It was a nice summer night as I started my drive back to the new house. Although my family and I had only moved two hours away, I felt obliged to give my friends a heartfelt goodbye. It wasn’t as if I had a big going away party, but it sure felt like it. Everyone was there, and we all spent the entire day together like old times. We all played a little soccer during the day, and when evening drew near, we had a movie marathon with lots of popcorn and snacks. It was all devoured in less than an hour. I was going to miss being able to hang out with everyone so easily. I could still go and see them, but the time and distance between us increased and it would be harder to plan things out with the different school schedules and work hours. We were going to try our best, but I wasn’t going to keep my hopes up too much. 

My mom got me a job at Uncle Danny’s cafe where he has me working most of the week as much as he needs me, so my days are hectic and sporadic. Uncle Danny told me that I didn’t have to be at the cafe at all hours of the day, but it would be a good idea if I was nearby just in case he needed me. He’s a pretty lenient guy who enjoys letting his family have a nice break. I wasn’t exactly fond of looking for jobs, either, so I was thankful that I got lucky with this job. Especially since it seemed to be easy.

The house was getting closer, and I parked in the driveway and got out of the car. The lights in the living room were turned on, and I saw my mom grinning in the window as she lifted the curtain above her head. I waved back at her with my free hand and with the other, I locked the car with the push of a button. As I neared the door, I could hear my dog scratching frantically at it. I opened the door cautiously, but the second I walked in, I was attacked. I laughed as I was almost knocked over.

“Hey, Bandit. I missed you, too. You haven’t been chewing on my things, have you?” I heard a whine as Bandit shook his head from side to side. “That’s what I like to hear, boy!” 

“Welcome back, dear. How was it?”

“It wasn’t too bad. I didn’t want to go back, to be honest,” I told her with a small laugh to which she nodded.

“I understand. I felt the same way when I was about your age,” my mom laughed and shook her head, having her fair share of moving away from her friends. She was starting to feel old, which she didn’t like too much. She tried to stay as modern as she could by doing all that she could. This included listening to the Top 100 and getting all of the latest gadgets and fashion that most teenagers would die for. I don’t mind it. It suits her most of the time. “By the way, you should head down to the park near the school. I hear they’re doing a bonfire thing there. It sounds a lot like fun. Why don’t you take Bandit with you? I’m sure he would enjoy it!”

I looked at the time. It wasn’t too late, and I guess it would do me some good to meet some people before I went to school. “Sure. Don’t stay up too late, okay, Mom?”

She laughed loudly. “I’ll try my best not to. Have fun, won’t you? And say hi to Evelyn for me if you see her. She’s our next door neighbor. I think she’s in the same grade as you! I have a feeling that you would like her a lot.”

Knowing my mom, she had a crazy night planned with decorating to spruce up the new house and blasting up old school music mixed in with some more modern songs while she sings at the top of her lungs. That, to her, was a perfect night. My dad on the other hand is the complete opposite of my mom. I can imagine him to be down in the basement with a good book with a bit of classical music playing softly in the background. I never quite got how my parents worked so well with each other, but I wasn’t complaining, either. They share an amazing relationship together that I’m hoping one day I can find someone that fit with me that well.

I nodded and grabbed Bandit’s leash as he jumped out the door and wagged his tail with excitement. I gave my mom a hug and a kiss on the forehead before saying goodbye and walking out. Unlocking the car, I walked to the passenger side and opened the door, whistling for Bandit to invite himself in. He rushed onto the seat immediately, and when I closed the door he started to lick the window as if that would make the window go down.

I got to the other side and started the car. It was a cool night, so I had the windows down and Bandit seemed to relax almost instantly.

Backing out of the driveway, I headed towards the school. I didn’t know the area too well, but it was my fault for staying inside more often than trying to explore the new area. I figured, if I get lost tonight, I might as well familarize myself with the place. The music played in the background as I took in the surrounding sights. I noticed Uncle Danny’s Cafe was not too far from home which was a big plus for me because I could just walk over to it. Other than that, none of the stores seem to interest me much.

After about ten minutes, I was able to see the school and the park near it. The bonfire was bigger than I imagined. There was surprisingly more people, and it seemed like an annual tradition. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and many people were full of excitement as they threw things into the fire. 

I didn’t park too far away, so I watched from my car. It didn’t seem like the type of thing I would enjoy, but as long as I’m here, there isn’t a loss for joining in. I opened the trunk to look for something I could throw out, but I could remember throwing out a lot of things and burning them in my back yard with my friends. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an old English paper that didn’t get as good of a grade that I anticipated. It was going to have to do, unless I wanted to throw my basketball away, which wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

I opened the door for Bandit as he jumped out and started to sniff around. He hadn’t familiarized himself too much with his new home, either, I was guessing. He seemed to be excited to get out of the house. I called him back, and put his leash on. I wasn’t going to risk having him bother anyone tonight. Bandit walked around, and I followed. I rolled the English paper up and put it in my back pocket. Once I got the chance to walk by the bonfire, I would throw the paper in and not make a big deal about it.

Bandit’s tail wagged crazily as he barked. He walked over with joy, giving a little bounce in each step that he took. He dragged me behind him, and I didn’t have much of a say in the matter of where we were going, but he was headed towards the bonfire, so I didn’t have any complaints. I wanted to get rid of the paper as soon as I could. I felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket, but I didn’t know why. The grade wasn’t entirely too bad, but it felt weird in my back pocket, and I wanted to get rid of it. Bandit did a good job working towards something he was smelling, and he pulled me behind him. I wasn’t paying much attention because I tried to pull in the surrounding area. He sniffed the ground frantically until he bumped into someone. I looked up, getting ready to apologize.

“How’s it going, Bandit?” There was a laugh. I was surprised to hear someone greet Bandit, let alone have someone call his name. She was a girl with a small figure, but seemed to have a big personality. She bent down and started to scratch Bandit’s ears. I liked her already if she was winning Bandit’s heart.

“You must be Oliver,” she observed. “I’m Evelyn. I’m your next door neighbor. Your mom said to keep an eye out for you tonight. I’m really glad that you could make it!”

I looked at her. Her smile was rather infectious and I smiled back at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I take it that you didn’t necessarily want to come here. Am I right?”

I laughed. I didn’t believe that I was that transparent. “Yeah. My mom actually suggested that I go to meet new people. This isn’t actually my scene. I wasn’t even prepared.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Evelyn said as she leaned closer to me. “I’m never quite prepared for these, either. I never know what to throw into the fire!”

We looked at each other and laughed loudly. “So what did you decide to throw away this year, Evelyn?” 

“It’s really dumb,” she laughed. “I’m throwing away a fan.”

There was a pause, and I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Evelyn pushed me back slightly and smiled, too. “It broke last night. It saved me a lot of thinking, you know? Besides, it’s kind of deep if you think about it. We had a lot of cool times together. Now the relationship is a bit heated and I don’t think the fan likes me anymore.” 

The two of us spent some extra time talking. Personally, I was having a great time. I had never imagined that I could feel this close to someone in a matter of hours. Maybe it was just me, but I felt this unbelievable bond over the littlest things. I was completely amused that she was a part of the bonfire tradition, but never really figured out the reason why people threw things away in the fire. She had been throwing things away for years but have failed to answer that question for herself. 

On top of that, I learned a lot about Evelyn, and I found out that we shared a lot of similarities from the way we liked our pizza (extra cheese) to our favorite color (green). We ended up talking to each other for most of the night. Her attention was on me the entire time, her eyes were focused on mine. It seemed as if we were in this world where no one else could interfere. The two of us were practically feeding off of each other’s chemistry. She would nod her head with excitement when I said something she agreed with, and I would burst out with something ridiculous to show her that I absolutely agreed with her. We stayed this way until it was time to leave.

“Hey, what are you doing on the fourth of July?” I looked at her. Was she asking me out on a date? If she was, I really wouldn’t mind, but I wanted to be the one that could have eventually asked her out on a date. 

“This isn’t like, a date or anything, if you’re thinking that! I mean, you’re new to the area, and I just thought it would be nice if I gave you a little personal tour! I hear that I make a nice tour guide!” She laughed and there was a little twinkle in the corner of her eyes. Despite that the fourth of July was a couple of weeks away, I figured I would take the time to get to know her more.

“I would enjoy that a lot, Elle! It means a lot to me.”

“It’s my pleasure! I’ll see you soon, neighbor!” There was another smile from her. It might have been my imagination, but it was a lot wider than her other smiles. She seemed like a genuinely sweet person, and I was glad that I was able to meet her. I have to make sure to thank my mom when I get the chance.

Not only did I have a good time, I also made a friend. I guess it was all thanks to Bandit, but either way, I don’t think I can wait until I see Evelyn again. I think I’m going to like it here. If not, I could definitely adjust.

“I’ll see you soon, neighbor,” I called out as we left in opposite directions.