The Boy Next door (j.b)

Chapter 1 ~ Intro

*EDITED*

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I tried to open up my eyes, but the light from the sun through the window made me wince. I yawned, stretching my arms upon my head, eyes still closed. Dragging myself out of bed, I couldn't help but let out an unattractive snort. I brushed my hands over my eyes before I went to the bathroom and took some cold water to my face. When I looked back up into the mirror I could see the slight bruising on my cheek from last time, but it had slowly started to fade from a dark purple-blue to more of a yellowish swollen colour. It would be so much easier to cover it up now, and I mentally did a happy-dance for that matter only.

I walked my way to my room again and shot the door quietly behind me. Judging by the weather, I would say that a cloudfree sky is a pretty good excuse to wear a cute skirt. Therefore, I found myself a babyblue denim skirt and another white top that said "I am not a morning person". I put the top inside the skirt. I put some mascara, before nodding approvingly to myself in the mirror. As usual, this was as good as it was going to get.

I walked out of my room and shot the door carefully behind me. Walking down the stairs, I quickly went into the kitchen to grab some food. Opening the refrigerator, I found nothing but a slice of old cheese and some halfempty beerbottles. The rest looked like a half-full can of tomato sauce and maybe a slither of orange juice.

I sighed, closing the refrigiator as I searched the room for any signs of food. My gaze landed on the pizzabox my dad had brought home the day before. Three slices remaining. Stretching my arm out for the pizzabox, I remembered something and stopped myself midway.
If this was the only food still in this house, he would get pissed at me if I even touched it. He would wake up hungover and hungry as hell, and if I would even think of the food in the box, I would taste the wrath of it later.

I found some money in my bookbag that I could use at lunch. I snapped on my white converse, grabbed my worn out bookbag and got out of the house. I was met by the cold breeze outside, and even though the sky was cloudfree, the breeze made a shiver crawl up my back. I stood by the busstop with some freshmen eyeing me curiously on each side. The bus arrived a few minutes later than usual, driving me and the other teenagers to school.

The bus stopped in front of school, or as I would like to call it: prison. It has also gone by the name 'hell' before.

I met Kendall and Andrew in the hallway who were both making small conversation. Kendall and Andrew had been my best friends ever since I could remember. We used to do everything together, but then they started dating and I became more of a third-wheel than anything else. Kendall and I would still hang out, and Andrew and I would sometimes, too. However, when I was with the two of them at the same time I would be left either reading e-books or listening to music.

They greeted me by squeezing me in a hug from each side, and I felt my ribcage being pressured from each side. I pretended to choke, and they only hugged me even harder in their steel grasp. "Guys, shit, you're suffocating me," I murmured underneath my breath. They let go of me with a slight laugh before we started walking towards our lockers. We seperated because of the different classes we had; Kendall and Andrew having calculus, and I had science.

It was weird how six months ago, Andrew was too afraid to even talk to Kendall. He would stutter his way to the easiest things like simply saying "Hi," or "Yes," or even a "How are you?". He would nudge me in the shoulder and get me to talk instead. Kendall only got the point a year ago, when she realized that she was the reason he was so nervous. She never thought of him that way, because after all they had been best friends for years. But six months ago Andrew finally asked her out, and she surprised the both of us when she said she had been waiting for him to ask. Kendall was weird about her feelings, and sometimes very hard to read. Now though, they were inseparable.

The bell rang through the hallways, making almost every student start rushing to get to class. And may I tell you, I was one of those students. Luckily I wasn't late, because I definitely didn't need another detention slip. I had enough of those to earn myself my second warning of the year. I promise, Principal Karen loves me. Note the sarcasm.