Hardly edited, I wrote this quickly from a memory of a past moment. I'll get around to editing this story in the future, so if there are grammar and spelling issues feel free to mention them so I can make note to correct. Enjoy!

It had been two weeks since her encounter with the neighbor. It's like the world suddenly started working or something. Before she had been brutally yelled at, the street and the house next door had been quiet. Now there was constant traffic.

TJ saw him in the late morning, his sleepy eyes staring out over the street as he sipped coffee on the front porch. Sometimes he was wearing full clothes, occasionally a robe, once he had been naked. She had found herself blushing and darting back inside all too quickly, not wanting to get caught staring.

Every time they made eye contact though he scowled. If she hadn't seen him smile at least once a day in the morning she would have been sure that the scowl was a permeant fixture, but all the same.

And with all the resolve in her body she wanted to correct the indiscretion so she could stop cowering every time she ran into him. Her Saturday morning was spent making cookies, her grandmothers recipe sitting out in front of her. She took liberties from time to time, her skills in the kitchen self-taught but still good. It always helped to have instructions in arms reach, however.

After mentally debating the amount of people she had seen coming and going she reasoned with three dozen chocolate chip cookies. She was frazzled when it was all done, but it was an accomplishment she was happy to share.

As if on cue she heard his car pull up, music loud from the speakers. It cut after a few seconds and she grabbed the plate, making sure the saran wrap stayed on as she headed over to the neighbor's house. As she took the first step up to the shabby porch, eyes bouncing around the various lawn ornaments shaped like fridge parts and broken bicycles, the front door opened and the very person she wasn't clicking with stepped out.

He didn't look up, focusing on the cigarette between his lips as he lit it and took the first drag. Eyes now closed he inwardly sighed, dipping his head back and dropping his shoulders as though the nicotine acted instantly.

"What do you want?" he muttered, peeling one eye open to look at her. She wasn't sure if he was attempting to be scary or if it was just a natural aura around him. She felt the abrasive air though, the cookies in her hand suddenly looking very childish indeed. She plastered on a smile, taking the remaining steps to the landing, now standing just inches from him as he breathed out, smoke hitting her in the face and traveling upward.

"I made you cookies, as I'm the dick who's been waking you up too early in the morning." She presented them with a smile, waiting for him to react.

He didn't say anything at first, his eyes bouncing to the plate in her hand, brows furrowing slightly as he seemed to think about the correct response.

"Are those chocolate chip?" he questioned as he took the plate from her. She nodded, stepping aside as he moved forward without hesitation. He dropped down and took a seat on his landing, just next to her feet. She looked down at him as he unwrapped the saran wrap and threw it into his front yard before picking up a cookie and shoving it in his mouth. "Fuck man these are good." He moaned through another bite and she found herself flushing red as she took a seat beside him.

"Thanks?"

"Tell your mom I said thanks," he muttered out through bites, "these are the best."

"Um, I guess I can." TJ laughed, swiping one of her own cookies from his plate. "I mean you'll have to pay for the long-distance call though, cause fuck those fees."

"They leave you in that big house by yourself, what are you like 15?"

She burst out laughing, leaning back into the laugh that rolled through her and made her chest swell. She shook her head, rolling her eyes at him as she fished into her bra. He watched her with confusion as she pulled a joint out, perfectly rolled, a lighter tucked right in beside it. "I'm 18 actually, and this was their idea. Disciplinary action if you wanna call it that."

"Did you just pull a fucking joint out of your bra?" He didn't hesitate to swipe it from her, discarding the cookies on the other side of him in exchange for the doobie. He took a sniff before nodding with approval, lighting the end up quickly before taking a hit. She watched, taking it back after a second before taking her own hit. "Full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I'd like to think I'm pretty normal. Now, the important question," she passed him the joint reaching over him to grab a cookie, "am I forgiven?"

"That's between you and god dollface, I'm just here to get high." He looked out over the street, watching the neighbor across the way shuffle out of their house and head to their car. The summer air around them was vapid, so thick you couldn't breathe. As they sat there in a silence TJ was sure she had already sweat through her tank top and sports bra, her long slender legs frying in the sun. "Whats your name?"

"It's TJ for short." For some reason she didn't want to give him her real name, Tamlyn Jean sounding like something a grandma would hold onto. She shied away from him as he took the blunt back from her and finished it off, grabbing up the plate of cookies and stuffing a few more in his mouth. "You?"

"Mickey."

As she looked over at him, he caught her eyes. She nodded, taking in his name, not sure what else to say. The silence lingered as she studied his face. Sun kissed just lightly, she was sure he was super pale in the winter. His dark hair and dark eyebrows stood out on his complexion, bright blue eyes inspecting her as well. She could see the red haze from the weed as he smiled, his high kicking in.

"This is some good shit," he muttered, looking away from her and handing her back the plate. She inspected the now empty plate and found herself standing, taking the few steps down.

"Where you going?" he called out, standing up himself, watching as she headed over to her own house.

"Home, you're welcome to join. I need more cookies." She took a moment to inspect him over her shoulder, her body shivering at the hard look in his eyes. She knew that look, she had seen it before. He blinked it away though, quickly, nodding his head and glancing back at his house for a moment before following her. She waited for him to get in stride before continuing on, not entirely sure what she was doing as she closed the front door behind him and they headed into the kitchen.