Encountering the Lady Next Door

"OH MY GOD CLOVER! CALL THE POLICE!"

My mother's screams had no effect to my already irritated mood.

For crying out loud, who did it this time?

By the time my legs scurried down the stairs and into the living room, my mother laid unconscious on the floor. It was another one of her panic attacks, before her mind decided the lousy fans causing destruction outside was too much for her and she fainted.

Furious, I stomped towards the window and glanced outside. Ten, no, perhaps almost twenty of them stood at our front yard. 

Someone had tossed toilet paper all over the grass. Another had damaged the sprinklers, for I noticed one of them was sputtering water in all directions. Some freak behind the crowd attempted to steal the mailbox. Thank goodness it was empty.

"HEY," I bellowed out, "GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE CAUSING A DISTURBANCE!"

Some girl who I presumed as the leader of this group charged towards me. I immediately slammed the window shut just as she plastered her oily face on the glass.

"Heyyy Mr. Ace Cloverrr," the crazy lady whispered, "open your door. Your fans would love to see how you'd decorate your room!" 

"Get lost."

"Aw come on, pretty please? I'm sure everyone would clean up their messes if you'd just comply-"

"I don't even think you're fans of mine, only haters and idiots would think invading my privacy is a good idea. Now get lost!"

As if God finally answered my prayers, all of us heard sirens approaching. 

Like the rats they were, the crowd immediately dispersed, scattering over fences while a few of them jumped into neighboring backyards. 

Then of course, there had to be that one person who stayed and thought hiding behind a bush at my front yard was a brilliant idea. 

The ambulance arrived. A couple of police cars followed behind and parked on the opposite side of the street. Almost immediately one of them caught sight of the hidden suspect, who foolishly stuck his head out of the bushes because he was too nosy. 

As the police tossed him into the back of the car, I glanced at the ridiculous mess on our yard.

Gosh, imagine wasting toilet paper. And just a couple of years ago, everyone was hoarding them.

"Clover?"

I turned around and saw that an emergency worker had placed my mother on a stretcher. She was wide awake now, with a smile contagious enough for me to return it.

"You alright mom?"

"Oh Clover, thank goodness nothing was broken. Unlike last time with the window-"

"It's OK mom, just relax."

"I can't keep doing this."

My mother's blunt statement caught me off-guard.

"Clover sweetie, I don't know if I can keep handling them. I know this career means so much for you and I'd hate to be the reason you have to stop. The last time I visited the doctor, she said I shouldn't be in an environment that triggers my symptoms. I'm-"

Her voice wavered. I rushed over and held her hand. She lifted hers and stroke my face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"I'm so sorry Clover, but I think it's best you move to a safer area where your fans won't know where you are. After all, this only happened because someone keeps leaking our address."

As if my mother got the sudden strength of an angry lion, she sat up and aggressively grabbed onto the emergency worker's shirt.

"AND I SWEAR, THOSE MORONS WILL FACE THE WRATH OF AN ANGRY MOTHER NEXT TIME-"

"YEESH MOM, RELAX, YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE-"

And then she fainted again.

*******

"Ace Clover goes into hiding after the last doxing incident resulted in his mom fainting. Authorities announced that one suspect has been arrested while the rest remained at large."

A couple of school girls inside the train gossiped among themselves. It had been a couple of weeks since the raid at our home. Frustrated, I had spent several nights overdosing on caffeine and finally secured myself a new apartment at the outskirts of the city. 

I gazed out the window, reminiscing what life was like prior to my sudden popularity. 

It was a random idea too. My mother noticed that my love for the creative arts shined among my crumbled papers. Sketches of outfit designs, lyrics for a song, and even notes of jargon rambled my thought process out loud. Excited that I could make money at an early age, I shared my talents on the Internet.

Of course, being the skilled individual that I am, Ustube and Instar's algorithms blessed my reels with millions of views. For every hater that commented, "your music sucks", a hundred fans stated, "you're an inspiration!"

Then the sponsorships came flocking. 

At first, it was for some random deodorant company. Talk about making a reel featuring a hot lad smelling like the ocean. Too bad my fans can't sniff the scent through their screens. I heard my video increased their sales by tenfold the following week.

Gradually, some clothing company saw my reels of my outfit designs and requested a partnership. I was tempted to say no, but my mother convinced me it could be the opportunity to start my own brand.

And thus, I said yes. 

No wonder people always say, "mothers know best."

After being the perfect model for so many companies, I started my own brand, focusing on techwear since it's obviously the best style of clothing in existence. Whenever I see other content creators dressed in techwear, suddenly everyone looks hotter.

My thoughts derailed as the train's wheels screeched, sending passengers flying towards my direction. My face squished against the window while the stench of every individual's improper hygiene lingered. 

Guess that explained why deodorant companies want these people's money. 

The train halted abruptly, and like the roaring waves everybody tumbled onto the floor. 

I swear, the driver must’ve been drinking last night. 

As lousy as the ride was, plenty of people rushed off the train and carried on with their daily routines. It was a Tuesday of all days. Passengers scurried on their tippy toes, barely avoiding each other. High schoolers frolicked across the platform, waving at their friends. 

Then there was me. A random 19 year old who pursued the fame as an Internet celebrity. College? Nope. And now, I was ready to drop off the face of the earth if it meant some peace and quiet. 

Ultimately, my clothing brand continued to strive, so while I requested a dear friend to take care of the sales, I was free to enjoy a relaxing vacation. 

Minutes ticked by. The train shrieked, irritating my ears with its irking noises. The next station was the last stop of the trip, and coincidentally one where I’d get off to start my new life of solitude. 

I grabbed my bags and headed out as soon as the doors opened. A couple of teenagers noticed my weird attire.

“Heh, nice outfit.”

The girls giggled. I returned a smirk and mouthed, “thanks” before hurriedly exiting up the stairs. 

As most people knew me for my fashionable state, I had to avoid wearing certain brands. Having glasses was a given for a disguise; but a wig mocking the style of a bowl cut sold the appearance.

I had worn a shirt with the captions, “LEAVE ME ALONE.” 

So a lot of people left me alone. 

Or even better, everyone minded their own business. 

The town of Rylis had barely a whisper amongst gossip; often forgotten in maps, overshadowed by other smaller but reputable areas. 

It was a dead zone, stripped of color and replaced by endless rows of tiny homes whose designs reminded me of a second grader’s drawing. 

But that’s exactly why I moved here. 

According to my research, this area is filled with retirees. Dominated by elderly folk, there’s only one school to cover the population of young individuals who stayed to take care of their families. 

And there happened to be one apartment complex with one room that was available for rent. Talk about luck! 

“Ah yes, here I am,” I said when I arrived at the front office, “Ace Clover. Checking in, ma’am, and here’s your deposit.”

“Splendid.”

The receptionist grabbed the envelope without a brief glance at me. Her fingers flicked through the cash, before placing them into a cabinet and pulling out a set of keys. 

Man, what a dull uniform. 

“Excuse me, sir?” 

“Oh,” I hadn’t noticed my eyes happened to glance at her chest, “s-sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ 

“Yeah anyway like I said, here are your keys. Head down this path and to your right. Go up the flight of stairs and you’re the first door to the left.”

“Cool, thanks.”

The stench of autumn captivated my nose as I followed the brick road towards a flight of stairs to the second floor. Butterflies fluttered among the flowers, the sound of birds singing with the wind validated my desire to be with nature.

Ah yes, I’d tell myself, don’t forget to touch grass and smell the roses. 

I reached the upper floor and pulled my keys out. Just as I opened my door, the one next to me slammed with such aggressiveness, my stomach dropped. 

“Eh?!”

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

Standing beside me was a girl no taller than I, her eyes darted everywhere as if she was going through one of my mother’s panic attacks.

“Oh gee, oh goodness, I’m sorry!” She whimpered, shaking her sleeves around, “I was in the middle of killing a spider in my room when I realized my paper’s past due!” 

“College assignment?”

“BIG, I tell you! A big assignment! And gaaaaaaaaah!!”

She buried her face onto her hands. 

“I missed my deadline! Grandma’s gonna kill me! That paper’s worth 40% off total grade! What am I gonna do, I’m going to fail the class-“

With another deep breath, she turned to finally give a proper glance at me. 

“New?”

“Aw gee, I didn’t think you’d realized.”

“Well, I guess that’s good. It’s always nice to meet someone my age.”

“Heh. Yeah.”

Not wanting to further the conversation, I began to pull my bags into the new room. However, the simple touch of a woman’s hand on mine prevented me from taking another step.

“Hey, let me help you,” this strange lady begged, “it’s your first day here, might as well make a friend!”

“Yeah, no thanks. Let’s talk later, I’d rather be left alone for now.”

“Aw ok. I guess I can mope about my assignment in my spider-free room. Well, at least tell me your name!”

“Ac- Ash…Asher.” 

“Nice to meet you, Asher! I’m Em-mmmmmmmMMMMY GOSH WAIT IT’S TUESDAY?!”

I leaned back. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m scheduled to work today, holy smokes! GAH I’M LATE I’M SO LATE, BOSS IS GOING TO KILL ME!”

“Woah, relax, Miss Workaholic, surely you can-“

“NO I CAN’T CALL OFF!”

She ran into her apartment without closing the door behind her. I peered inside, surprisingly quite an organized living room decorated with crystals, and scents from a variety of cultures. Candles lit the dining table, and a cat darker than charcoal laid on the floor, glaring at me. 

“Um, I’m gonna close your door now.”

“WAIT!”

I heard her bedroom door getting slammed beyond oblivion. From a corner out rushed the lady with a hairbrush stuck in between her tangled hair strands.

“Sorry Asher, I gotta go, let’s talk later!” 

“Yeah, that’s what I said-“

“Ok bye!!”

She booked out of her apartment and down the flight of stairs before I finished blinking.

“But, ma’am, you didn’t lock your door…”