the couch and stretch my back. I check the time and see its already five, and that I've been lying on the new and stiff couch for about two hours. I walk over to the door, groaning and stretching like a giraffe, and open the door.

"Quinn! Darling!" I see its Wendy, and she holds a basket in her hand. "Is your mom here?" She asks, looking inside the house. I open the door since she's already half way in and let her in.

"No. I don't know where she is, she was gone when I got home and hasn't called me yet." Wendy's face falls as she sets the basket on the table.

"Oh, that's odd." Wendy smiles politely at me as she thumbs her phone, and I'm pretty sure she wants to call my mom.

"Well, when she gets home tell her I made some cookies and some other things in here. They are in this basket here, for me, please." I nod and Wendy walks over to the door.

"And please, feel free to eat as many as you can. I love baking. I'll make more after." I nod at her and sneak a look into the basket. The cookies look amazing. I grab one and take a quick bite, almost moaning in delight.

"Whoa, Wendy. You should be Martha Stewart!" I yell and eat more of the cookie. I chew it with full cheeks and nod as she shakes her head no.

"Well thank you for the compliment Quinn, but I'm not that good." She sends me a wink and closes the door. I find myself laughing as even an older person can be childish. It reminds me of the movie I was watching. I move the basket up to my room, and I'll just leave the other things on the counter. I'll tell mom it's what was in the basket, then keep the cookies in my room.

"Are those my mom's cookies?" Someone asks as I enter my room, scaring almost half of the cookies I already ate out of my butt.

"What?!" It takes me a moment to realize Parker is sitting on my bed, and I curse mom for opening my windows. I only left Andrews side open this morning, making sure to lock the other window. The memory of Andrew earlier plays in my head suddenly. Of how his pink lips moved slowly, and his voice came out low. Holy. Shit. Do I like Andrew? Most certainly not. No. He's my best...friend. Or do I want him to be more. It was obvious he had a crush on me last week, but I ignored it. Should I have don't something about it? Oh, now I regret my decision. "Get out!" I scream when my mind is reeled back into real life.

"Why?" Parker asks with a grin, and walks over to me. I shove the basket toward him, now that it's almost empty.

"Because this is my room!"

"But my room is across from yours," he points out the window and to where his house sits like a fortress and his curtains are open, showing me a nice view of black walls and a photo of a girl. Seriously?