Girl Next Door

Chapter Six: Alexander

It has been three days since I last talked to Becca. I don't know if I can face her after her figuring out my secret. My oldest secret. I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her. All I've been doing for the last few days has been going to school and going home. The only thing I can think about is her.

She tried to call me thirty-seven times. Maybe she wants to talk to me, to get things back to normal, or she could want to tell me that we will never be together. My dear, sweet Becca. I love her. I realized this truth a year ago. I love Becca Riley with all of my heart. After practically telling her how I feel, I don't know if I'll ever be able to face her again.

My phone starts to ring, and I take a nervous glance at the screen. It is her. Should I answer it? The thought runs through my mind as I reach for the phone and ignore her call. I can't do it.

I lay down on my bed and stare at the ceiling. The fan spins in a slow circle above me. With a sigh, I reach for my phone again and decide to listen to my twenty voice mails that Becca left me.

The first one is from that night. "Hey, Lex, call me. I need to talk to you."

The second one is a bit longer. "Lex, I need to talk to you. Please, call me. I need you." I don't know what to make of that one.

"Lex, please...I miss you so much. This is killing me."

I bite my lip. I miss her more than words can say. This is killing me, too. With a sigh, I turn off my phone. The messages are just making the hurt worse. Maybe I'll listen to them later.

A knock sounds on my door. "Alexander," my mother says from the other side of the door. "You need to come eat dinner. You're not skipping any more meals it isn't healthy." That's right. I haven't been able to eat in three days. My stomach is not handling anything.

"I'll be right out." I doubt I'll eat much, but I can't let my family get suspicious. They can never find out about my feelings for Becca.

With a groan, I get up and exit my bedroom. My home has pictures on every wall. There are pictures of the to of us two boys with Becca. There's one of Becca dancing with me when we were little. It hurts to look at it.

Finally, I enter the dining room and take a seat at the table where my family is sitting. My mom looks at me with worry. "Alexander, is everything alright? Becca hasn't been over in a few days, and you two haven't been talking. Did something happen between you two?"

I take a long breath. "No, everything is fine."

"Alexander," she remarks, "Don't lie to me. You left Becca in the basement the other night, and she left here crying. Now, tell me the truth. What happened?"

I take a deep breath. "I accidentally told her how I feel about her, and she doesn't like me."

"How do you know?"

With a groan, I reply. "Because she told me who she likes, and he was the reason why she was crying. I was trying to console her, and I said the wrong thing."

My brother decides to butt in on the conversation. "Go talk to her."

"I can't talk to her," I say with a sigh. "I don't want to do something dumb."

He stands up. "Then I'll go talk to her." With that, he walks out the door.