Shelby's Annoyance

I have never done it before, so to have someone doing it to me on a frequent basis stinks.

She had chosen to devote most of her free time tending to the cleanliness of her home or socializing with her friends over coffee or movies instead of revealing herself to the neighbors. Not a single soul even knew that she was part of the neighborhood; she left for work early in the morning and returned home after sunset or on certain days, late at night.
    As if sensing Shelby needed some time out, her friend Melissa invited her out to their favorite haunt - which she immediately agreed to but now that she waited in her seat at one of the tables, she wondered what was delaying her friend.
    She couldn't help but sigh. Her friendship with Paul didn't save her from the silent stress and annoyance she had been living with; it in fact was the whole cause of it.

"Tell me more about your neighborhood," Melissa said, snapped Shelby out of her quiet thoughts.
    The two friends browsed through the stores with shopping bags in their hands in an attempt to burn off the calories that they had gathered from the heavy lunch.
    "Why, what's up?" Shelby asked. "It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, calling it my neighborhood."
    "You're living there, what."
    "Yeah, without a choice."
    "How come?"
    "Just." Shelby sighed. "Just answer my question first."
    "All right." Melissa lifted up a graphic tee that had a painting of a young lady from its resting place. "This looks good, don't you think?"
    "Yeah, it does. Anything will accentuate your perfect figure."
    "What, sarcasm now?"
    She folded the tee over her forearm. "Back to your question. I'm looking for a new house in your neighborhood."
    "Oh, I wish we could be immediate neighbors but no" - Shelby's face darkened - "you are not moving to the same street. Never in a million years! I have terribly weird neighbors with a capital tee and a double u."
    "How weird can neighbors be? I mean, humans are humans."
    "Neighbors who think that they are more superior. The cats at the old place are much more educated than their counterparts here."
    Melissa struggled to keep herself from laughing.
    "Why, what's so funny?"
    "I don't think I've ever heard anyone describing cats in that way."   
    "It's not that I dislike cats. I can handle them stealing forty winks at my place, but at least they don't disturb my peace by slipping unannounced into my garden and peeing on my flip-flops."
    "Okay, now that's bad."
    "There's more. The neighbor blocked my path on my way out earlier."
    "That same neighbor?"
    "Yes, who else can it be?"
    "You should've screamed at him."
    "No point in wasting my breath. I grazed his car bumper. If that doesn't make him realize his mistake and my exasperation, I don't know what will."
    "Whoa!”
    Shelby yanked a striped tee from the fashion rail. "This looks perfect. I shall give it a try. Forget it, Melly. Forget about moving onto the same street. I know there is a vacant house up for sale, but I don't want you to have the same issues as me."
    "Why did you move here, then?"
    "Ask Paul. He didn't leave me with options. I'm still exasperated with him, though."
    "What happened?"
    "Let's just say that he turned out to be another person, not the Paul I have known all these years."
    I'll have a word with him, Melissa thought. I need to uncover the reasons behind you two's crumbling friendship. "Okay, Shel. Why don't we push this matter aside and shop like there's no tomorrow? It'll help to boost your spirits."  
    "Thank you, Melly."


So yeah, I'm pretty much waiting for the green light - there are a couple of matters to be dealt with at this current time - to be given before I'm packing my bags and bidding this place adieu.

There's only so much one can take.