My neighbour. - a shyland love story

//1//

~out of the blue~

Shane's thoughts:

I don't like myself.
Sounds cliché doesn't it?
It's true though.

I deserve to hate myself. Everyone should hate me.

Even though I don't particularly like myself, i think everyone except me deserves a shot at life. They deserve to be happy.

I wish there was someone out there to make me happy. Someone who gives me a new outlook on life.

I don't know if I'll ever find that person.

--------------

Ryland's thoughts:

I'm fat. I'm stupid. I'm ugly. I'm every negative word that you can be called.

People think it's funny as my parents are both cruel idiots and that two negatives make a positive. But no, that just fucked me up even more. They didn't make a positive. I'm not positive in any way and nothing can change that.

I have issues, and they can't be solved. No matter how hard people try.

I need someone to be there for me.

I don't know who that person is or who it will be, but I'll try to be optimistic.

-------------------------------------------------

Shane stared down the mostly empty street which his house was on. Nothing exciting ever happend. Every now and then you'd get the odd person shoplifting, or some seven year old little girl loosing her dog for the day, only to realise it was under her bed the whole time.

Everyone in the town knew everybody so there was no one to start a new life with. The same schedule went along every day the exact same as the previous day. It was all too repetitive.

That was until the 4th September, 2018.

As Shane peered down the street, watching as dimmed street lights flickered on as if it were by magic. Of course it wasn't, but he liked to think that.

He looked over to the corner of his room which his ukulele was laying in. He scraped his socks along the carpet as he made his way over to pick up the instrument. The ukulele was his only present from his sixteenth birthday; not that he was complaining as he was aware of the tight money issues.

Shane had deemed the ukulele as one of the best gifts he had ever received, and he meant it. He sat back on the window ledge and started playing a few chords.

All his attention shifted onto the van which was driving slowly down the usually empty road. He watched in anticipation as if he were waiting for something supernatural to occur.

A few moments later a middle-aged man slid open the van door and let himself out. Shane leaned back against the wall as watching a guy get out of a van wasn't very amusing.

He began to strum a few more times before something else caught his attention. This time, it wasn't a van. It was a boy. He looked around Sixteen, like Shane.

Immediately Shane felt a small smile creep up on his face at the sight of the boy. The boy turned around to pick up a box and start to walk it up to the front door of the house opposite Shane's. By this point Shane had just assumed he was moving in there; he hoped so anyway.

The boy turned around and looked back at the truck. Shane admired the boys navy-blue jumper, long black jeans and white converse. He knew the colours didnt necessarily go together, but that was the least of his worries at this moment and time.

Around five minutes later of Shane watching the boy lift boxes into his new home, he was deciding whether or not to go offer him some help.

He decided to, as it would give him an opportunity to introduce himself and maybe learn the boy's name.

For once he was excited about talking to someone. He usually hated it. They would always be mean to him and end up shouting at him for some stupid reason.

He walked with his head up and a mind full of optimism. He approached the boy slightly nervously before opening his mouth.

"Hi I'm Shane, I live in the house opposite." He said with a grin on his face.
He admired the other boys eyes and mistakenly stared right into them, almost drowning in his sorrow as he had come to the conclusion that a pretty boy like that would never like a freak like him.

"Hey, my names Ryland, I'm moving into the house opposite yours." He laughed.

His laugh is the most adorable sound I've ever heard.
Shane thought to himself as he bit his lip and smiled at the boy.

Ryland.
Ry, land.
Ry la nd
R-Y-L-A-N-D.
Such a pretty name; for a pretty boy.

Shane repeated the name in his head over and over. He felt as if he could never get bored doing that.

Ryland laughed one more time before speaking again. "So, how long have you lived here for?"

"Around 4 years. Everyone around here knows eachother so I think they'll soon get to know you." Shane felt a blush creep up on his cheeks. "D-do you need any help with moving boxes?" He finally stuttered out, as he was still taken a-back by the way the other boy looked.

Ryland smiled before nodding and thanking him. Shane didn't particularly care about moving boxes, he just wanted to spend time with the new boy.

Shane lifted a few more boxes into the massive house and looked around for a few seconds before being greeted by a taller man and woman. He automatically assumed that they were Ryland's parents.

The woman held out her hand and Shane shook it as a sign of respect. "Umm hi I'm Shane your new neighbor, I live opposite with my mum." Shane swallowed the saliva in his throat before finally being able to breathe properly again.

"It's nice to meet you. I am Lucy Adams and this is my husband Ben Adams."

Shane smiled and nodded his head."well we would love to invite you and your son around for dinner tonight if you feel like it. We could tell you about the town and get to know you all a bit more."

"We would be delighted to come around. What time around? Because we need to try to sort out the boxes before it gets too late."

"Anytime after seven will be fine with us." Shane replied, trying to sound as sophisticated as he possibly could to make a good impression.

They nodded before thanking Shane just before Ryland walked past with another box.

"See you tonight." Shane whispered to him. He looked back to see the boy's reaction to see his cheeks had turned pink and he was biting his bottom lip.

He looked back at Ryland one more time before leaving.

-------------------------------------------------
1144 words