The boy next door

Pancakes

After I finished unpacking I looked at the clock on my dresser and saw it was 12:28pm. That meant lunch! I ran out and collided into a girl.

"What the fuck?" A voice said and I put my hands up. "Oh my god I'm so sorry." I said wincing as the girl shot daggers at me. "You better be." She mumbled and she headed off. "What was her problem?" I thought to myself. I headed down the stairs and heard a door slam. Probably that girl.

" Hey Frankie ! What you want for lunch ?" Aubrey said while stirring something at the stove. " What do you have ?" I asked sitting onto the polyester booth and drummed my nails. " We have hot pockets, left over pizza, and I'm making pancakes." She said smiling. " Pancakes ?" I asked before hearing my stomach grumble. " I'll take that as a yes for pancakes then? Aubrey said laughing. I bobbed my head yes.

"Of course, they'll be ready in a minute." She said cheerfully. I nodded and stared at my hand a minute before remembering the girl I collided into.

"Hey who was that blonde girl who was just here?" I asked as I watched Aubrey get out a knife and cutting board. " Did she have blue or green eyes?"

I thought about it and just watched her cut some strawberries. "Frankie?" She said again and I snapped out of it. " Oh sorry, she had green eyes."

"That would be Riley. She's a bit..." Aubrey said before trailing off. "She's a bit what?" I asked watching Aubrey take the pancakes out and plate them as she ladled strawberries on top and sprayed  whipped cream. "She's a bit...edgy. She's been through some hard times." She said before sitting across from me. I nodded and let the subject drop. Aubrey didn't seem to want to talk about it and I wasn't one to push. "So what's with pancakes for lunch? Not that I'm complaining." I said taking another bite of fluffy heaven.

"Believe me this is the usual especially when the guys come over." Aubrey said and I raised  an eyebrow. "Oh that's right you haven't met them yet! Finish your pancakes and we'll head over." I nodded and watched her head upstairs.

I heard some thumps and curses upstairs and rolled my eyes. I'd known Aubrey for 12 years, since I was 8 and she was 7 - our mothers were both best friends in college and worked in the same nurse station when they finally got jobs - and I knew the thumping and cursing stood for her trying to get dressed. She came down with her chocolate curls hanging around her shoulders and she was wearing a blue knee length sundress with thick straps and black heels. " You dress as if were meeting the president." I said laughing. "Believe me it's close to meeting the president." she said blushing. I laughed and stood up to follow her out the door. Aubrey had always been the kinda girl who didn't dress up much even for holidays or birthdays, which meant that that she was trying to impress one of the guys there.

"C'mon, it's time for boys, boys, boys!" She cheered as we reached outside. I rolled my eyes and followed her anyways.