Over on the Skyserver,
@Icywinter proposed a high school AU to bully
@Skywalker_T-65 by kicking off a classic high school romance. I decided to invest in it, and realized I had an opportunity to do a soft reboot of an old story of mine…
*
The rest of the day, and the walk home, was uneventful, even with everything that happened today. Someone who I could consider a… a
friend. Someone who seemed to actually
give a damn, while everyone else seemed rather
indifferent. Even if I wasn't being bullied, it still sucked. Nobody who seemed interesting, nor anyone who was willing to talk.
I took a look around the neighborhood, a place slowly growing more familiar, even if it
shouldn't. No road leading up to an elementary school one one end, nor the other leading to a trailer park. Just regular houses for what seemed like miles. It came off as rather strange for a place in the middle of the Great Plains, somewhere known for being almost nothing but empty farmland.
My house was a two-story affair, much like the old one. But even with my family and my stuff inside, it was still every bit as unfamiliar as it was when mom and dad showed the realtor's listing. The announcement that we were moving so far away was still a shock, even three months on.
But something caught my eye. A U-Haul truck, and a few underpaid movers hauling furniture and boxes in. New next-door neighbors, huh? Well, if I was going to be here for a while, I may as well start establishing connections. Maybe over the weekend.
I made my way in, the cats giving me a nonchalant look as they perched themselves on the back of the couch. "Hey, Killian. Hey, Clyde," I said, rubbing their heads.
"Hey, Jamie," Mom greeted, a gentle smile on her face. "How was your first day of school?"
A small sigh escaped me. "It wasn't as bad as I thought," I replied.
"Did you get the chance to talk to anyone?"
"Yeah, actually," I gave her a small smile. "The assistant librarian is nice."
A small hum escaped her. "Your sister and dad should be home shortly. Trash needs taken out, by the way."
"Yeah, I'll get to that," I responded. "Just let me hang this stuff up."
"You go do that."
Mom turned back towards the TV, laughing as Judge Judy laid into some dumbass. I'm sure grandpa was having the same good time back home. I hung my backpack and grabbed the trashbag, taking it out front before turning my attention back to the new neighbors. Some guy who looked 50 and an Asian lady talking with a mover, and I could faintly hear a British accent come from the former. Wonder what brought them out here?
I went back inside and made my way up to my room, hopping on my bed and cracking open a book I had picked up from the town library, a weather guide. The skies had always interested me, and living in the middle of Tornado Alley, it would be useful to know the signs of an approaching storm. I read through cloud types, and what they meant. Approaching fronts, atmospheric instability, and simple convection in action. I suppose it helped that weather was going to be covered in science class for the first part of the semester.
The sound of the door opening and shutting came suddenly, which meant my sister was home. I slipped an index card between the pages and made my way downstairs. Cathy seemed a little happier than normal.
"Hey," I opened up.
"Hey~," she replied, practically vibrating with energy. "My English teacher is so
awesome!" She gushed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She was so excitable over the most mundane things. "I can't even describe! He's just… oh god…"
Her breathing was rapid and heavy, and I could see mom just shake her head. Perhaps my sister
did need this move, with no teachers I've had expecting great things from her in turn.
"So I guess your first day was good?" Mom asked. Cathy nodded before bolting to the computer, no doubt to IM her friends back home. "Did anything else happen that was interesting?" She asked, only to receive no reply. A sigh escaped her before she sat back down on the recliner, Killian hopping onto the arm before laying down. She pushed her head against mom's hand, begging for an ear scratch, which was promptly provided.
I made my way to the fridge, grabbing a glass and the jug of milk. There wasn't really too much to do right now. They sent the waivers for field trips and the like by mail, which meant none to bring home for signing. I slowly sipped away at my glass of milk, just enjoying the brief moment of peace and calm in the afternoon sun. I looked out of the sliding glass door and towards the pool in our patio. The news of
that was suffice to get Cathy to stop complaining. Beyond was a fence separating our yard from the single railroad track that ran behind us. No wonder why we got this place so cheap.
"Oh, did you notice that we have new neighbors?" I asked.
"Oh, where?" Mom asked, somewhat surprised.
"Next door. I think one of them's from Britain."
Mom made her way over to the window, taking a look as the moving truck began driving off. "Well, then…" she muttered, stepping away. "I guess we aren't the only new people here."
"Looks like," I agreed.
I glanced towards Cathy, who was completely immersed in YouTube, now that we had gotten headphones for the computer. It was honestly surprising how we went for so long without something like that.
Clyde hopped onto the counter as I sipped on my milk, no doubt wanting a taste. "No, cat," I chided him, before downing the rest. He was a persistent fellow at times, and he gave me a look of betrayal. "We'll get you some next time we go to PetSmart or wherever," I told him, scratching his ears. They twitched in response, before I got up and placed the empty glass in the dishwasher.
A knock at the door caught my attention, alongside everyone else. "I'll get it," I said, walking past a mildly confused Mom. Probably some salesman, or preachers. The latter would have been strange, considering that door-to-door ministers tended to be morning people. I undid the knob and opened the door, and was greeted by a rather pretty brunette with an oddly-elegant hairstyle. Princess Leia buns and a headband helping to hold it all together. But the strangest part was that long tuft of hair arcing skyward. "May I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"HELLO, NEIGHBOUR!!" She practically shouted in my face. I found myself reeling from the unexpected assault, as if a large shell had exploded right in my face. "MY NAME IS KATSUMI VICKERS!!"
I barely heard her name above the sheer
loudness of it all. A glance behind my shoulder saw Mom grimacing, no doubt caught by the blast as well. "How the hell does someone get that loud?" I blurted, only for a deep flush to spread across my face. Oops.
"
Jesus Christ!!" I heard Cathy shout.
"Cathy! Language!" Mom barked.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, desu!" The girl shouted, though less… deafeningly. Desu? I took another look at her, noting the clearly Japanese features on her face. An immigrant from the Far East? Out here in the middle of nowhere, Missouri? Wait… "I didn't know you had sensitive hearing!"
I couldn't help but snicker and want to bang my head against the wall. It was clear that she was either messing with me, or didn't get it.
"Do you need something, Miss… Kat…sumi?" Mom asked, taking over. God, my ears were ringing from that rather explosive introduction.
"I was wanting to get to know the new neighbours is all!" Katsumi cheerfully shouted. I'd admit, that thick Japanese-British accent of hers was
adorable.
"Funny," I began. "We're sort of new to the neighborhood as well."
"Oh, that's amazing, desu!!" She was practically pressed against the screen door, ready to pop the damn thing from its hinges. If anyone asked, I'd chalk it up to a freak tornado. Right part of the country and all. "Maybe we can talk about it over teatime!"
There was something
off about her, but I couldn't begin to fathom what it could be. And was she wearing tinted contacts? I don't remember people having purple eyes, especially not those of Asian descent.
"I'd love to, but we have plans—" Mom began in her 'emergency bullshit' tone, only to be cut off.
"Maybe over the weekend?" Katsumi asked, giving us the puppy dog eyes.
"We'll think about it, sweetie," Mom said, grabbing hold of the front door with a lying smile on her face.
"Kathy, please don't pester the neighbours." Someone with a lemony British accent chided her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, father!" Katsumi apologized curtly, turning to face him.
"Kathy?" Cathy inquired to nobody in particular.
Two people with that name. Fuck me.
"My apologies for my daughter's behavior, Miss?" The man began, raising an eyebrow.
"Hunter," Mom replied, before giving him a small laugh. "And it's alright."
"I should have paid more attention. Kathy tends to be quite excitable when meeting new people," he explained. "Although I do recommend that you and your family join her for tea. She tends to become rather," a deep breath escaped him. "
disappointed when people don't make it to events she arrainged."
That was probably an understatement. Which meant that we found ourselves with someone crazy next door.
"O-Okay," Mom said. Dad was going to crack up when he got home.
"I don't become disappointed!" Protested the man's daughter. "But speaking of tea, I must take my leave! I hope to see you all soon!" She smiled before bolting off home.
Shaking his head, Kathy's father couldn't help but snicker. "Children, you know?"
"Oh, yeah," agreed mom. "Cathy gets excited, too."
"Two birds of a feather, I suppose," he suggested. "Regardless, I'm under the assumption that you'll join us on Saturday?"
"Yeah, we can do that," mom said. "Take care."
"Same to you."
Mom closed the front door before slowly pressing her head against the slab. "Your dad is
not going to believe what just happened."
"Pot calling the kettle black, right there," I said.
"Also, is it just me, or was that thing pointing towards you, Jamie?"
"That tuft of hair?" I asked. Mom nodded. That didn't seem right. "I didn't notice."
A sigh escaped mom. "There's something
off about that Kathy girl…"
"No kidding," I agreed. "I don't remember people of Asian descent having purple eyes."
"Yeah," she said. "I hope I'm just overthinking this."
"I don't think we're thinking
enough," I remarked suspiciously. "I can't put my finger on it, but I got a hunch there's something more to her."
"You two are
weird," Cathy chided us. "She's just some crazy girl. It's not like she's some kind of a ghost or anything."
Maybe, I thought. But everything that happened two seconds ago had made me uneasy. Maybe it was because she made the first move, and a bold one at that, or maybe that hunch was a correct judgement call. Time would tell.
