Greeting the Neighbor1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPpSyPKzHt
Charlie started the car, putting it in reverse as her blind spot recognition beeped. Rear incoming traffic. Gasping, she put the car in brake and clutched her hand over her heart. That was a close one. It certainly would have been a collision had there not been the beeping coming from the rear backup camera. She edged out of her driveway carefully and smoothed out her long, blonde hair. She had been through several treatments to get it this smooth and silky. She smiled at reflection in the rear view mirror. Damn. Her hair really did look good today. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI102LZ4Ron
Now on the street, Charlie passed by an elderly couple. Her neighbors. They were friendly enough and they had a beautiful golden retriever with long, flowing golden hair. Much like her own. She liked that the Petersons were friendly to her as well. It was like a breath of fresh air, talking to the both of them. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9N99oQA8e
She put the window down. "Hey, Mr. Peterson." Charlie smiled. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruH2AXVb58
He blinked. "What do you want? Haven't you bothered us enough?" 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NCOt9zPK5
"Come on, can't I just engage in a bit of friendly conversation?" 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoZ6dA1NRa
Mr. Peterson took off his Fedora hat, showing a little thinning out. His salt and pepper hair was beginning to gray a little more. "What are you doing, Charlie?" he asked, sighing.1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIwgWkWxHO
"I was just going to work," she said. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqkJaxcRER
"Work? Since when?" he asked. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNFY1ZMUM0
"Since yesterday. Got myself a new job." She swelled her chest, puffing it up. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDtI22y6Sq
"Okay, Charlie. If you have something really relevant to say, then you should be going on now. All right? You're holding up traffic." 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWg3EX2mrc
She then heard the series of honks, noticing a few cars behind her. Angry shouts. She waved her hand and put the car back in drive. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVF0m1ZWVqh
"Bye, Mr. Peterson! Have a nice day, sir. And bye bye Soph." She waved to the dog.1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEPmBJEiBZ
The dog was trying to get in Charlie's car. Sad eyes. Whimpering. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKromfUzOz
"Come on, Soph." He tugged at the leash. "She doesn't want to pet you right now. And for the love of all things good, stop calling me Mr. Peterson." He scoffed and walked away quickly.1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDPgY1rO9H
"Fine then, asshole," she said once the window was up. "Be that way. Some neighbors I have." 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDScKUQftqC
Charlie began to drive out of the neighborhood. The idyllic homes. The perfect couples. Families. All of this behind her. She looked out of the rear mirror and saw the flash of Soph in the distance. Mr. Peterson running after her. It was for the best. All for the best. 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhxT3I0fVJ
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"So. Miss Peterson," the lawyer said as his wire-rimmed glasses fell down to the tip of his nose. "Why is it that you want to change your name legally?" 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1Z30nj2Qc
Charlie sighed. "Because I want to. Is there a problem?" 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke0JsNN6Ec
"Well," he said. "These things are complicated. You're under 18. And you're not legally emancipated from your parents, so you can't change your name unless your father agrees to it. It doesn't sound like he does."1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDLZy5kCaj
She pursed her lips. "Mr. Peterson is not my father." 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbioo5BU9pC
The lawyer nodded. "But your dad agreed to a paternity test to prove his point. You are 99.9% related to him. So yes, he is your father." 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD2fr6usIr
Why didn't anyone understand that she was not his daughter? How long would it take to prove this?1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGG0ZiBIqCl
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This was so difficult to pull of. Like you have no idea. I probably failed at this one like I always fail at this one. The point of this exercise is to create an unreliable third person narrator. So, yeah, Charlie is constantly lying to the reader, leaving them to believe the lies at first, but we find out at the end that the neighbor is actually Charlie's dad. I don't know if anything will ever come of this exercise, but it was definitely a stretch for me. I really did enjoy writing an unreliable third person POV, it was just super hard to do. I hope you enjoyed this one! 1046Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hJzFw8NMC
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