The Boy Next Door

Chapter One

"Oh my god! That looks so amazing on you, Tobie!" Screamed my best friend Georgia Martin. We were at the mall, shopping for dresses for a party later tonight.

I look over at my best friend. Georgia was the typical southern bell. She had long wavy red hair, with emerald green eyes. She had freckles that were sprinkled on her nose and across her cheeks. She was around 5'4, and curvy in all the right places. She was wearing a light pink cupcake dress that looked amazing with her slightly tan skin.

I looked at her, then I looked at my own reflection. We were totally different from each other. I had long dark brown wavy hair and ice blue eyes. I also had slightly tan skin, but no freckles. The only thing that was similar was our figures.

While Georgia had on a pink dress, I came out wearing a skirt that had a black and white chevron pattern, and a tight red strapless shirt.

"Right?! I just love it! I think I'll wear black heels with it. What about you?" I asked Georgia. As I look in the mirror, waiting for a response, I scan the tattoo on my upper left shoulder. It read, "to the moon and back" in cursive black writing. I think back to when I got it on my 17th birthday, 6 months ago. My mother and I, her name was Marie, got ones that went together. She got "I love you". About a month later she passed away. Stage four breast cancer took her from me. She knew she wouldn't make it, so she wanted to do something original.

I am nothing like my mom. She had natural blonde hair, when mine was a natural dark brown. She was super pale with brown eyes. But she was my best friend.

After she died I moved in with my mom's twin, Madison.

"Uhm, I think I'm going with my light pink heels with the little bows on them." Georgia said, snapping me back to reality.

After we got our outfits we got back into the car.

"So, I cannot believe Jon got his parents out of the house to throw a party!" Georgia said while she drove to my house. I just nodded lost in my own world. I start to think of last time Jon had a party. It was over a year ago. I don't drink so I remember every gross detail of that night.

It was Friday night after our school, Pleasant View Badgers, won our homecoming game. I didn't want to go because my boyfriend at the time wasn't going. Georgia convinced me that it would be really fun. Her being my best friend since she moved from Tennessee to California in the forth grade, I couldn't say no.

Well, when I was walking to find a bathroom, I actually stumbled in on my boyfriend at the time, Blake, with another girl. I basically lost it. Blake and I had been dating since 8th grade and that happened sophomore year. I punched him where it counts and grabbed Georgia and left. Since then, I haven't had a boyfriend because I just flirted with every guy and never got serious.

"Earth to Tobie!" Georgia was knocking at my window. When did we get to my house?

"Hey, when did you get new neighbors?" Georgia questioned. I looked over to the house right next door. I saw that they moved in yesterday and groaned.

"Ugghh." I said, remembering that Madison was head of the neighborhood.

"What?" Georgia asked, apparently confused.

"It's nothing. But I'll text you later." I replied as Georgia nodded and hugged me before getting in the car and driving off.

I walked in my house and set my bags in the foyer. I went in the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge with Madison's loopy writing on it. I read: "Tobie, I know you probably don't want to, but I need you to take the cookies out of the oven and walk next door and give them to the new neighbors. I'm probably going to be home late so text me when Georgia comes to pick you up."

I stared at the note. The last thing I want to do is give cookies to the neighbors, but Madison wants me to.

I first checked to see if I looked presentable. My wavy brown hair was in a fishtail braid. I was wearing a loose tank top, my tattoo barely visible, black denim shorts, and toms. I added mascara to my blue eyes.

I grabbed the cookies and walked across the lawn. I went up to the door and knocked. Shortly, a boy around my age opened the door. Shirtless. He was super tan, with dirty brown hair and chocolate eyes.

"Holy-uhm, hi. I'm Tobie. I live next door.." I motioned with my head to my house "..and my aunt wanted me to welcome you to the neighborhood with these cookies." I quickly handed the gorgeous guy the cookies. He smirked and set them on a table by the door.

"I'm Ian." He said with ease. My family just moved from Oregon." Ian was leaning on the doorframe. God he had an amazing body, I couldn't help but look him up and down. When I got back up to his face he was doing the same to me.

I just smiled. I could get used to this neighbor.

"Nice to meet you." I say with a smile. "Anyway, if you need anything you know where to find me." Ian nodded and said thanks, and as I was walking back to my house and looked back and saw Ian still watching me.