11 Chapter Eleven: The New Neighbor

"Hi, Cara, nice that you have a new friend now. He looks smart and sweet. Today, I feel like I want to meet you in person. However, I will give you more time to be ready. Will meet you the soonest."

Well, it's nice if she will meet him as of this moment. After reading the letter, she immediately went out of her house to see if Mr. Smith was still outside. As he had the courage to send his letter through Choco.

While she immediately went out of her house, she just realized she couldn't see his face unless he showed himself in front of her.

When she's about to get back inside, she noticed unfamiliar faces outside. Some men in their neighborhood are moving things from a truck. Maybe a new neighbor will move into their neighborhood today.

She went back inside to avoid meeting their new neighbor as she hates being friendly to them. She is not a snub. Living a quiet life is just her hobby.

Dingdong!!!

"Cara! We have a visitor sweetie, get yourself down here!" Her mom called her when she was ready to take her nap before going back to school later.

Whoever is the visitor, she doesn't care. Her mom always disturbed her rest whenever she has a visitor. This time she shrugged and continued her nap.

.....

"You've grown up tall and handsome. Cara just went back from school. Maybe she is resting right now. You can meet up later in any time since we are neighbors again." Cara's mom is still the same. She always adores him.

Their family moved into this neighborhood again. He remembered the time he played with her at the playground. They were playful back then until his cousin Vince joined them. If not because of Cara, he's not living his life unremarkably.

"Thank you. I wish Cara will remember me like you are still adoring me. And you are looking younger than yesterday, Mrs. Perez." He replied to her and also complimented her.

"And you're still the same sweet boy I always adore back then."

Like yesterday, he's doing his best to gain lots of brownie points from her parents. So when his parents decide to go back to this neighborhood, he feels energized whenever she thinks Cara will be near him again.

"Mom, I'm going back to school now. Who is our visitor?" Finally, he meets her long-time friend again.

She's getting downstairs, asking her mom while curiously checking him out. She is wearing her school uniform like a model. This is the first time to meet her in a long time. She's still pretty like yesterday.

"Hi, Cara! Do you remember who I am?" He greeted her first. However, she looked perplexed.

"She is your childhood friend, sweetie. Don't you remember Will?" But Mrs. Perez spoiled his little plan for making her curious if she will remember him at some point.

"I lost my childhood memory. I don't think I can remember you." She just reacted like she wasn't at all interested in seeing him or she doesn't really remember him as his friend.

"Their family just moved into our neighborhood again. Are you going back to school again? I thought you have no class today." Her mom broke the awkwardness.

"Oh, I see. I need to go back to the library and return these books." However, she's still cold as ice as he thinks so.

"Aren't you going to the school too? You can go together in her car." Her mom, referring to him, asked him. She's doing a favor for him to catch up with her.

"Oh, yes, I am." He answered abruptly while staring at Cara.

"Mom, I'll fetch Jean on my way." But she is avoiding him.

"It's alright Mrs. Perez. We can catch up later, right Cara?" He said it to her to make her comfortable with him. But she just nodded and walked out fast.

...…

She hates the friendly face of that new guy in the neighborhood. Even though her mother told her he was her childhood playmate then. She's not a girl anymore who will go together playing alone with a boy he doesn't know. Her mother was too complacent with that guy.

She just made an alibi about fetching Jean on her way. Actually, she's going back alone.

She returned the books that she borrowed at the library and get another stack of books for her to read at home.

She started searching for interesting books in the Science section. She couldn't skip every book that caught her eye. An hour or two, window shopping for a different topic of books in the library is her hobby.

Searching again for another book, her feet brought her to the fiction book section.

"Get me out of here." She untouched her finger when she saw an interesting book about romance stories. So she warned herself and skipped this section.

She continued walking to search for another interesting reading in the magazine section.

But she suddenly stopped walking when she noticed something. She later realized there is an eye staring at her while she was browsing through books.

Those eyes were across the section of where she was standing earlier. She returned to the place and looked back again. But the one who's staring at her has gone.

She continued walking in the middle section and try-catch those eyes. She seated herself on the floor for her to hide.

Someone is following her for real. She doesn't have paranoia. The real stalker is there in the library. She felt nervous as a cat.

She can't able to move in her seat as she heard some big steps nearing her place. She left her phone in the locker so she can't make calls and get some help. This library is so enormous that anyone can get into trouble with bad guys.

She wanted to scream but she can't because she feels herself chilling. She heard the steps again until she lost consciousness.