June 3rd, 2016
It had been three days.
Three whole days of being watched like I was some kind of low budget reality show.
At first, I thought I imagined it. Maybe I was just paranoid. Small town with no real entertainment so maybe my brain making it up
But no.
She was there.
Every afternoon.
Same fence, Same wide eyes, Same quick duck the second I looked too long.
At this point, I was starting to feel like a zoo exhibit. She didn't really say or do anything just watched me with those dark wide eyes
I didn't know how long she would watch me or when she would start
So I tested it on day two.
Sat in the backyard and pretended not to notice her even though she was basically burning a hole into my body with the way her eyes stayed focused on me and counted.
Seven seconds.
That’s how long it took for her head to slowly rise above the fence.
I almost laughed.
On day three, I’d had enough. It was fun for the first 2 days but now it's gotten too much.
I was mid anchovy removal (still criminal that this town calls that edible), when I felt it again.
That stare.
I didn’t look up immediately, just casually set my slice down, stretched, cracked my neck and then whipped my head toward the fence at the speed of light
She froze like a deer in headlights, caught.
“Okay,” I said, standing up. “This is getting fucking weird.”
She blinked but didn't run this time.
Yay progress.
I walked toward the fence slowly, hands raised in mock surrender.
“I promise I don’t bite,” I said. “Unless you’re secretly made of fish.”
Silence.
Then, surprisingly-
“You have highlights.”
Her voice was soft and quiet you could probably classify it as a whisper
I blinked.
“That’s what you're going with?”
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She pushed herself up a little higher so I could see her properly. Black hair falling around her face. Pale skin. Big eyes that looked like they were always slightly startled by the world.
“They look nice,” she added quickly. “I like them.”
I reached up and touched my hair automatically. “Uh. Thanks?”
No one had ever complimented my hair before. The most I ever got was , You’re going to regret that in a year.
“I haven’t really seen people our age,” she said fiddling with the sleeves of her sweatshirt
That made me pause.
“You live right there,” I said, nodding behind her.
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve never seen teenagers?”
She hesitated.
“I mean, not really.”
Ok that was weird.
Like, even in the middle of nowhere, there were kids somewhere. I’d seen at least two riding bikes near the pier.
“You don’t go to school?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“I’ve always been homeschooled.”
Oh.
Well that explained a lot
“And you don’t come outside much?”
Another small shake of her head.
“My mom doesn’t really like me going out.
Ah so the classic overprotective parents refusing their daughter one of the basic needs of life.
Socialisation
I leaned against the fence, hands crossed
“That sounds super boring.”
She tilted her head slightly, brows furrowed in confusion. “Is it?”
“Yes,” I said immediately. “Very.”
A faint crease formed between her brows, like she was trying to process that.
“What do teenagers normally do?” she asked. Wide eyes looking into mine
I stared at her.
Was she serious?
“Uh. A lot of stupid things I guess,” I said. “Mostly complaining, eating junk food, making bad decisions.”
She nodded slowly, like she was taking mental notes.
“You make bad decisions?”
“All the fucking time.”
She just nodded again and silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t really awkward. Just quiet.
“So were the highlights the reason you've been watching me for the past three days?,” I asked finally breaking the silence
Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
“I was just curious.”
“About what?”
“You."
“Why?”
“You seem loud.”
I let out a short laugh. “That’s not usually a compliment you know.”
“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” she said quickly. “You’re just different from here.”
Well.
That I couldn’t argue with.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“May.”
Of course it was.
“I’m Owen.”
“I know.”
“Okay, now that’s plain creepy.”
She actually smiled a little at that.
It was small. But it changed her whole face.
I stepped back from the fence.
“Come on.”
She blinked. “Where?”
“We’re going somewhere.”
She immediately stiffened. “I’m not supposed to—”
“It’s a park,” I cut in. “a public one, not some secret underground fight club.”
She hesitated.
“I don’t really leave-”
“Exactly,” I said cutting her off again “That’s the problem.”
She looked back toward her house like she expected someone to be watching but I'm pretty sure there was no one in there now
I lowered my voice slightly.
“Look," I said" You said you don’t really see people our age. And I’m stuck here for two months. We might as well make it slightly less terrible.”
She stared at me for a while as if she didn't know what to do before taking a deep breath and nodding her head
“Just the park?” she asked.
“Just the park.”
A long pause.
“Okay.”
---
The park was small.
A couple of benches. A rusty swing set. One of those slides that probably burned skin in the afternoon sun.
It wasn’t impressive really. Just a run down park in a run down town
But May walked beside me like we’d entered another dimension.
She looked at everything.
The pavement,The trees, the empty basketball court with only one hoop
“You’ve never been here?” I asked.
She shook her head and that made me do a double take
“It’s like five minutes from your house?.”
“I know.”
Damn poor girl
We sat on one of the swings that were obviously made for children but could still accommodate older people
She didn’t move at first. Just held the chains.
“Do you know how to swing?,” I asked as she just kicked her feet
“I do,” she replied quietly.
She pushed off gently, swaying back and forth.
Small movements.
“So,” I said, kicking off harder. “Tell me. What do you actually do all day?”
“Read,” she said. “Study. Help my mom. Sometimes watch movies.”
“Friends?”
She shook her head.
“Online?”
Another shake.
That hit harder than I expected.
“You’ve seriously been homeschooled your entire life?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“No prom, no school drama, no crappy cafeteria food and food poisoning from said food?”
She looked confused. “Is that normal?”
“Unfortunately.”
She considered that.
“Is it nice?” she asked
“School?”
“Yes.”
I thought about it.
The noise the chaos, the constant judgment and the occasional fun.
“It’s ok I guess,” I said finally. “Messy and annoying with teachers bitching about you not using your fulk potential but yeah, sometimes it’s nice.”
She watched her feet drag lightly against the dirt.
“I wouldn’t know how to act,” she admitted.
“Act where?”
“In school.... Or with other teenagers.”
I smirked.
“Oh, that part’s easy.”
She looked up at me.
“You complain about everything, pretend you don’t care, eat junk food, stay up too late and act like you know what you’re doing even when you don’t.”
“That’s it?” she asked.
“That’s it.”
She seemed to relax a little.
“And highlights?” she asked eye focused on my air now
I laughed. “Highlights are optional.”
She smiled again.
Bigger this time. Not creepy, not strange Just lonely.
I leaned back in the swing, looking up at the sky.
“Well,” I said casually, “good news.”
She glanced at me.
“You’re officially under my supervision.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m going to teach you how to be a proper teenager.”
She blinked like she wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed or excited.
“How?” she asked.
I grinned.
“Step one,” I said. “You’re getting pizza, I mean you can't be a teenager without the ultimate junk food.”
She laughed and for the first time since I got here, the town didn’t feel like a punishment.
It felt like a beginning.
And maybe, just maybe this summer wouldn’t be completely terrible after all.
