#and dont forget to trim the bushes!! they've been an eyesore for weeks

[shotmrmiller]

since @xoxunhinged wanna talk about neighbor price in my dms.

neighbor price is... unsettling. pervasive. stands a little too close to you, skin prickling with unease. his touch lingers too long— a large hand on the small of your back, on your shoulder, squeezing like a vise.

doesn't wait for an invitation, simply assumes it's already been extended because you'd made small talk with him while watering your plants. mows your lawn without asking, fixes the rickety rough-hewn door to your backyard. (it didn't close all the way, you'd use a brick to keep it shut.)

"wasn't safe, love. there are bad men simply waitin' to take advantage of vulnerable people like you. you're all alone, yeah? not even a dog for protection." (he's the one who knows best. better than you do. patronizing.)

peers over the fence when you're out in the searing summer heat, pulling out weeds. wants to make sure you're not working too hard. pops in when you're in the garage with the door up doing something. "need help with anythin'?"

he bulldozes through your personal space under the guise of concern. a self-appointed guardian.

you get sick and he's already walking through your door, with a bowl of soup and a bottle of meds. he hands you a glass of water, watching you swallow most of it, only to finish the rest himself, his lips on the same spot yours had touched.

makes comments on your hair, your clothes. touches them like they're his. "won't the shirt get dirty? new hairstyle, right?" it's admiration yet feels possessive. claiming.

offers a helping hand yet hides the other behind his back, a cold chain in his fist.

you tell him that while his assistance is appreciated, it's unnecessary and he feigns innocence. "jus' tryin' to be a good neighbor, is all." good intentions. but you've never heard the other neighbors talk about how he's fixed their fence. changed the oil to their car. offer to fix that leaking sink of yours. he's got quite the selective generosity.

his words are coated with honey but there's still an acrid aftertaste. it sits thick on your tongue, coating your tastebuds. sticky residue on your hands, hard to get rid of. insistent. like his presence. just wedged himself into your life, a thorn under your skin. to remove him would be painful, it'd tear at the flesh.

(he'll take your tools, hide them in his shed so that you're obligated to ask him for a favor. forced to repay back this debt someday.)

poor you.

wait til the rest of the 141 come around. you're doomed. autonomy? not around here. price going on a solo, so he calls them over to keep an eye on you. :(