SATELLITE HEART [A BARLEY LIGHTFOOT x READER STORY]

chapter 1

Your alarm blared at seven in the morning, forcing you out of your comfortable bed and into a full day of things to do. Firstly, turn the coffee pot on. Secondly, wake up your younger siblings so they can get ready before school starts. And thirdly, take out the trash, because it was unfortunately your chore this week.

Eager to pour the coffee and chug a mug or two of it down before school, you slipped on your house shoes and grabbed the trash bag from the can. It was heavy with spoiled spaghetti leftovers weighing it down. You tied it quickly, not caring that you didn't do that great of a job at tightening the knot, and dragged it out the front door. The sun was barely up, giving the world a tint of blue that annoyed you. The lack of sunlight reminded you that you had an entire day of work left to do. All you wanted to do was sleep in. You went down the drive way to the empty trash bins that waited in the yard. You heaved the bag up into the trash can and glanced up as you heard an echo of the same sound a few feet away.

Barley Lightfoot, your next door neighbor that you didn't really know, dropped two bags of trash into the can in front of his house. He caught your eye and grinned, offering a friendly wave. You returned the gesture a bit shyly and turned around to grab the second trash can that was already full, pulling it next to the one you just filled. You weren't in the mood for small talk. Besides, Barley was not exactly the kind of person you thought to hang out with often, even though he was your age. He was punk --- or was it grunge? Whatever, you weren't sure. But he was always in trouble. His stepdad worked with your father at the police station. Barley was known for being the rotten apple around town, always breaking laws and getting into trouble. But he didn't seem to try to talk to you as he loaded up the cans, and you weren't upset at all about that.

In your hurry to get things done and moving, you didn't seem to realize the wheel on the second trashcan was cracked. A slight nudge of your hand sent it off balance, bumping you and the other trash can, sending the trash you just filled crashing towards the road. It hit the pavement. You gasped. Contents spilled, thanks to your lack of tightening the knot on the bag. Spaghetti cause splattered all over your soft pink pajama pants and your oversized t-shirt.

"Are you kidding me?!" you grumbled under your breath. You kicked the can, unable to believe your bad luck already, and then bent over to start picking up the litter.

"I hate when that happens," Barley said. You raised your head and there he was, scooping up the trash with his hands without any problem. "What a bad way to start the day, right?"

"Uh, yeah," you said, lifting the can. He dropped a handful of trash in it and smiled at you. "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem, just being a good neighbor," he said, shrugging. "And a gentleman, because when you see a maiden in distress, you help her." His eye caught yours and he cringed only slightly. "Not that I'm calling you weak or anything. You're obviously strong, just---"

You laughed at him a little. You couldn't help it. "You're okay."

"Okay." He smiled. You were ready to turn and go, but he kept talking. "Your name's ___, right?"

"Yeah," you said, sighing quietly. "And you're Barley."

He nodded, an awkward but prideful grin on his face. "I guess your dad has probably told you about me enough that we can skip the introductions."

You laughed. "Yeah, probably. I probably know more about your record than your mom does."

"I don't doubt it," he said, laughing. "Although Colt makes sure my mom stays updated on the trouble I'm in. Makes it a little hard to stay ungrounded."

"Oh, yeah," you said. "You could always try to stay out of trouble."

"Too boring," he said, hands on his hips. "I like the danger and excitement of adventure."