PROLOGUE
Four years ago
“Well, the title is definitely the perfect choice for this movie. She’s really is a loser,” I thought, rolling my eyes, and wanting to hurl the remote at the TV because of the awful ending.
I mean, I get where the character’s coming from, truly. A line of high school boys wanting to date you isn’t exactly what you’d expect when you’re an introverted, plus-size hopeless romantic.
But to catfish a guy? Not something I would ever do, no.
How she was forgiven by the guy in the end, after all the lies, is beyond me.
“On second thought, maybe the writer wants to push the fact onto people’s faces that most people really just look at the appearance of a person, and what she did was just a product of society’s cruelness towards the unattractive,” I said as I turnedmy head with an inquiring look towards Andy, who was still quiet.
My dear best friend, whom I thought was still in bed, was up, stretching, and heading for the window.
We were in my room, enjoying a sleepover, since we still have a week left to savor this feeling, without the worry of classes the next day. That’s why we decided to stay up late tonight, and watch whatever looked interesting in the streaming apps that my dad let us log onto.
“I’m over that movie. The popular and pretty girl should’ve been the main character,” she replies with her attention half on our conversation, and half on what she’s finding so amusing outside.
I stayed quiet with just a brow raised at her, and perhaps she picked up on what my line of thought was about her opinion, because she turned to me and immediately went on the defense.
“I mean, come on, she had her struggles. But she still had character development when she turned into a nice person and actually became friends with Sierra,” she said before turning her focus back outside again. “An opportunity that Sierra abused.”
Tilting my head, I took this time to look at her back profile, and I wondered if her post-movie thoughts were really because the pretty girl in the movie is basically her in real life now. Blonde, wavy hair that goes down to her waist, looking like she goes to the salon every day. Fair and smooth skin that makes her look like a real-life Barbie doll. Round eyes, full lips, and a heart-shaped face. Although that wasn’t always the case, she is on her way to becoming one of the most attractive people here in Bridgetowne.
We had been friends since we were little, and surprise, surprise, our friendship was forged on our similarities. Even though she was blonde, and I had brunette hair, we were twochubby little kids in primary school, and it was our struggle to fit in with everyone else that made us grow closer to each other.
I’m not sure if puberty played a role in her transformation or if it was just sheer will, but somehow, during our last year in middle school, she found her way to a healthier lifestyle while I found my way to my now favorite place in this town: Jodi’s Diner.
Jodi’s stands as one of the main hangout spots in town, and despite being a bit run-down after three generations of ownership, loyal customers from all over town continue to keep it alive. The diner is old enough that my grandpa used to take my dad there after peewee football, and I think one reason they’ve lasted this long is that all their menu items are equally good. I couldn’t choose a favorite meal combo at Jodi’s if I tried. And trust me, I really tried.
Right now, though, I’m craving an Oreo milkshake. Maybe Andy and I can go for a quick bike ride?—
Andy’s sudden turn interrupted my thoughts as she looked at me with her back against the window. She has always been comfortable in my room since she basically comes here every day. “I know you’re not used to it, but you should start remembering to close your curtains now that someone lives in the house across the street.”
Guess that answers what she was so focused on looking at.
“Are they moving in soon?” She asked further as I stood up from the bed and walked to the space beside her by the window, peeking at the pickup truck in our new neighbors’ driveway.
The house had been vacant for about two summers, and we already expected that new people would come to town when they removed the ‘for sale’ sign a month ago, but we didn’t know when the family would move in.
“Looks like they’re done, actually. Back of pickup truck is empty, and there aren’t any boxes left outside,” I guessed, whichwas all I could do, because we haven’t left the house since last night.
As if the new neighbors found out that we switched on our stalker mode, their front door opened, and my stimuli made me move out of full view from the window, getting as close as I could to the wall, trying to be invisible to the person walking out. I looked to my right to see Andy doing the same on her side of the window.
Once the initial panic starts to fade, I let my head pass the edge of the wall, looking through the glass, and seeing a guy our age walking out their now open door. He was holding some kind of dish as he made his way across the street, inching closer and closer to our house.
The corners of my lips curled up into a smile at the impression that our supposed-to-be casual sleepover is about to be ten times more interesting. “Is he…?” I started, and I didn’t get to finish my question as if on cue, the doorbell rang.
My eyes widen, and I look at Andy, who is already matching the expression on my face. “He’s coming over to introduce himself as your new neighbor,” Andy said in a hushed yet excited tone, straightening up and fixing her clothes, making me laugh as I playfully push her away to race downstairs and take a peek to satisfy my curiosity.
I stopped near the bottom of our stairway, sitting down on one of the steps as it gave me a full view of the front door. My dad slips his head out of his home office as if summoned by the sound of the doorbell, his hands on either side of the open archway. He catches a glimpse of me on the stairway, giving me a weird face.
“Who’s that?” He asks, clearly not having a single clue about who could be visiting at this hour without us having prior knowledge about it.
“New neighbor. House across.” I chuckled as his brows went up his forehead with an expression that said he was now as intrigued as me. Intrigued by the new townsfolk, or at me for knowing, I didn’t know. At least I didn’t have to really answer him that we were actually stalking from upstairs.
Where’s Andy? She’s going to miss the grand reveal.
