The Boy From California

4. The Neighbourhood

Faith fell onto the couch with her legs hanging off the arm-rest. I looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. She tapped away at her phone, disregarding my stance. Jackson and I shared the same expression.

"Mystery Man, huh?" I grinned and plopped onto the other side of one of the many couches that graced her living room. My best friend nodded, her eyes never meeting ours.

Jackson rolled his eyes, "you've been texting him for hours on end - and you haven't even told CiCi who it is."

"Whose CiCi?" 

"You, duh," he spoke as if that was common-sense.

"Okay, fine. Jack Jack," I remembered the Incredibles and laughed.

"You guys flirting is my aesthetic," I perked up at the sound of Faith's voice. She was now turned over to us, her hand in palm. "Mention Mystery Man, and I go back to Mute Faith."

Jackson and I looked at eachother and back at Faith, giving her a firm nod.

"You and Jackson, eh?" I came to an abrupt halt while brushing my teeth. Faith wore the same smug look while I shot imaginary-daggers at her with my eyes. 

"What about Jackson and I?" I kept my eyes on her but continued to brush my teeth. 

"Y'all get along nicely," it was a casual statement although her eyes say a totally different story. "Never know what can happen in a month."

"Faith," I frowned. "You know that I'm not interested," she threw her hands up in surrender.

"I'm just saying," she rolled of my bed and flipped her phone. "Lights out, Sea. Night," Faith laughed.

She flipped the switch of the guest bedroom I've been staying in and waltzed out. I wiped my mouth on my towel and fell onto the bed, letting my body be embraced by the plushness of the mattress. Despite the comfort, falling asleep was harder than rocket-science. 

My eyes remained glued onto the ceiling for who knows how long. Within my range of sight, I probably counted the little popcorn-thingys on there. 

I was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I shoved my face into my pillow and let out a groan. 

Deciding I've been hurled up in this room for far too long, I jerked myself off the cushion. I peeled off my pants and threw on some shorts. The house was silent, even the A.C. was humming. 

I graced down the stairs on the tips of my toes. The light in the kitchen was on, which only drew me closer to the area. I made sure to remain as quiet as I could.

The shadow of the figure grew, along with my fear. 

Why don't you just go back upstairs, one may ask. 

If you were in my place, any entertainment other than your ceiling would be heaven on earth. I left my electronics and any access to the internet in Faith's room and didn't realize it till it was too late.

I stepped closer tothe kitchen, on edge, ready to attack any intruder. With my bare fists!

But I refrained from my battle cry, not wanting to wake up anyone.

A slight hum emerged from the kitchen. A hum of a song I remember. I took a peak as to who it was. Although he was faced away from me, I recognized his sandy-blonde hair.

"In California with my toes in the sand," he hummed, his body slowly swaying. I emerged from the corner I was hiding behind and smiled.

"Use the sleeves of my sweater," I sung. He turned around, a smirk playing on his lips. He approached me, intertwining our hands as he stood in front of me. I swayed along with him, not knowing what I was getting myself into. His, quite literal, Pacific blue eyes bore into mine.

"Let's have an adventure."

"The Neighbourhood," I grinned and continued to sway with him even with the absence of the hum. Finding someone who appreciates their music is rare in Florida, and trust me I've tried. Even converting Faith into a fan failed, I don't know why. Jesse's voice is so serene.

He nodded. I looked up at him. His eyes were trimmed with faint, red eye bags. It seemed as if he hasn't gotten sleep in a good while. I frowned at Jackson's appearance.

"Are you okay?" I asked in a hushed tone. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. 

"Yeah," he whispered. "Just can't sleep."

I furrowed my eyebrows, observing him further. He noticed this and untangled his hands from mine. The boy ran his fingers through his hair, his frustration evident in the gesture. I kept my eyes on him.

"Are you sure there isn't any more to that?"

He looked down at the floor, "probably."

"Is it the move?" I questioned. 

"It's," he cut himself off. His mouth was slightly parted as if he was holding something back. "It's nothing."

"You can talk to me," I reassured him.

"Can I really?" Jackson snapped, catching me off-guard. "If I can't trust my own parents that I've known my whole life, how am I supposed to trust a person I've met two days ago?" 

"I, well - nevermind." I walked, or maybe stormed is a better word, off. He didn't bother calling me back, something I sort of hoped he would.

Not in a romantic way, but in a friendly way. Like an "actually, I know that you're there for me and I need you - as a friend".

Seeing him like that really disturbed me. From of course the two days I've known him (which he seemed to want to really emphasize), he was always smug and go-lucky happy. 

My stomach was twisted in knots along with my brain - and for some odd reason, it tugged a string in my heart. I picked the skin at the root of my nail while I paced around my room. 

My body refused to sleep but the exhaustion in my eyes tell a different tale. The sky slowly started morphing from a dark abyss into a mixture of colors that created the morning sky. The sun was raising from behind the hill and I closely watched it. All the stars at night may have come together to create the sun, at least that's how I liked to remember it.

I fell back onto my carpet, wanting to let sleep envelop my mind and body. It's only day two of Jackson's stay and he somehow managed to wear me out like a dirty rag.

Nearly twenty-eight days left of this, and Faith's statement was left ringing in my ears.

   "Never know what can happen in a month."  

OOoooOoOo spicy teehee its only day two and chapter four, but trust me I have LOADS planned for this story. hopefully by then we'll be picking up some new readers, but for the mean time I appreciate you all reading

love, nahdeeah