Pen Ink

Simon - Neighbors?

"I promise you, they're not that bad Simon." Gram suggested trying to convince me that everything would be just fine. For the most part, I believed her. But there was this little part of me (what other then, my anxiety!) that was rather nervous in meeting them. I've always had trouble meeting new people. Honestly, thinking about it, I've been this way since I started kindergarten. (I'm an only child and I skipped preschool, so I lacked all social skills that most kids had at the time.) I didn't really associate myself with anyone at that time. And even more than that, I didn't really have any 'friends' until the second grade. But it doesn't stop there because they weren't even real friends. It was more of a negotiation (or like a prison deal.) I'll do all your work for you, in exchange you talk to me and provide me with any 'Little Debbies' snacks you get in your lunch box. I was the ultimate haggler in elementary school. Those other little second graders didn't stand a chance. It was like I was some ultimate mob boss above all others who somehow managed to run the school. Looking back on it, it surprises me. I mean everyone knows how elementary school works. It's when cliques and such start to develope. The popular kids are started to become bigger assholes, all while the nerds formed their little cults where they traded Pokémon cards during recess, and sometimes if it was really important, during class. 

Don't ask me how I know this. I not only had the popular kids with their sack lunches wrapped my finger. The nerds wanted to be cool like every third grader does. And at the time, I was kinda cool because I hung with the popular kids (only because I did their homework) and so the nerds thought I was kinda cool I guess. And at the time I had been going through a Pokémon phase, and my parents never had the time to buy me cards. So I'd hang out with the dweebs in exchange for Pokémon cards. I got a lot of ultra rare. And of course, my ultimate favorite, still to this day, Evee. I mean for crying out loud she has like seventeen hundred different evolutions. (There are actually eight to this day, but there were only three originals, vaporeon, jolteon, and flareon. However with the five new additions, I think my favorite is the newest one with is the fairy type, Sylveon.) Honestly think I still might have a bunch of my cards back home in my apartment somewhere.

"I understand Gram." I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "But still, you know how I am with new people. I'm going to end up standing awkwardly off to the side while everyone else has a good time." Gram didn't respond, standing in silence as she took in what I said, nodding. "Or you know in some corner. Who knows I might even end up in some other parallel universe, maybe there I'll have a social life and be cool." She let out a light chuckle at this shaking her head. "I'm not wrong, am I?"

She sighed, shaking her head again. "You're not, but still, things will be just fine. For all we know in the supposed other universe I could cease to exist!" She offered me a warm smile, before I knew it I was smiling back, hiding it in my hands as I rested my head in my palms. 

"Fine. Fine." I mumbled, pulling on my bright red converse. To most, they were an eyesore, but I found them appealing. I don't know. I tend to like more unique things. Maybe it's because they're more like me. I smiled lacing them up before turning back to gram, "Shall we?" 

"We shall." She responded, walking ahead of me outside of the house. The neighbors shared a driveway with my grandmother, however, their yard was still rather large. Not too much of a walking distance to be tiresome however. We crossed the gravel as it shifted ever so slightly under our feet before walking into the neighbors' yard and up to their front door. The air smelled like a mix of barbecue and the freshly cut grass below our feet.

I looked towards gram raising an eyebrow, "Are we supposed to knock or just go in...?" I gritted my teeth thinking. "Or like is it out back in the ya-" I was interrupted as gram pushed me aside smirking as she knocked on the door. I looked down at my feet, rocking at them as I waited for someone, anyone to answer. The few second past while we waited for someone to answer the door, felt like minutes as tension filled the air. You could taste the awkward. Maybe that was just me because tend to over over exaggerate everything, but it felt like the air was getting heavier and harder to breathe.

I yanked my head up as the door finally slowly creaked open. Squeaking Eerily on its hinges as opened the rest of the way to reveal the last person I was expecting. Kennedy. And as it appeared she wasn't expecting me either. "Simon?"

I waved, nodding. She smiled, her grin stretching from ear to ear. "Did Bailey invite you or..." She trailed off as her eyes landed on the women beside me. "Mrs.Wells! Wait a minute...did you two come together..or.." Her eyes lit up as she understood what was going on. Gram nodded. I think I was the only one still out of the loop. "Simon is your grand son..." she chuckled. "Wait till Bailey hears this." 

I looked at her confused, cocking my head as I still didn't understand what was going on. "How the hell do you know Gram..?"

She scowled real quick amd looked she was going to say some,thing else before responding. "You don't know. Of course. We know Mrs. Wells" Kennedy nodded towards gram "because baileys her neighbor."