"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~William Shakespeare
It was a dark and stormy night.
Just kidding.
Mom won the staring contest in case you were wondering. She was vigorously slamming letters into her laptop when the screen went black. I thought she would celebrate her hard earned victory but she slammed the laptop shut and shouted some very loud and angry words that I don't think I'm allowed to repeat.
The neighbors had been living on the other side of the road for a week. We were paying them a visit today because my mom had bought them a house-warming cactus. I tried to carry it for her when we left. It didn't feel too great.
"Hello there Harper!"
It was the woman from before, but she was wearing a green dress with dandelion patterns on it. This lady really seemed to like flowers. Maybe my mom should've given them roses.
My mom quickly became distracted by the flower lady so I decided to explore the house. After two bedrooms and a bathroom, I found a room that had been flooded with blue. The walls were a warm aquamarine that beautifully contrasted the icy floor, and the curtains allowed a few small beams of light to pass through, making everything look even stranger.
"Hello?" a soft voice sounded behind me.
I spun around to find a girl standing in the doorway. She looked around my age, with golden hair and blue-grey eyes.
"Are you the girl from last week? I asked. "With the raincoat?" I was trying not to call her a blob. Dad said that would be rude.
She nodded slightly. She somehow seemed to be sinking into her own shadow. Maybe she was just shy.
"What are you doing here?" her voice was so quiet that I had to strain my ears to hear what she was saying.
"I don't know. Maybe we're supposed to be friends."
She paused for a moment, before shrugging and giving me a hug.
"Friends," she said, hiding her smile in my t-shirt.
YOU ARE READING
The Hideaway
Teen FictionWhile Beth may have been Harper's neighbour, she was never the girl next door. She was a dancer. She was a friend. She was the kindest, bravest girl Harper had ever known, and meeting her on that rainy day all those years ago was the best accident s...
