The Angel Next Door

Chapter 17

1 WEEK LATER...

A lot can happen in a week. This week is no different. It's actually been quite the fucked up week. It first started when I saw the words "Covid-19" on my Instagram feed. I had heard of it. But I didn't give it much thought. It didn't affect my life. At least not until the country started shutting down. And by yesterday evening, Arizona shut down. And that now means I am stuck in this giant house by myself, which just so happens to be next door to my ex-boyfriend.

Sadly, because of this Covid shit, the grocery store was empty. I managed to get some candy, a few cans of beans, a giant bag of rice, and one small bag of carrots. So I'm basically going to starve alone in this house unless something changes.

But at least I've got plenty of space to walk around naked, a giant TV, the pool, and I found my PS4 in a box in the guest room closet. Then I've got my small duffel bag full of stuff, which isn't much. But it's enough since I'm not going out or seeing other human beings.

5 DAYS LATER...

Another day of waking up at two in the afternoon. My sleep schedule is fucked. It doesn't help that I'm bored out of my mind and just take random naps when I've got nothing else to do. I've been smoking so much that I'm already running low. I've luckily still got a bunch of other shit, but I need to start spreading my drug use out. Bummer. Luckily though, Dave has a shit ton of alcohol. But other than drugs, alcohol, and sleeping, I've been working out a shit ton. Runs every day. Swimming every day. Yoga every day. And tons of gymnastics.

Right now is yoga time. It's not a specified time. It's just that I woke up and need to do something relaxing that's not staring at a screen and yelling at reality tv.

I go out and smell the fresh air. And then I hear the neighbors. I hear Asher, Avi, and London in the pool. They're laughing. They're joking around. It seems so happy... and annoying.

I start stretching. I breathe. I try and relax. And then I hear Asher laughing. It's hard to concentrate. It's hard to relax when I think about Asher having a good time. I keep trying though. That is until they get louder. And as I feel the need to look over the wall and shout at them, I hold back and go back inside. I can feel my blood boiling and know I need to calm down. I can't be doing this again. I can't let my anger take over.

I breathe some more. I focus on my breathing.

And I can still hear them next door. So I walk upstairs. I stop at my mom and Dave's room. I know it would be the quietest, but I haven't gotten up the nerve to walk in there yet. And today's not that day.

I walk into the guest room and because Dave was too cheap to buy curtains for that room since it was never used, there are no curtains. That means the room is hotter than my balls and there's no way in hell I'm sitting in here for any period of time.

So I walk back into my old room. It's quiet. I open the blinds to get some natural light in. Then I start stretching. I'm finally beginning to relax. I feel my body loosening up. My bones crack just in the right spots. My heart finally relaxes. My brain calms.

"Shit." As I look up I see Asher in his room, wet and completely naked.

He looks over and sees me. He flinches and reaches for his clothes before realizing it's me. He looks sad as he looks at me. I'm too calm right now to be angry. To make him feel my anger. It helps that he's bare naked and I love seeing him naked. Then I give in just a little and smile. He suddenly grows a smile.

We stare at each other for a solid minute before the gears in my head begin to move once more. I remember six months ago. I remember what happened. I remember what was said. What was done. Why I hate Asher. And why I could never let him back in my life ever again. So I close the blinds.