A Neighbouring Romance

2 - we were best friends

Chapter 2, New and Edited, October '22

I wait around in the common area after school for Aaliyah and Camila to finish up with an extra AP Chemistry class. They're both so intelligent, even the teachers use them as model students. I'm mindlessly scrolling on my phone, my body resting against a tall white pillar, when a sudden shadow emerges and I look up to see the intruder.

"Hey loner."

Kara's drawling voice never ceases to make my ears ring. It's like a slow piercing needle runs through the inside of my ear canal every time she speaks. The girl is dressed in a cropped white fur coat and dress, with tall black heels that I'm sure she's been dress-coded for a thousand times. If she looks so ready to leave, why doesn't she go away?

I ignore her and roll my eyes.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

I look up at her in feign innocence.

"Nope." I give her the blandest expression I can muster and then turn back to my screen.

"So.. Noah's back." She says, smiling awfully down at me. "You guys didn't stay in touch?"

"Nope."

"He's so.. hot now." She says the words so casually and I want to throw up. "He told me earlier that he's here to stay."

I want to ask questions, see what she knows and fit the puzzle together but a part of me doesn't want to. I shouldn't care, at all. I won't play that role, never again.

"Good for him." My voice is ice.

"Okay then." She rocks back a heeled foot behind her, unsatisfied with my lack of interest.

"You know, I heard people talking about you the other day."

"Mhhm. Did you?" I raise my head and smile at her sweetly instead, sarcasm dripping from my words.

"Yeah."

I remain silent. Do I care to know what people think of me? Honestly, no. I don't believe a word that comes out of Kara's mouth as it is.

"They were talking about your mom.. how she's practically vegetative now-"

Her words ignite a quick anger in me as I lift myself from the pillar, almost squaring up to her. My blood is boiling.

"Shut the fuck up about my mom."

A manicured hand, with obnoxiously neon pink acrylic nails, reaches for a blonde ringlet on her head as she flicks it back. "Excuse me?"

"I said, shut the fuck up." I lift a finger to point at her, "Don't you dare talk about my mom."

If she says one more word I'll punch her. I'll knock her and her pretty curls to the ground, I couldn't care less about the expulsion. She deserves it.

People on nearby couches and chairs are looking over now, it must be odd, me in my hugely oversized sweatshirt and jeans, paired with an old set of dirty white converse compared to Kara and her Barbie-doll physique. She almost towers over me in her heels, but I manage to make my 5 foot whatever- body rise to intimidate her back.

I clear my throat and lower my eyes to the ground, an awful habit adopted for when I feel awkward or nervous. Kara probably thinks she's won, but when I glance up at the sound of Cami and Aaliyah walking over and yelling my name, I see the defeat settled in on her features. They're joined by Tyler who must've stayed to talk to the coach about his role as team captain for the soccer team this year. He waves at me as they approach.

"Just stay away from me Kara." I mutter and shove past her to meet my friends.

We walk away from the old school building, towards the car park and I tell them about what just happened, entering rant mode.