Back home for the night

I sigh when I step down from the bus and head inside, where I get on my homework. Luckily, today isn’t too bad and I’m able to get to Gabbie’s paper before dinner. It’s shockingly easy. I can’t believe that we’re even in the same grade.

“Help your mother.” Asshole orders me the moment I come down the stairs.

“Okay.” I sigh meekly, and help her set the table and dish another mediocre dinner out.

“How’s school?” He asks me.

“It’s going okay.” I say nervously.

“Just okay, huh?”

“No, it’s good.” I tell him. “Just nothing new, I mean, I got hit in the face with a volleyball in gym class. I still had fun, though.”

“Stupid sports.” He snorts. “You’re not going to school to ‘have fun’, you’re going there to get an education, and it was probably your fault. You need to pay attention to your surroundings.”

“I did, it was just so fas…”

“You listen to me, girl.” He growls. “Those glasses are expensive. They’re not broken, are they?”

“No, sir.”

“Good.” He snorts. “If you broke them, we’d have a problem.”

I remain silent and pick at my food.

“You better not forget to bring the garbage cans up after you’re done doing the dishes.” He tells me.

“Okay.”

“Damn right it’s okay. You need to pull your weight in this house, that’s the rule.”

“Yes, dad. I won’t forget.”

“And how far along are you in your MCAT book?”

I stutter.

“You’re behind, aren’t you?” He insinuates, finishing his dinner.

“No, I…”

“Don’t lie to me!” He pounds his fist. “You better finish your dinner and get your sss in gear!”

He storms off and leaves his mess for us to clean up. My mom quietly finishes her food then slinks off to watch some stupid show or read better homes and gardens or whatever it is she does. I get busy cleaning up after dinner.

“Fucking asshole.” I mutter under my breath, scrubbing a pan.

The dishes take way too long, and I grab the garbage from the kitchen, tie it up, and change the bag. I carry the bag outside, throw it in the bin, and start pushing it up to the curb. I hear the same noise coming from my right, and glance over to see my neighbor pushing his garbage can up,

“Fuck.” I grumble nervously, remembering that just last night he saw me naked, and he knows that I know.

We stop and look at each other awkwardly once we reach the curb and place our cans there, only about ten feet apart.

“Hi, Mr. Hughes.” I say shyly, blushing as bright as a cherry.

“Hi… Maddie.” He greets me, trying hard to keep his eyes off my body and on my face. I can tell his imagination is running wild, fresh with the memory of gazing upon my tight, naked, teen body through my window.

“What’s new?” I ask him.

“Oh, uh, nothing.” He says. His discipline breaks and his eyes drop to my hips, but he snaps them back up quickly.

“I get it.” I tell him. “Nothing interesting happens around here anyways.”

“Right.” He laughs nervously, looking at his shoes. “Nothing interesting at all.”

“I need to go do some homework now.” I tell him.”

“Okay, it was nice seeing you.”

Oh I bet it was, I think to myself.

“Okay!” I say cutely. “I’ll see you later!”

If he’s lucky, he just might. The two of us part ways awkwardly and I giggle to myself as I head inside. He’s not bad looking for an older man, not bad looking at all.