Way Too Deep... » Places

         Idon'twantodothisIdon'twanttodothisIdon'twanttodothis.

Yes, he had agreed to do this.

Yes, it was the right thing to do.

Yes, it had the potential to make what quite possibly be a difficult time for someone a little less difficult.

Did that mean that he wanted to do it?

Absolutely not.

But here he was, so he might as well suck it up and be a man.

His mother rang the doorbell, not noticing her son's somewhat anxious expression. Not that it mattered, anyway. There was no backing down now.

God, man, you're just meeting a new neighbor. Relax.

Tony's mother smiled as the door opened. Standing just inside the threshold was a girl around his age, with tanned skin and red hair. A little cute, he thought briefly. The girl was giving them a slightly curious look.

"Good morning," his mother said. "I'm Christine Maddock from across the street, and this is my son, Tony. Just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

The girl tilted her head to the side. After a moment, she replied, "Ah. Yes. Thank you. I'm...Jazmine."

"Are your parents home?" Ms. Maddock asked.

"No, they aren't."

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, please tell them that we're happy to help with anything they need."

"Yes, yes. I will. Thanks." Jazmine eyed Tony oddly. "What?"

He shook his head. "What?"

"What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"You...never mind. Nothing," Jazmine muttered exhaustedly. "Sorry."

Well, that sounded incensere.

"Thank you for stopping by. I'll...ask if I need anything," Jazmine said, giving a small smile.

"Alright, good luck with the move! Have a nice day!" Mrs. Maddock said, waving as Jazmine closed her front door. Satisfied, she turned to her son. "She seems like a nice girl. Straightforward, too."

"I guess," Tony murmured. He hadn't been aware that he has been giving the new girl a strange look. Yet something about the whole exchange didn't seem right. Never mind. It was probably just some stupid, irrelevant thought of his. Forcing the idea out of his head, he turned to his mother. "Hey, mom? Is it okay if I go to the university today?"

"I don't see why not," she replied. "Just be home by seven, okay?"

"Got it," Tony said, turning toward a different road. "Later!"

He'd wanted to gain admission to Leroux University since the eighth grade. Now, as a seventeen-year-old junior, and it was high time for him to to work toward earning a scholarship. For the last couple of months, he'd been meeting with a girl named Janet Whitt. Janet, who already went to Leroux, was helping him with meeting scholarship requirements. Things were going well. She was a great help and, admittedly, kind of-

No. Not addmittedly. There was nothing to be admitted.

Not a thing.