iAmAStalker

We're invisible. The ones you walk by, never notice, rarely hear. But with this comes a terrible responsibility. Because what most people don't know is the quiet ones hear things.

And what we hear may shock you.

~

I know a lot of things.

Like how in third grade, Billy Stevenson commited the still-unsolved bolognese attack on the cafeteria ceiling.

Or like in fifth grade when Chelsie's lunch money was stolen by a robotic dog.

And not to forget last year in 8th grade when Vanessa Horowitz kissed Brooke VanHelsing and they "dated" for approximately two hours.

And believe it or not, I don't try to find these things out. It's just hard not to when they make it so easy. When you're quiet, you're invisible, and nobody suspects you of knowing anything.

I don't remember which one of us had the idea, me or Danni, but for almost three years now we've been blogging everything that happens. Danni gets the story and I get the pictures, and still, no one has a clue, even when they talk about it in the halls. So like I said, invisible.

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I backed up quickly to avoid being run over by a herd of dogs and my dad, who were all running to the beeping timer on the coffee maker. Staring at the dogs while at what I deemed a safe time, I quickly ran behind the kitchen table, opening a cabinet and searching for the cereal box.

"Hey there Kimmy!" Dad had two mugs of coffee, trying not to spill as he tripped over the barking dogs.

"Hiya dad," I stuck my head in the cabinet, still not finding the cereal. Or the bowls, for that matter.

"Can you, erm... help? Your mum needs coffee and I seem to be cut off," he smiled sheepishly as I stuck my tongue out at him.

" Liz, Gabby, Fil, Toby, go outside!" I pointed at the door, abandoning my search for breakfast. Liz and Fil didn't pay any attention, still barking and trying to investigate the very suspicious coffee puddles that had spilled. Gabby sat, scratched her ear, then trotted through the doggie door while Toby stared up at me with a dumb look on his face as if his only thought was "Hiiiiii!"

"Ahh, that'll do, thanks love.." he sidled around Liz and Fil, as they were still distracted, and disappeared into "The Creative Room," which is a fancy way of saying office. They must still be busy writing, which would explain the disappearance of certain things. Like food. Giving up my search for something that was actually healthy, I kicked Liz and Fil away and checked the fridge, grabbing what was left of dinner last night, pizza, and throwing it in the microwave. Toby barked at me, wagging his tail happily.

"No, this is people food," I took a bite of the still-cold pizza, grabbed my math book which was still sitting on the table, walked through the living room where the bowls had been stacked precariously on the coffee table for some reason, then stomped up the stairs to my room. Four sets of paws followed me all the way up; Gabby must have known I left the kitchen, somehow, and came back in to investigate. Throwing the book onto my bed, I took another bite of pizza and looked out the window at the street, hearing the dogs sniff around my room. It was still quiet, being 6 in the morning, but the sun was up.

I threw the remainder of my breakfast away, then packed up my backpack. I had an hour, I guess, but the morning is when you hear the interesting stuff. Besides, Danni and I always met at the playground just outside school--well, walked and stayed there until school started--for whatever; homework help, talking about people, complaining about parents, normal friend stuff. Quickly, I grabbed my camera and backpack and went back downstairs. With Toby, as the others had decided my room was far more interesting.

"I'm gonna go to school, now!" I shouted.

Dad's "okay" mingled with something Mom said.

"What?"

"I said, 'Don't forget lunch money!'"

"Kay!" I grabbed a few bills from the jar on the kitchen counter.

"Also, Kimberly!" I stopped and sighed, having already made it to the door and half-opening it.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to put the dogs out, one of them chewed my slippers yesterday!"

Wrinkling my nose, I  rounded up the other three, then herded them outside. Before shutting the door behind me, I was sure to lock the doggie door; the last time I forgot, it had rained and there was mud EVERYWHERE. Although, I was sure today was going to be sunny as ever, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Bye guys, love you!" I slipped through the gate before they noticed. After they noticed, however, it was a chorus of barks and howls at the fence that separated us.  Shaking my head, I broke into a half run.

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BEEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEP

With a jump, I leapt out of my bed and ran downstairs, making a mental check of where everyone should be. My little brother Josh was at a friends house, mom’s at work, and my dad is probably trying to put the fire out.

Yep, the fire.

You see, my dad is an “inventor” of a sort. He experiments with different things from time to time, trying to find his way to making the next billion dollar product. The basement is his work area, and he was working on making some weird design for a backpack...how that catches fire, I have no idea.

“DAD!” I called out, grabbing a fire extinguisher in the living room. We had one in every room, same with phones and fire alarms. The sound of an extinguisher already in use filled my ears.

“It’s okay!” I heard his higher-than-normal voice call out. “Don’t call the station!”

Sighing, I dropped the extinguisher at my side and walked over to the basement stairs, where my dad was standing with another extinguisher in his hand. The stairwell, and probably the majority of the basement, was covered in the foam.

“What did you set on fire this time?” I asked him.

“I was testing my fireproof backpack,” My dad responded, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t think it worked.”

“At four in the morning?!”

“I was inspired.”

I stared at him for a second before spinning on my heel heading up to the bathroom, silencing all the alarms as I went. School started in about three hours, I might as well get ready to hear the day’s gossip about the weekend.

That’s what me and my friend, Kim, do. We have a blog we write anonymously, talking about the schools gossip and other random things. The thing is, we aren’t told the gossip. Hardly anyone even talks to me. I hear these things.

People at school think whispering the corner when I am exactly five feet away is enough privacy, but it never is. I hear about the latest parties, the most embarrassing things you could think of, and no one knows I hear it. Everyone thinks I’m working, reading, or not even there, and it works to my advantage. Kim and I work on our blog, and no one knows its us.

It’s not just kids at school we hear things from; we also hear the teachers gossip. Let me tell you, that gossip can be way more interesting than student gossip. Especially when Kim does her thing and gets pictures to go with.

After getting ready, which consisted of a long shower, jeans, and a light blue tee-shirt that says “*Warning: I do stupid things”, I headed back down the stairs to see my dad on his knees washing off the foam.

“You got a minute, kiddo?” My dad asked, looking up at me with the pair of goggles that made his eyes look like they were bugging out. I twitched, not liking the ‘kiddo’. My name Danielle, not ‘kiddo’.

“No dad, I’m going to meet Kim down at the park.”

“Be careful!”

“I will!” I shouted as I grabbed my backpack and dashed out the door.

~~~~~

* Got the tee-shirt from: http://www.betterthanpants.com/warning-i-do-stupid-things-t-shirt.html Just putting that out there so we don't get sued...