The Boy Across the Fence

Chapter 1

       Claudia lay on her back, staring up at the stars. A light summer breeze rustled the big tree in her backyard, reminding her of the tree in her old backyard, the one she had climbed in and swung from and played under for seventeen years. The hammock she was reclined on felt scratchy under Claudia's skin, and it pressed its threads painfully into her back. Her parents had bought it for her as a moving gift, since they knew how often she crept outside to sleep under the stars. They thought the new one would make her feel more at home, but it only highlighted the differences between her old life and her new one. Her old hammock was Claudia's favorite thing in the world. It was covered in bird poop and the color had faded, but it was like a home.

        It had disappeared at some point during the moving process, probably mistaken for trash and thrown away.

        Claudia's long brown hair swayed beyond the edge of the hammock. She crossed her arms and let a sigh escape her mouth. It floated away on the breeze, unheard.

        It wasn't that her new house was ratty or dumpy. She had to admit it was a nice house, simple but stylishly arranged. It just didn't feel... lived in. Claudia closed her eyes and imagined all the nooks and crannies in her old house, so vividly imprinted in her brain from years of living in. Before long, the warm breeze and gentle swing of the hammock began to lull her to sleep. Then, suddenly-

        "ACHOO!" 

        Startled, Claudia bolted upright, nearly falling out of the hammock. Her eyes raked the yard, her heart pounding. It took a second for her half-asleep brain to process that the enormous sneeze hadn't come from her yard, but a neighbors'.

        "Dio vi protegga!" she called thickly, her brain still partly asleep. Bless you, in Italian. Claudia had an Italian great-grandmother who always said "dio vi protegga" when someone sneezed. Her family had picked it up and always used it at home with each other, just for fun. It was like an inside joke because no one else ever understood. Claudia winced as she realized how embarassing it was that she had just yelled an Italian blessing to the whole neighborhood -even worse, at one o'clock in the morning. She fervently hoped nobody had heard. It would not mean a good start to her new life.

        For a minute, everything was silent. She swung her legs back over onto the hammock, breathing a sigh of relief, and made as if to lay down again.

        Then a deep, creamy male voice called softly, "Grazie!" Thank you.

        It had come from the house behind their own house. Claudia sat up again. Someone had responded, and they weren't mad, or laughing at her. In fact, they knew Italian! She wondered if this could mean a new friend.

        "You know Italian?" she ventured, only loud enough to reach to the other side of the fence. It was a bold move, greeted by silence.

        Then came, "No, I just looked it up on my phone."

        Claudia looked down at her toes, disappointed. They didn't really have something in common. And it sounded like this person, whoever he was, might be one of those people who was always glued to a screen and worrying about wi-fi connections. Claudia couldn't imagine taking her phone with her to look at the stars. She liked to feel disconnected with the world. Besides, who would she be texting at that time?

        Claudia sat there for a minute, trying to think of something to say. She felt awkwardly quiet. Finally, she just blurted out what she was thinking: "Are you always on your phone?"

           It came out like a rude criticism instead of an honest question. Claudia colored and bit her lip.

        She thought she heard a tired sigh from the other side of the fence, but after a moment she decided it was probably her imagination. This guy, whoever he was, didn't seem the type to have anything to sigh about.

        "No," said the voice. "I'm not." His voice did sound tired. Thankfully, it didn't sound angry or insulted, but there was an edge of fragility to it. Claudia wondered what was going on with him. She waited, then called,"I guess I better go to bed," and made sure the sound of her feet crunching through the lawn to the patio was audible.

        "Good night," said the boy across the fence. Claudia stopped. 

        "Good night," she said, then turned to go inside.

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A/N: Alright, so how do you think this is coming out? sorry for the short chapter, my next ones will be longer (I promise!!!)

Thanks so much to madisonandbooks for making me the amazing cover that's in the media box!!! I like it so much!!!

As always, please vote and comment below! thanks guys :P