A crisp autumn breeze filled the air and Henry Garibay was outside his house, raking the leaves along the chain link fence. With each passing gust, the leaves clinging to the fence trembled and rustled, as if they were engaged in a lively dance.
Henry knew that Marisol, his neighbor on the other side, would be arriving soon, and he didn't want to miss the chance to say, 'hello.' So he waited patiently until he saw her mother's car turning the corner.
Henry adjusted his glasses, "She's going to be so thrilled when she hears what I'm working on," he thought to himself, his heart filled with excitement.
Marisol stepped out of the car, and Henry tried to look cool by leaning on his rake. But unfortunately, the plastic at the bottom bent, causing him to awkwardly lose his balance and slip against the fence. His glasses fell through to the other side, and Marisol picked them up. "Are you okay, Henry?" she asked, handing them back with a smile.
Love had a way of captivating him whenever he laid eyes on her. It had been that way since day one when she moved in next door. He never dared to say anything though. How could he? She was so beautiful. She was smart too, a brilliant mind. But Henry didn't have the look that every girl desired. He saw the type of guys that would throw themselves at her and wondered how he could ever compete. They were all masculine men who didn't wear glasses or spend their nights alone in their lab. Sure, she loved science like him, but Henry wasn't sure if she even saw him like that.
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Henry couldn't help but notice the vibrant glow on her face. A stark contrast to the defeated expression she had worn in the past few days. He thought she looked a lot prettier this way. But still, he felt an urge to know the reason behind the sudden change. So he made a mental note of it for later. He stared at her for a second too long making Marisol feel uncomfortable. "Okay, I'll uh, catch you later," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she turned to head home.
"Hey wait!" Henry called out. Marisol turned around waiting to see what he wanted.
"Will you, will you be entering the science fair?" he asked, nervously.
"You know I am, Henry, so you better come up with something good or it'll be a repeat of last year," she responded.
As Marisol disappeared inside, Henry's smile lingered, his words caught in his throat. He never did know what to say to her when it was actually time to speak. "This time, things will be different," he whispered, determination fueling his grin. "I won't hold back anymore. Not just in the science fair, but in capturing your heart, Marisol Medina"
Henry walked towards his house, placing the rake against a plastic chair on the front porch. As he glanced at Marisol's house, he couldn't help but wonder why she seemed so joyful today. "I should go see how she's doing," he thought, going inside his home.
As he entered, he hurried past his mother, who was in the living room, her eyes beaming with hope when she saw him. "Henry!" she called out from her wheelchair, rolling towards him.
"Not now, Mother, I'm busy," he said, opening the door to the basement.
"But I'm hungry," she tried to say before he forcefully shut the door in her face. The faint sound of several locks clicking shut reached her ears, followed by the fading echo of his footsteps descending the stairs.
Henry flicked a switch, and suddenly the entire basement illuminated, revealing a scientific laboratory. Making his way to a screen, Henry pressed a series of buttons and then hit play. A live video started playing, showing Marisol conversing with her mother in the kitchen at home. After taking a seat, Henry settled in to watch.