Seventeen-year-old Hazel never saw having a sick mom in her future. And the last thing she expected was for her new next-door neighbor to give her a checklist that would change everything.
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After Hazel Winter's mom got sick, all emotion vanishe...
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IT'S FINALLY THE weekend, so for two days, I get a break to have time for myself since the aid will help with my mom. Normally I'll busy myself with a new Netflix show, but my favorite thing to do aside from that is write on the old dock that's behind my house. I found the trail a few years ago, and it's been my spot ever since.
I'm not distracted here by teachers trying to blab on about a useless subject or my classmates sharing the latest gossip. Here I'm surrounded by the sound of a gentle stream beneath the dock, birds chirping in the distance, and it's perfect.
Since it's October, it's getting chilly out, but the large stream of sunlight shining down through the trees is keeping me warm. I turn my face to catch some of the light, sighing in contentment. If it were up to me, I'd keep it October all year round. It's not too hot or cold, and the leaves are beautiful. A bunch of orange and red mixed, looking like an actual painting as I sit on this dock.
Scribbling more down into the brand new notebook I got from the hospital, I put myself into the mind of Sherman Winfred, a Los Angeles detective trying to solve the latest murder case in his hometown. I'm a sucker for a mystery. It's my favorite genre to write.
"So this is where you go all the time." I hear a voice call out from behind me. I instantly know it to be River, and I don't like how familiar it's becoming. His sneakers crunch on the leaves beneath him, and as he steps onto the dock, it creaks loudly, his eyes growing wide before he steps off of it. "Why are you sitting on this?" He asks. "It's a death trap."
"It's fine." I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to my notebook. "I've been sitting here for years. Why are you watching me? Are you stalking me now?"
"I was curious why you go behind your house so often. I wanted to understand the hype."
He steps onto the dock again and shuffles carefully towards the end to sit beside me. His thigh almost touches mine, but I ignore that and turn my gaze to his again.
The beanie is off, and finally, I get to see the brown locks of hair that he hides all the time. It's cute on him, straight and cropped around the sides. He's exactly as I pictured him to look.
"I think you're wanting me to be much cooler than I am," I admit. "You're going to be disappointed when you realize I'm honestly just very boring and keep to myself."
"Is that what you think?" He asks. "That you're boring?"
The question stabs me in the chest because it makes me sound insecure. I am insecure, though, because I'm being honest. I'd never lie, and that's exactly how I feel. There's not much to me.
I shrug and pick at my fingernails as I stare into the creek. "I think I'm not someone anyone would want to know."
