Chapter 1

It was 11:45 and my fingers wouldn't stop fidgeting. No, not only my fingers, but my entire body. I was squirming in the chair and noisily tapping my fingers on the desk as I counted the minutes down to twelve midnight. I even willed myself not to blink because I couldn’t afford to lose this week’s online book auction on Stephen King’s The Shining. It’s a classic! Okay, you’re probably thinking that I should just get a copy from the book store or place an order on A****n and have it delivered right to my doorstep. But you see, this is not just any book. This one is signed by the legend himself with a secret handwritten message on the 217th page of the book, referencing the haunted hotel room in the story’s Overlook Hotel. Now, do you get why I can’t just let this go? Geeky. I know. I took a sip of coffee as I waited. I could see my palms sweating. I’ve always been a huge fan of Stephen King and his works, and The Shining is one of my absolute favorites. So, I

Last Updated : 2021-11-25

Chapter 2

“Jackson Young? As in, the Jackson Young?” I got Nelson to FaceTime me right away and told him about the e-mail. “You’re kidding, right?”“I’m not! It’s him! The Jackson Young from next door!” I read him the e-mail twice now, yet he still doesn’t believe me.“I’m your next door,” he replied, raising one eyebrow at me.“Okay, fine. The other next door neighbor!”Apparently, in the small village of Addersfield, Jackson Young is really popular. Not celebrity-like popular, but everyone in the village knew him. He was a straight-A student, the teacher’s favorite, a talented musician, a kind boy with a pretty face — he’s the all-rounder type of guy. Everybody loved him and his rendition of “I can be your hero baby”. He’s quite the singer too. We never really had the same classes whi

Last Updated : 2021-11-25

Chapter 3

“Oh my days. Vera Lee flirting with the Jackson Young!” Nelson’s shriek was so loud that I felt like my phone was on speaker mode. “Shut up, it wasn’t like that,” I replied.“Excuse me?” Nelson’s voice was now using his as-a-matter-of-fact tone. “Two people don’t just talk about random life things up to 2:30 in the morning. Doesn’t work that way babe.”“Ok that was because of the cookies.”“And!” His voice was louder now. “No one bakes cookies for neighbors. Neighbors hate each other. We don’t just give cookies.”“You and I don’t hate each other! We’re good neighbors to each other.” I rebutted.“And I feel like you guys like each other too! You and your OTHER neighbor.”Nelson got to tease me all morning after telling him about Jacks

Last Updated : 2021-11-26

Chapter 4

I was a hundred and one percent sure I was dreaming. In the dream, my grandmother was standing in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for me. “Oh, honey, you’re up. Now, have some breakfast before leaving.” She set the plates up on the counter and gave me two pieces of bacon and an egg.On most days, I’d grab a piece of bacon and munch right away. But not today. I wrapped my arms around my grandmother and hugged her tight. “Oh,” she said with a giggle. “Bad dream?” I nodded with my head still on her shoulder. “Sssh.” She patted my back gently and pulled me even closer. “Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay.” She let go of me to stare into my eyes. My grandmother was beautiful. The wrinkles around her eyes just made her look old. But she was so beautiful. I hoped

Last Updated : 2021-11-27

Chapter 5

nelson_00z: hey! guess who?ladyvera: oprah?nelson_00z: ha ha very funnynelson_00z: i was kinda hoping for an answer like bretman rocknelson_00z: you know bretman, right?nelson_00z: anyway what movie are we on for tonight?ladyvera: anything paranormal? i have an updated listnelson_00z: nojackson101: nopenelson_00z: srsly vera watch ghost stuff alone zzznelson_00z: you know im not great with screams on screenjackson101: same herenelson_00z: how about some comedy?ladyvera: not my area of expertisejackson101: adam sandler films?jackson101: i like that guy..nelson_00z: oooh!! i like that

Last Updated : 2021-11-30

Chapter 6

“Brown or black?” Nelson called me too early to help him with his outfit for today’s community meeting. “What brown?” Feeling groggy early in the morning, I covered my face with a pillow. “Seriously, can we talk about this later?”“Turn on your cam please!”I groaned as I did what he asked. And what greeted me was the full body image of Nelson Curtis trying on different sweaters. His room was a mess! His clothes were scattered on his bed, and pants on the floor — what was happening?“Okay, listen. The brown one looks warm and aesthetic, right?”I nodded.“But black makes me look sophisticated. And that’s hot. So I might go for black,” he continued.I nodded. Again.“Wake up and help me out!” He said, panicking.“Nelson, it’s seven in the morning. The meeting&rs

Last Updated : 2021-12-05