The Neighbor

Its not your fault

Malia's POV

"Can I tell you something?" He asks looking me full on in the eyes. I nod.

"Of course anything" I say.

"Do you know why your brother hates me?" He asks I shake my head.

"No maybe because he's a loser" I say he chuckles but it fades quickly.

"No but really there's a reason" he says looking at me then our hands that are together and how he's playing with my fingers.

"Well are you gonna tell me?" I ask he nods.

"Yeah that's what I wanted to tell you" he replies. "So um 1 years ago we were friends kinda like we new each other hung out sometimes" he says and I'm surprised really Ian hates Grayson for some reason. "Yeah surprising right well yeah anyways he liked this girl named Melissa and Melissa was nice an actual normal girl not one of those sluts he hangs out with now. Anyways Melissa didn't like him though she liked me. And I of course didn't go with her that'd be way to horrible but yeah and Melissa tried to like flirt with me but I tried to get her to Ian and like Ian and show we how good he can be right. But she wouldn't go and it was fricken annoying. So what happened was" he stops for a second looking down jot making eye contact. "Well I also was with Stella then too so of course either way I wouldn't be interested. And...and she wouldn't stop and I was telling her how great he was. And well one night she was sad because her dad died" he stops and looks up and back down. "And...and she was like really sad they were really close and she wanted to go for a drive...and she asked me to come with her of course I didn't want to be rude I went with her I asked and told her I should drive but nope she did not want that she said it helped her...and we drove and she was crying and I told her to pull over because she a) couldn't see where she was going and she was driving really fast" he says taking a deep breath "did I mention we were like friends too even though she liked me and Ian liked her. But we were still friends" he stops and looks off in the distance. "And she kept driving fast and not thinking and then I tried to get her to stop and let me drive but she kept on driving not listening. She was still crying and yelling...and I was telling her to pull over but she just muted me out and then she wasn't concentrating and she hit another car as a car behind us hit the back of our car and I blacked out and the car was like squished with glass shattered everywhere. So then I guess sometime called for the ambulance and I woke up 2 weeks later not remembering much" he stops taking a shaky breath oh god his jaw clenches in anger and sadness. "And I wanted to see if Melissa was ok and of course those other people that were in the other cars. They were perfectly fine...but Melissa" he stops looking t our hands. "Melissa was dead" he says tears sting my eyes. "And it was horrible...Ian he hated me because he said it was my fault she was in the accident because I was with her I could've stopped her and he was right...I was in the car I could've done more to stop her and I didn't and...I hated myself for it...I don't want a whole sob story or I didn't feel bad for myself at all I just hated myself and I don't want people to think I want them to feel sorry for me because it was my fault she died" he says his voice cracking a little oh god. Tears prickle my eyes but I hold them back. "So that's why he hates me...yeah and Stella the next week added she had cancer again pretty bad fricken cancer....and then she died too a month later...and Mal don't feel bad for me ok...it was my fault he ha every right to hate me but then I became this cocky asshole" he says says oh my god.

"Grayson...this....that was not your fault are you kidding me you tried you tried to help her tell her to stop you were being a friend ok thy was not your fault so stop blaming yourself just because my brother had a crush on her he thinks it was right to blame you, you were in the car too you could've died and what would he say...what, what even happened to you?" I say. "I saw you had scars" I say he nods.

"Yeah it was a bad accident but I'm fine it doesn't matter about me" he says still not looking at me.

"What happened to you Grayson?" I ask again.

"Nothing bad" he says.

"Obviously bad when you were in a coma for 2 weeks just tell me" I push.

"I had a broken rib I had a broken arm my knee was busted and I lost some memory but it came back and some glass got in me not that bad" he says.

"Not that bad are you kidding you could've died ok...my brothers an idiot don't blame yourself please for me it wasn't your fault" I say he's looking down. "It's ok it's not your fault" I add.

"It doesn't matter right now...ok what matters is you and me" he says grabbing my other hand with his other  he looks up to my giving me a weak smile.

"Why did you tell me that?" I ask.

"Because I felt like you should know by your brother despises me" he says I nod.

"Thanks for telling me that" I say.

"Yeah...well um that was depressing and I probably sound like a pathetic loser" he says.

"Grayson shut up ok it's not a bad thing to tell your girlfriend your past ok it's a good thing for you to open up to me" I say.

"I kinda thought you'd leave and be mad at me because of it" he says looking down.

"Why would I be I'm not my brother I don't blame you" I say.

"Ok let's not talk about this anymore k" he says I nod he looks back up then kisses me softly his lips feel like a soft pillow. We pull away.

"I love you Mal so much" he says I smile.

"I love you too" I say.

"But I feel like you are the only person that gets me besides Chase...and I love you a lot and I never thought I'd really fall in love with someone else after Stella" he says.

"Yeah well I feel the same way besides max wasn't anything that big" I say he nods. But yet I think I will never be Stella that may be a little rude because she's dead but I won't be her no matter what there's no one like your first love max I didn't even know I loved him that well I always thought of it but Grayson I know. But Stella he'll always love Stella and I won't compare I'm not her.

"You ok?" He asks looking into my eyes I nod.

"Yeah" I say.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks. You not loving me as much as you loved Stella. I wanted to say but nope that'd be horrible.

"Life" I lie I bite my bottom lip.

"You're lying" he says I chew on my lip hard and I taste a hint of copper in my mouth. He pulls my bottom lip away from my teeth so I wouldn't make it bleed more. "Why are you lying?" He asks.

"I'm not" I lie again.

"Really don't even try that on me" he says looking me dead on in the eye.

"I won't compare" I whisper to myself he looks at me with a confused expression.

"What?" He asks.