7days7authors

Thursday: "I'm Not a Creep, Just a Weirdo"

Chapter Two

I still found myself parked in front of Cheating Robert’s house. This time, however, I was pointing my binoculars in the direction of BIG J’s front door. Kenneth was whistling in the back seat. The familiar smell of sharpie drifted under my nose again, making me sigh.

“He’s coming.”

“No he’s not.”

“Robert, not Jacob.”

I didn’t even turn to hear the slobbering voice behind me. “What’re you doing outside my house Amelina? Can’t get enough of me can y-” I opened the car door, and the handle hit his no no square, promptly dropping him to the ground. I closed the door again and went back to looking for BIG J.

Kenneth stuck his head out the window to take a look at Robert and giggled. I rolled my eyes and muttered something about him being a child.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Like a job after your aid job at school? Like helping your dad with your family business? Like having a life?” I knew that last part was going to get thrown back at me.

“Right. So says the girl stalking a boy outside his house.”

“So says the boy with the girl stalking a boy outside his home.”

“So says the girl who just hit her ex with the car door.”

“So says the boy drawing on the back seat in sharpie.”

He huffed and finished his drawing. “You love my drawings. Or else you would have told me to stop a long time ago.”

“I did tell you to stop. But only once because if you weren’t going to stop the first time then why should I waste my time with telling you more than once?” My attention wandered back to the door, and I felt my heart flutter when I saw the door open.

As BIG J picked up the newspaper and stood up, he stopped and squinted across the street at me. I saw him mouth some words then wave gingerly at me. I smiled and waved back as he retreated back into his house. Well he looks absolutely yummy without a shirt on.

I sighed and put my binoculars up for the day. “Well I’m done. I guess I’ll take you home now.”

“Yay! Then we can bake some cookies.”

“Seriously. How old are you? Eight?”

—

The next day at school, I stood in the middle of the lunchroom and stared up at the ceiling with a perplexed look on my face. Soon, a whole crowd of people joined me in curiosity and formed a large mob around me.

When I was satisfied, I got in line and bought food for lunch.

“Wait! What were we looking at?” I raised and eyebrow and glanced up at that general direction.

“Oh. That. I was just seeing how many people I could get to stare at nothing and for how long.” I glanced at my watch and grinned. Ten minutes wasn’t so bad for something like this.

When I was sitting down to eat lunch, I saw BIG J shake his head at me (He was part of the crowd too) and leave to go get lunch.

—

During the only class I had with him, History, I kept tally marks for how many times he glanced at me, and a separate tally mark for how many times I glanced at him. His outnumbered mine for a bit, but the information couldn’t be totally accurate.

After class, he waited for me as we walked out of class together. We didn’t say anything, but other girls kept saying hi to him and giving his flirtatious looks. I rolled my eyes as I walked past Robert and the Masochist Girl making out profusely in front of his locker.

“Oh dear. The janitor is going to have a field day trying to clean up that mess.” I heard BIG J laugh beside me and felt a little swell of pride. I really do like this guy. He’s not bad looking.

He’s a lot taller than me, and his hair isn’t too long or short and a dirty blond color. In the winter, he always wore a green jacket which is why I always called him the boy in the green jacket. But now that it was warmer, he didn’t wear jackets anymore, but I still called him the boy in the green jacket.

“Amelina! Emma dear!” I rolled my eyes as I heart Kenneth jog up behind me. “You mom called the office today. Said not to forget about your appointment today.” I took in a deep breath and let it out.

“Right, right. Now leave me alone. You’re embarrassing me.” I left with BIG J, letting Kenneth glare daggers at my retreating back.

—

I pulled on my jogging clothes for my evening run. I usually ran at least three times a week, but lately I had been slacking so I made it a point to run today.

“Be safe, don’t talk to strangers, and look both ways before you cross.” I nodded at my mothers moving lips before turning the volume on my iPod up and closing the front door.

I barely made it to the end of the block before I noticed a yellow hummer following me around as I was running. Just great. There was only one person I knew who drove a yellow hummer, and he needed to get a life.

I turned the corner on my regular route and sighed as I pondered life’s mysteries. Like why Kenneth drove all the way to my house every school morning to car pool with me to school when it’s shorter to go directly to school. Like if alternate universes really exist and what would happen to the world if I saw my doppleganger. Like how I ended up standing in front of BIG J’s house knocking on his front door.

He answered the door with a weird look on his face and raised an eyebrow. “This is new. You’ve never directly been on my property before.” I grinned and pointed to the bushes in front of the house.

“I was hiding there for a while watching you through the window but I got tired of that and decided to ask if I could come in. You have a lovely home.” He opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

“But then I realized it was your house and that I should probably ask permission to come in instead of breaking in instead.” He got a concerned look on his face then and was about to lecture me before I added in a hasty ‘I’m just kidding.’

“The real reason I’m here is that I was going on a jog and this yellow hummer keeps following me around and it’s a bit unnerving.” He leaned out past his doorway and saw the vehicle parked down the street.

“It’s Kenneth.”

I sighed, exasperated and rolled my eyes.

“I know that. But this is an excuse for me to walk into your house with permission. I could always break in through your bedroom window later tonight if you’d prefer that.” He raised an eyebrow again at me and rolled his own eyes.

“Come on in. Ignore the mess, my dad is redecorating the house.” I smiled and skipped into his house.

“By the way, just so you know, I wasn’t kidding about that last part.”

—

“I soaked in every detail as I walked into his house. I memorized the smell, the way the light hit the objects and how hard the shadows tried to run away from their objects.”

“Do you narrate your life often?” He went to the fridge and pulled out a diet coke for me. I gave him a nervous laugh before opening it and taking in a long sip.

“It’d sound more interesting in a British accent.” He leaned against the counter and grinned at me. Man. He could be a male model. I didn’t say that out loud right? Okay.

“Sometimes I say my thoughts out loud and I don’t realize it. Most people just assume I’m talking to myself because I’m crazy.” He gave me a thoughtful look as he took another sip of his drink.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. You’re the head of our class aren’t you? Perfect in every class. And I hear you’re an eloquent speaker.” He tilted his head to study me. I suddenly felt self conscious and averted my gaze to study his living room over the counter.

“You’re just a little… eccentric.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to him.

“So says you, my parents, my counselor, my psychiatrist, my doctor, and my best friend. Everyone else just says I’m crazy.” I finished my diet coke and left it on the counter for him to throw away.

“How did you know I like diet coke?”

“You’re not the only observant one.”

—

It was getting dark when I left his house, but not dark enough for BIG J to drive me home, so I started to jog back when Kenneth in the yellow hummer pulled up next to me and rolled his window down.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Jogging home. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You know what I meant.”

“No I don’t. Explain to me what you meant.” We turned the corner and I could see the laser beams in his eyes try to slice me apart. He always gets mad when I get interested in another boy. He gets angry for a little while then realizes I don’t really like them.

“What were you doing in Jacob’s house?”

“Talking to him. He has a lovely home. I didn’t see his parents though.”

“Why were you talking to him?”

“To talk to him? Jeeze Kenneth get off my back.” I hit my mailbox with my hand jogging into the drive way and swore loudly as I spun around clutching it into my house.

“See? You got hurt talking about him! He’s not good for you!” I heard the engine cut and the car door slam shut.

“Oh please. And Robert wasn’t good for me. Ritchy wasn’t good for me. Tanner wasn’t good for me. I think BIG J has a lot of potential.” I pushed the door open and heard him close the door behind me.

“I don’t. He looks shady. He goes straight home after school and never comes out until it’s time to pick up the newspaper.”

“Oh. So you have been paying attention when we’re stalking him.” He sat down in a huff on the couch.

“I don’t like him.”

“You don’t like anybody.”

“I like you.”

“Because you’re just as crazy as I am.”

“We need to stick together.”

“No we don’t.”

“Yes we do! We’re best friends!”

“Because you scare everyone around me off.”

“That’s not true! Take that back.” Now I was starting to get mad. I turned around and leaned on the kitchen counter.

“Kenneth. You’re a twenty year old guy still living with his parents. You drive a ridiculously huge car, and waste more gas driving to my house than straight to school. You work at the school you graduated from two years ago. You do menial errands instead of staying at home and helping your parents with their home business. You deliver my messages personally. It’s like you’re stalking me.” Then it hit me.

“… You are stalking me.” He didn’t say anything and looked down at his hands.

“I’m not. I just really like you.”

“Kenneth. I’m never going to date you.”

“Why the hell not?!” And now he was mad.

“I’m not attracted to you.” That’s when he stood up from the couch and stared at me with rage in his eyes.

“Fine. Fine. I see how it is. I’ll make you like me. Whenever you have no one else to turn to, you’ll come running to me. You’ll see. I’m not going to share you.” Then he stormed off and left me uneasy with his threat.

—

When I walked into school that morning I had people give me odd stares and avoid me with a three foot radius. They usually gave me odd stares but the three foot radius ting was new.

But I just ignored them and headed to my locker to get my things. When I opened my locker though, something came pouring out and I screamed. I wasn’t the only one who screamed though. The whole hallway screamed.

I, however, had a mental breakdown and cried. I ran as far away as I could and crouched down in the corner screaming, tears blurring my makeup.

Marbles. So many marbles.

When I was little, the kids on the playground would tease me and chase me away by throwing marbles at me. They were cruel, and I would always leave with bruises everywhere. One went down my throat once and I almost choked to death.

Every one was tripping on them and laughed, but I didn’t. I was curled up against a corner crying my eyes out. And they laughed at me. They stopped and pointed and laughed, and something inside my died a little bit.

I didn’t notice the arms that wrapped around me, pulling me and taking me outside. I was shaking and my knees could barely support me weight anymore. “Shh, shh. It’s okay. You’re okay.” I collapsed on the ground and sniffed.

There was only one other person who knew besides my parents about the marbles. Now the whole school really did think I was crazy. I had an irrational fear and he was taking advantage of it.

I pulled my knees to my chest and hid my face in them.

“Stab my back, it’s better when I bleed for you…” BIG J patted my back and sighed.