And, that was how I found myself standing on the front porch of the neighbor's house about ten minutes later. And if anything worth mentioning, I was also holding a small, lunchbox full of smiley cookies in my arms.
I sighed tentatively as I looked at the blue-colored lunchbox in my arm. I always knew mom was the jovial and positive type. And like I said earlier, she liked to maintain a good relationship with neighbors.
And that was why she sent my brother and me off to the house of the neighbors to deliver a greeting gift for moving into the neighborhood.
The neighborhood was quite peaceful and serene. And as expected in a small environment like that where everyone knew each other, there was bound to be gossip here and there.
The moment I stepped out earlier, I had caught a few aunties discussing at the house opposite ours. One of them had seen us arrive and she was giving the others the full gist of it. I had very sharp ears so I managed to listen in on their conversation as I walked past them.
Just then, the sounds of movements coming from inside the house made me jolt and I returned my attention to the place I was. I rang the bell earlier and it seemed someone was about to answer it.
Sure enough, there was a series of clicks behind the door, probably from turning the key. And, the door was pulled open.
A young boy about my age stood at the other side of the door with his hands clutching the knob to keep it open. He didn't seem much older than me. But, he was taller. He had dark blonde curly hair and a fairly handsome face to couple with it, it was fair to say he was quite an attractive teen.
As his gaze landed on me, he seemed stunned for a moment. His lips were parted open because he seemed to be about to talk earlier before he was cut short. His gaze roamed over my face for a moment before he finally regained his senses.
To my surprise, however, he popped his head back into the house and exclaimed loudly, "SHIT Kayla, there's a fairy at our door!"
At first, I was stunned. But a moment later, I realized what was going on.
And, I snorted sarcastically in return. "Very funny."
Not to blow my own trumpet, but, I had always known I was very beautiful. I could tell when I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself. I had also heard a lot of compliments from people than I could keep a count of.
I wasn't the shine-in-the-crowd type. Or, the type that would attract the attention of everyone at a party. But, I was beautiful.
The boy turned his attention back to me. Then, he reached out a hand to scratch his head awkwardly. He seemed embarrassed, knowing that he had blurted that out to my hearing.
But it was only for a moment.
He adjusted himself and flashed me a boyish grin. "Hi."
"Hi," I said, returning a smile.
I lifted my hand, stretching out the box towards him. His gaze moved from my face towards the box in my hand and it reflected an expression of confusion.
Noting that, I immediately said, "I was told to deliver this greeting gift. I am the neighbor's daughter. We just moved in."
Afterward, I turned towards our apartment and pointed a finger at it. The boy also looked over and when he realized what I meant, he mouthed an 'oh'.
Then, he reached out to take the lunchbox from me. He was about to speak when there was a shuffle behind him and a figure appeared.
It was a girl this time. She was about the same height as him. They had similar facial features and the same dirty blond hair color. Even their eye color was similar and she was like the female version of him.
It was evident that they were twins.
When she reached us, she stood behind him and looked over his shoulder at me. Her gaze was a little piercing and she was chewing bubble gum with a hint of sassiness. Coupled with her narrowed gaze, she didn't seem especially easy to get along with.
When her gaze landed on me, there was a flash of surprise on her pretty face for a moment before it soon disappeared. Then, she looked me over. It was especially disrespectful to stare at a person for so long but she didn't seem to know this. Even if she did, she didn't seem to care.
I also didn't bother her since I wasn't there to make friends. Life was not all roses and not everyone was meant to like you.
She clicked her tongue and murmured in a way I was not meant to hear. "Not bad."
But, I did hear her. I didn't show any reaction whatsoever. I turned my attention back to her brother and gave him a small, polite smile.
"Then, I will get going."
And then, I turned my back on them. I stepped carefully down the stairs and began to walk back to our house.
As I walked, I could feel their burning gazes on my back. They were also whispering and chatting amongst themselves.
When I reached the gates of our house, I ran into Jasper. He was just coming back from the house of the neighbor.
I also noticed that there was also a small smile on his face. When he reached me, he immediately flung around my shoulder.
"Hey, Lil sis. Everything going well over there?"
I immediately looked up when I heard this. Then, I smiled. "Fairly good."
"Ok," Jasper replied as he opened the door for me to enter. "That's good to hear."
I didn't say anything afterward as I entered the house.