The Enemy Lives Next Door (bxb)

Part Eight - Part One

Part Eight - Part One

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"Do you guys think I'm pretty?"

Maya lies on my bed, eyes glued to the ceiling. Her short dark hair fans out around her head, legs dangling over the mattress. She's gorgeous in so many ways, with a courage I'd die to have. She could win anyone's heart, but she doesn't believe that.

"I mean, I think I am," she adds softly, almost a whisper. "But how come no one wants me? This shit is sad, honestly. I'm trying everything in my power to get someone to like me, but it's just not working out. Ugh, I don't know what to think anymore!"

I uncross my legs on the green bean bag near my closet, pulling them up to my chest and resting my chin on my knees. "I'd kill to have your eyes, honestly. They're this chocolate brown, almost like honey. You'll get a boyfriend, don't worry. Give it time and someone will notice you. Don't try too hard, though, because people will think you're desperate."

"But I am desperate!"

Lilly paints her nails a bright red to match her dress, which fits her figure perfectly.

"You're beautiful, Maya," I tell her. Her eyes are still glued to the ceiling. "I'm the least pretty one out of our trio. Adam doesn't want me because he's not even gay, and no one looks my way at school."

Lilly scowls at me. "You can't say that. All three of us are pretty, and we're owning that. We don't need boys to tell us we're pretty. We already know that, so we're gonna slay," she declares, snapping her fingers.

Maya sits up on my bed, her grin matching mine. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she says, "Fuck boys, they ain't shit. Well, except you, Dale. You're the only decent guy around. Apart from Liam."

I pretend to gag, putting my index finger in my mouth. Lilly giggles. "He's quite handsome," she says, quickly adding, "and evil, like you always say. We know your hatred for him runs deep."

"Also," Maya chimes in, "he's your brother's best friend, so I'm pretty sure he's around a lot."

I roll my eyes. "Don't remind me. It's like he wants a reaction out of me. Don't be surprised if you find a dead corpse in my backyard."

If Liam keeps pushing me, I'm going to poison him, no doubt. Maya laughs as she grabs her phone from the nightstand.

"We should get going," she says, snapping me back to reality. "I don't want my head chopped off by Mr. Carter. Total mood killer, if you ask me."

Lilly giggles as she screws the cap back on the nail polish and places it on the dresser. A sudden thought invades my mind, and I grin. "Oh! I just remembered I have class with Adam this morning. Can't wait to eye-sex his head!"

They exchange glances before dissolving into laughter. It's contagious, and soon I'm laughing with them.

When our laughter dies down, I wipe a tear from under my eye. "Hey, so what food are they selling today?" I can't help but ask.

Lilly turns around, inserting a hoop earring into her earlobe. "Uh, I think tacos," she replies. "We're gonna have to stop at the vegan shop before we go to school."

Perfect, I think, smiling to myself. Liam is so buying me tacos.

Maya opens the door and steps out of the room. "If we want to actually make it in time, we need to leave now."

I gather my boring school belongings and follow Lilly down the stairs. The bright morning light fills the empty kitchen. If it weren't for Lilly and Maya, I wouldn't be up by now.

Total shocker.

Later, we pull into the vegan taco shop and pile out of the car. "Alright, tacos first, fun later. I'm starving."

Maya and Lilly grab their bags, and I trail after them inside. The place is cozy, filled with the warm, inviting scent of fresh ingredients. We place our orders and settle at a small table by the window.

Maya eagerly unwraps her taco. "This is exactly what I needed. Thanks for the suggestion, Lilly."

Lilly grins, "No problem. I'm always up for tacos."

I take a bite of mine and nod in agreement. "These are amazing. Definitely worth the stop."

Maya's eyes gleam mischievously. "So, what's the plan for tonight? We should do something fun."

Lilly pauses mid-bite, thinking. "How about a movie marathon? We could do a theme—80s classics or horror."

"Horror, all the way," I say. "But only if we have plenty of snacks. I'm not watching scary movies on an empty stomach."

Maya laughs. "Deal. I'll bring the popcorn and candy."

As we finish up our tacos, we chat excitedly about the movies on our list. Lilly mentions a few she's been dying to see, and Maya throws in her own picks. The conversation is lively, filled with laughter and shared excitement.

With our bellies full, we head back to Lilly's car. The sun is shining brightly, and the day feels like it's brimming with possibilities. We joke and laugh as we drive to school, the earlier stress completely forgotten.

We pull up a few minutes later, and I spot Gale standing by the entrance. But he's not alone. Beside him is Adam, the last person I expected to see him with.

They're talking, but Gale's face is unreadable, a far cry from his usual laid-back expression. It's subtle, but I catch it—a flicker of something in his eyes, like he's calculating something.

Gale glances over, catching sight of me. He waves, and that look in his eyes disappears as quickly as it came. He gives me a grin, like everything's normal, like nothing's weird about him hanging out with Adam.

I push the nagging feeling to the back of my mind. Gale's always been mysterious, never one to share everything with me. Maybe they just ran into each other. Maybe there's nothing to worry about.

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