The Angel Next Door

Chapter 16

"Wow. You okay?" Eddie looks at me.

"Yeah."

"You sure?" He looks at me as if he doesn't believe me.

"Yeah. It's not like I've talked to my mom in over six months."

"But at some point, you were close with her."

"That was another lifetime ago. I've moved on."

"Okay." He takes a flask out from his pants and takes a swig before handing it to me. "So... you like gonna go back? Is there gonna be a funeral?" I just shrug my shoulders.

"The message was from a lawyer. They just told me to call back."

"Are you?" I shrug my shoulders. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." He walks off and I just stare back out into the city.

"What's up?" Eddie walks into the kitchen.

"Not much."

"You sleep at all?"

"About an hour."

"You want me to stay with you? I don't mind staying."

"Thanks, but I'm leaving actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I called the lawyer back this morning. Apparently, I need to be there in person for Will stuff."

"Oh okay. You good with going back?"

"Yeah. I'll probably just be there a week or two. Then I'll head right back."

"Okay. Good luck. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks. I've actually got to get going. I was able to get a cheap flight that leaves in a few hours."

"Wow. Okay. See ya." I walk out with my duffel bag before he can finish his sentence.

The second I enter the Uber, everything starts to feel weird. Being back in Phoenix feels like I'm home, but I never truly thought of it as home. It almost feels like I'm going back to my old high school. I had good times. I had bad times.

"Shit!" I shout as I realize I forgot my laptop charger under my bed back in L.A.

"Everything alright?" My driver asks.

"Yeah. Sorry." I don't know why, but I'm on the edge.

When I step out of the car and out in front of the house that was supposed to be home. It looks the same as when I last saw it. Then I look next door. I see Asher's mom's car in the driveway. Their house has Christmas decorations covering 85% of the entire house. It looks homely. It looks sweet.

I step up to the house and find the key the lawyer hid for me. As I open the door and the gust of cold air hits me, the familiar scent of my mom hits differently. The inside of the house feels like a museum, untouched and lifeless. But it basically felt this was back when I lived here. Now it just has a different meaning.

I make my way upstairs and to my old room. It's completely empty. Reminds me of the day I first stepped into this room. How things have changed in less than a year. I look out the window. Over to Asher's window. Part of me expects to see him looking over. Part of me wants it. And then this anger builds up in me. Looking at his blinds makes me angrier than I've been in months. The idea of his blinds opening and seeing him makes my hands close into a fist, nails digging into my palms.

The doorbell rings.

I take a deep breath in through my nose, and out the mouth. I leave the room, closing that door shut for good. I walk downstairs and open the front door. It's the lawyer.

A couple of million dollars, the house, everything in the house, the car, and a bunch of stocks. That's everything I'm getting from my mom and Dave, mostly from Dave. It's almost hilarious. How much he hated me and never wanted to give me a dime... and now I have everything of his.

"Hey," Eddie calls me.

"Hey."

"How'd it go with the lawyer?"

"I got a shit ton of money and stuff."

"Damn."

"Yeah. It's a bit much."

"I bet. So what's next?"

"I'll probably get a realtor and try and sell this place. But first I need to go through it all and see what I want, what I want to sell, and what I want to give away."

"That's a lot. Want me to come down after Christmas to help?"

"That would be amazing. Thanks."

"Great. I'll check flights and get back to you. Have a relaxing Christmas. Smoke a little something, drink a bit more." I laugh at that.

"I will. Thanks."

As the sun goes down and the silence of the house starts to get to me, I go out to the backyard. I look at the pool I never once touched. Then I hear a noise. I look over towards Asher's house and see him in his window. His window is open. He's looking directly at me. My blood begins to boil. My jaw clenches. I can feel my heart racing. And I am giving him the best "fuck off" look I possibly can. I take my shirt off, only leaving eye contact with him for a split second. Then I pull my pants down. He smiles just a little and waves. I just look away and jump into the pool. When my head comes out of the water I look back up and he's gone. And for a split second, I'm disappointed.