Lost Virtue

Chapter One

I hardly remember how it happened, but I fell so hard and so deep in love that I found myself making all sorts of bad decisions. I was highly conscious of them all, but I just couldn't help myself. I needed to do things out of my comfort zone, brand new things to excite him, anything to keep him interested. I wasn't ashamed even though I did some things I wasn't too proud of.

I was the type of girl who did what I was told, spoke when spoken to, didn't drink or smoke, and never did anything "questionable". But the way I felt about Brendon, I couldn't help but throw all my inhibitions to the wind. I wanted him so badly, so very very badly. My urge to impress him made me feel bold and brand new. I was determined to be whatever he wanted me to be.

The weather had cooled down quite a bit and whenever the wind blew, it bit at our extremities. I adjusted my scarf to cover my nose and I squinted out at the gorgeous view of the neighbor's pool deck from the sliding glass door of my bedroom. The neighbors paid a lot of attention to their landscape and when the sun hit the water, it sparkled an amazing blue, and sent glowing specks bouncing off the walls of the house. They had beautiful lawn furniture that they took special care of, and honestly, I never got tired of looking out into their backyard, no matter the season, because the pool always looked warm and inviting, and rain or shine, their backyard always looked like summertime.

I pulled the glass door open and took a moment to let the chill surround me. I liked the cold, but sometimes it was harsh against my skin. I pulled my jacket closed and shut the door behind me, stepping out onto the balcony, and taking a gander at the ground below. Our side of the fence looked a bit gloomier, as if a dark storm was going to pass through. I don't know what it was, but our side never compared to their side. I often wished I was on the other side of that fence. It wasn't just for the landscape, but the people in it were absolutely gorgeous as well. They looked like the definition of perfection. I could not figure out if they were a whole family or a group of friends. Some of them in there had similar features, but their ages were all so close, it was really hard to tell if they were siblings or not.

One guy in particular really got my attention. During the summer, I would sometimes see him step out onto the pool deck, most of the time, he would be on the phone, talking to someone. They'd be short conversations, but there'd be a number of them. He'd hang up and dial another number, or it would ring again before he had a chance to. Very rarely did I actually see him jump into the pool. Sometimes one of the women that lived with him would step out and lay herself out on the diving board. She would be out there for over an hour, tanning her perfectly shaped body. They seemed to talk when both of them were out there, but I have never actually seen them make any physical contact. Both dark haired with light creamy skin, I often found myself mesmerized by their beauty.

My room mates have talked to them a few times, when they all happened to be outside going from the car to the front door. I never did though, one time the dark haired girl smiled and waved at me but I practically ran to my car and drove off like someone was chasing me. Yes, I guess one could say I was socially awkward. These people had been living next door to me for almost three months and I just couldn't work up the courage to even throw them a wave or a nod. 

Another female was constantly in and out of the house, she was a bit of  a strawberry blond, slender, and tall. Her face was similar to the dark haired girl, but everything else was different. Then another guy, just as cute as the other one, a little thinner but about the same height with messy hair, was also seen around the house, but I didn't see him as often as the other three.   

My dry lips cracked against the wind, I licked them and it only felt dryer. I heard a car pull into the driveway and my heart jumped up with excitement.  I had been waiting for hours for Spencer to show up, I spent most of it imagining myself basking in the sun on the other side of the fence.