Unsurprisingly, I had nothing planned this summer. Like normal, I'd probably spend it playing computer games and trying to motivate myself to do homework due in the first week of term. (I'd probably just end up playing the computer games.) There was only one word I could use to describe my life: routine. I seriously needed to get out and break this routine before it was too late, so I promised myself I'd find something to do. I'd asked my mom for some suggestions but thought to myself that I really shouldn't have bothered in the first place after the ridiculous things she came up with.
I stared out of the bedroom window, which overlooked a large patch of grass and a river, hoping to get some ideas. Where I lived was very quiet; it was a road which sat on the outskirts of a small town in England called Weston-super-Mare. The houses were recently built and I enjoyed living there with my mom and elder brother, Oliver.
My mom was the overprotective, uptight mom, who was easily stressed in the calmest of situations. My brother, however, was the complete opposite. He was the one to calm the arguments down ā or in other words ā take my mom's side and argue with me until I gave up.
Home life was hard, but I'd gotten used to it since dad left.
Still desperately trying to find ideas, I realised staring into space wasn't the answer.
As I went to leave and open up my laptop, I saw the guy who lived next door, unpacking a few things from a van that had just pulled up outside. He moved in just under a month ago but nearly every day he had things being delivered. From what I could see, he was tall, about 6 foot 1, and skinny with long natural blonde hair and maroon coloured eyes. I'd never spoken to him before because he seemed to keep to himself and only came out if he was going somewhere or unpacking. No-one seemed to visit him either, which kind of earned him sympathy.
Then it struck me and I figured what I was going to do this summer. I decided I was going to help people and earn myself some good karma. The guy seriously looked like he needed help, so what was the harm in assisting him?
I ran downstairs and out the front door before my mom or Oliver could ask me what I was doing, and casually walked over to the van. The guy was half way in the van, unpacking what looked like a very heavy box.
"Um... hey," I said. "Do you need any help?" With that, he jumped with surprise, dropped the box and I heard an ear-splitting crunch and splatter from whatever that was in it that was now broken.
"Shit." He muttered, and then he looked at me. I could see him much better up close; his maroon coloured eyes were really milky brown and his blonde hair was sticking up in all directions. I wasn't sure whether it was his bed head or he'd styled it like that. He wasn't really dressed for the occasion by wearing a pair of skinny jeans, Converse and a Drop Dead t-shirt but I couldn't complain; I was wearing close to the same.
"Oh crap, I'm so sorry." I squealed, which wasn't the way it was supposed to come out.
The guy just laughed, "Don't worry about it." He started to walk towards the house with the broken box and went into the kitchen. I stood on the porch, not sure what to do.
"Hey, you can come in, I'm not gonna bite you." He called from the kitchen. Nervously I stepped inside the house, which was quite tidy, and followed him into the kitchen.
"Between you and me," He said, "that stuff in the box is better off broken."
"What was it?" I asked. He lifted up one of the pieces and showed it to me, before throwing it in the recycling bin.
"A hideous moving away present my aunt gave me: a bone china set worth nothing, that she expected me to keep. So, thanks to you scaring me, I don't need to worry about them. Technically, I owe you."
"Tell you what, after we've finished unpacking, we'll go to Costa Coffee and you can buy me a drink."
"Sure thing, I could do with some help."
He smiled at me and passed me so he could get to the van where more boxes full of (hopefully) lighter stuff was packed neatly in the back. I followed him out and stood at the end of the van, ready to take some things inside. He leaned down and picked up a clear plastic bag and grimaced.
'That definitely wasn't there the last time I checked.'
'What is it?'
'I don't know but whatever it is it's way past its sell-by date.'
'That is grim.'
In the bottom of the bag he was holding up, there was some kind of food in a packet that had exploded which had been there for what looked like a long time and had started to go green. The bag he was holding up started to leak green waste and he quickly threw it out of his hands and into the road. I watched it fly through the air then looked back at the guy and he shrugged.
'I don't care where it goes but I am not touching that again,' He said as he picked up another box to give to me, 'this is a bit heavy but do you think you could carry it?'
'Sure. My secret talent is strength.' I replied sarcastically, taking the box inside quickly before my arms gave way and I broke more things of his. As I came back and out of the house to grab another box, I forgot that the bag full of green stuff was on the floor. Before I could do anything, I stepped on it at slipped on the floor, right on my backside.
'Whoa, are you okay?' the guy got out of the van and crouched next to me. He lifted me by the arms and managed to get me to my feet again but I winced in the agony that was being spread through my body.
'Yeah, I think I'm okay.' I could feel myself going bright red; why did I have to embarrassing myself every time I was with someone, especially a guy?
'Nothing's broken, is it?' he asked, checking to make sure my ankle wasn't damaged or anything. I winced again and he seemed genuinely concerned about me.
'Nope,' I said, 'I think I'm okay. Don't worry about me, I always fall over or do something stupid.'
He shot me a sympathetic smile and sat me down at the end of the van after limping over. He picked up the bag and outstretched his arm so it was the furthest away from his nose as possible and dumped it in the bin that was near him.
I laughed and pointed at the bin, 'I thought you didn't want to touch that again.'
He shrugged. 'I don't anyone breaking their neck if they slip. It'll be my fault and I'll be screwed.'
He had a fair point. I mean, I wouldn't want to touch that stuff, but I suppose it would be okay to spend a couple of seconds touching that instead of a couple of hours in court. As I watched him go back into the van and unload another 5 boxes into the house, my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller name and sighed. It was mom. I took a deep breath and answered my phone.
'Hello? Yes. No. Mom I'm outside. I'm with the guy next door helping him unpack. Yes, mom. Okay, fine. Bye.' I put the phone down and he raised his eyebrows, catching the end of my conversation, 'don't worry, family troubles. My mom's too protective and my brother does my head in.'
'Ah.' He said, 'you gonna help me with these or are you gonna sit there and pretend you have a broken ankle?'
'Yeah, sorry.' I said, jumping off the side of the van and nabbing the box out of his hands.
He winked at me and laughed. 'I was joking, y'know. I just didn't want to ask about your family.'
I shrugged and shook my head, 'don't worry about it. You can ask whatever you want about anything; I have this thing where I open up to people really easily. I just want to be heard. God, I sound so depressing and needy.'
The guy laughed and flicked his hair, finally the bits sticking out were flattened; it was really started to get on my nerves. We finished unloading the van and he locked it up and grabbing his bag from the front.
Thinking about it, I hadn't even asked what his name was.
'Hey, call it late or whatever, but what'sā'
'My name?' he suggested, putting his rucksack down and holding out his hand.
'Yeah, how did you know?'
He leaned in and whispered, 'I'm psychic.' Then he laughed and pulled away. 'Only joking, my name's Sam.'
'Hey, Sam. I'm Annabelle.'
'Well, it's nice to meet you, Annabelle. Now, how about that drink at Costa?'
