Beyond Average [COMPLETED]✔️

Chapter 5-

This house is pretty big! I have a huge bedroom, and I'm already beginning to make it my own with trophies, basketball stuff (ALWAYS repping Villanova!!), hanging my old varsity jersey on the wall (not trying to brag but I've been on the varsity team since freshman year!), and hanging up white wooden letters on my wall which spell out ASHER. My parents bought them while my mom was still pregnant, so I never want to get rid of them.
"Knock knock!"
I look up.
"Hey, Zo."
"Hey..People are here." She says between chewing grapes.
"People?" I peck an eyebrow.
"Yep. Neighbors I guess."
Zoey plops onto my bed.
"What do you think?" I ask.
"It's very Asher."
Lucky for me, the walls were already a deep green from the previous owners.
"I'm painting mine purple." Zoey tells me.
"That's very Zoey."
"Yep. And I'm putting up trendy posters."
Zoey loves to decorate everything!
"Cool."
Sniff sniff
"So you must be Zoey and Asher.."
We both look up at the entranceway.
"I didn't know the visitors had kids." Zoey exclaims.
"I didn't know you guys did either. I'm Jamie, I live down the road and I will be in eighth grade." She explains.
How can I forget, school starts next week...
"I'll be in seventh grade. I'm eleven but I turn twelve on Halloween." Zoey responds.
"Ooh, we should go trick-or-treating together! It is a lot of fun around here. Unless you are celebrating your birthday instead."
"I can do both I guess. That sounds fun." Zoey smiles.
"Yeah, we just can't go to the creepy house."
"There's a creepy house?!" I ask. Now I'm interested! Creepy and strange things are my guilty pleasure. I get such a thrill out of staying up late until it is pitch black and after midnight to read scary but true tales. I get such a rush!
"Yeah, well, kind of. There's this one house about two blocks away, house number 40. There's this weird shriek I heard once when I rang the doorbell. Everyone swears to it. I'll never go back!"
"Now we have to go back!" I whine.
"We just got here, calm yourself!" Zoey playfully throws my pillow at me.
"You two are funny!" Jamie says as she watches us.
We both smile, except mine is interrupted by a neck twitch.
"So what's it like around here?" I ask Jamie.
"It's kind of boring. Nothing very exciting happens too often, so anytime something does, it gets around quicker than wild fire."
Wow.
"Wow, so everyone knows everyone kind of thing?" I ask.
"Pretty much. Why where are you guys from?"
"Philadelphia."
"I can tell." Jamie chuckles.
"Do we have an accent?" Zoey asks.
"Well, kind of lack of I guess. Well like, what would you call that?" Jamie asks pointing to an ad for coke-a-cola on the back of the magazine on my desk.
"Soda?" Zoey says.
"Nope, it's pop." Jamie laughs.
"No, it's soda-pop and we will end it here."
"It can't be both." Jamie says.
"Well that's why he's the only person in the world who calls it that!" Zoey laughs.
"No way!"
Knock knock!
"Sorry about, Jamie..I'm her brother." A tall boy with blonde hair kids as he enters my room.
"Nah she's cool."
"Yeah" Zoey agrees.
"I'm Asher."
"Todd...I can see you like basketball?"
I smile.
"Yeah, I've been on a basketball team every year since third grade."
"You have a lot in common." Jamie rolls her eyes.
"Grade three? I've been on a team since I was three!"
I nod.
"Cool.."
Sniff sniff
"You trying out I assume?"
"Pretty safe to assume, I just don't know much about how anything will work here."
Todd laughs.
"Nothing works here."
"How bout you guys continue talking about your basketball. Want to talk downstairs, Zoey?"
"Ok. I mean I don't really know my way around the house yet."
"I'll show you, most houses are designed exactly the same here."
The girls leave the room and I am just here with Todd.
"So I hear you just came from Philadelphia to live in this hellhole?"
"I mean it wasn't my choice or anything. My parents are starting to plan a stupid divorce and it spiraled into a bunch of things. One of them being this." I sigh and then scrunch my eyes a few times.
"You'll get used to the air here quickly."
Huh? Oh...this is awkward...
"Yeah..So how's the basketball team?"
"I mean, I am the captain so-"
"Seriously?! That's awesome!"
Todd half smiles.
"Well as the captain, I can tell you these boys are really good."
Now I feel really stupid.
"That's good. Now I know they'll be at my level. So which teams do you like?"
What did I just do...
Now to make the situation even more awkward my arm shakes and twitches a few times.
"Uh, I actually have been following Orlando lately."
"Really? That's pretty cool. I'm pretty into college basketball." I tell Todd.
"Oh really? Me too. Let me guess, Villanova?" He asks looking up my pennants.
"It's a hometown thing." I smile.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Ohio State." Todd chuckles.
I can't tell if we are getting a long or not.
"Yeah."
Silence
Cough cough sniff sniff sniff.
My goodness, it's like my body is a professional at making awkward moments even more awkward..
"But yeah, you should try out for the team. Since you really are into basketball."
"Yeah, I am. I always have."
"That's great. Some of the guys and I get together to shoot and dribble on the weekends at the park across the road. If you want to join us sometime."
"Yeah. Sure."
I've got to make friends at some point!
"Todd, we have to go get ready for supper." Some woman, I guess his mom, comes in.
"Alright. Nice to meet you, Asher."
"You too. See you around, Todd."
Supper? That's a thing?

As soon as Todd leaves I change into my pajamas and head to bed. It's only around 8:30 but it's been a long and exhausting day.
...................................................
"Asher?" I'm woken up by my mom's whisper.
She kneels to my bedside.
"Asher, Sweetheart. Are you sleeping right now? Do you want to talk now?"
I blink a few times and open my eyes.
"How are things? Are you still worried after meeting some kids?"
I shrug.
"I don't know. He's...maybe a little intimidating?"
Mom nods.
"I know. His lifestyle is a little different."
"Mmhmm..."
"Are you still worried about meeting people in school?"
I think about it.
"For the first time in a while I'm worried about my Tourette's."
"Me too."
Wait what?!
"Why?!"
"I'm a mom. That's my job."
I smile.
"I'm looking into something that I think can help..."
I feel my eyelids droop and then....
ZzzzzzZzzzzzZzzzzz......