Once Upon a Neighbor

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Declan

Declan watched his best friend and the mystery girl interact with great amusement. The girl ate a few more slices of pizza before putting the remaining few pieces back in the fridge. Thatcher sat on the beanbag in front of Declan, facing Declan, in Declan's line of vision, but looking past Declan and at the girl. What is so special about this girl? And how does this mystery girl known Thatcher?

Questions swirled through Declan's mind, but he managed to keep a tight lid on his curiosity,  and instead looked down at his phone. Deciding to respond to the text he got earlier from Miriam, he scrolled down to the conversation he had with her and tapped on it. The keyboard popped up at his command and he reread the message before sending his reply. 

To: Miriam

why not? txt me the details l8r

Sent at 2:49 am.

Behind him, Declan heard the fridge shut and footsteps wander over into the gaming room. The weight of another person settled on the far end of the couch, and when Declan looked up he saw two very toned and tan legs, bent at the knees with feet facing towards him. Behind the legs was the mystery girl, with a thoughtful look on her face as she crossed her arms underneath her chest, and leaned her head back against the armrest.

"Sorry about ditching you." she apologized quietly. Well she better be! She missed out on a huge opportunity! ME!!! Declan thought annoyedly.

"You are going to have to find some way to make up for it." he said at the same time Thatcher said, "It's okay, I was just worried about you."

Why would she be apologizing to Thatcher? Thatch never hung out with girls and then just let them ditch him! Thatcher was the type of guy who would ditch girls, not be the one being ditched!

"Huh?" Mystery Girl looked at him strangely.

"You know him?" Declan's best friend asked her.

"No. I mean yes. Well I don't even know his full name!" Mystery Girl furrowed her eyebrows together and bit her lip.

Her thinking face is adorable.

Ah shut up Declan! She obviously has a thing for Thatcher. And Thatch has a thing for her. 

"That's because you ditched me before we could get that personal." He winked at her. He ignored the feel of his friend's glare that was piercing through the side of his head, and focused on her reaction. "And besides, its not like you even told me your name." 

"That's because I don't give my name to strangers."

"I'm not a stranger." Declan insisted. 

"Wait, how do you guys know each other?" Thatcher butted into the conversation. When Declan didn't respond immediately, Thatcher turned to Mystery Girl. "Jay?" Declan watched the girl look away and begin toying with the end of her sweatshirt.

So her name is Jay. Or maybe that's just a nickname. 

Either way, "Jay" answered him. "I just met this pile of lard after you dropped me off at the wrong street and I walked to Elbe."

"Shit. You used to live on Elbe, not Main. Sorry, Jay."

Jay nodded and glanced back at his friend, muttering a short "It's cool, T."

Shit! She just called Thatcher "T"! Declan's mind flashed back to the phone call she had gotten right before she left.

"Okay. I am just tying things up here but I'll be there ASAP." There was a pause in her private conversation before she said a quick, "I love you, T."

Thatcher must have been the T she was talking about! But then why was she so worried when she ran off? Was something going on with Thatcher? Declan looked at his buddy with eyebrows creased together in confusion. Thatcher would have told him if something was going wrong.

"Hold the phone." Declan raised his hands up when he interrupted their staring session. They looked at him in puzzlement, so he continued.

"Is this the Thatch person you were talking to on the phone right before you ran away from your old house? Or was it Tessa?" he asked. Thatcher's face lit up in recognition.

"This is the girl you met outside of Tessa's?" Declan's best friend questioned. Declan nodded and they both took a glance at the girl who was looking between both of them.

"Who the hell is Tessa?" she asked.

Wait.... Jay could be short for Jamie. The laugh was similar, and she doesn't know who Tessa is even though she claimed to live in that house before. And Thatch said Jamie was in town.  Fuck! It couldn't be. Could it?

"Wait, dude. Thatch. Is this Jamie?"

"Um yes. I am Jamie. And I don't like being talked about like I am not here. Now who the hell are you?"

"Declan." Did she forget my name that  easily?

"Wait. Shit. Declan. That's your name."

He couldn't help but glare angrily at the floor. She had forgotten his name. And she didn't even try to hide it or apologize.

"Hold on. How the hell did you get my number?"

Sorry for the slow updates.... Yeah well my auntie is in town so I won't update super much but I will try. Toodles!