The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door: Chapter 1

Tika's Diary

"Today was the day my parents had finally separated. I figured it was coming. I may be young and not have a lot of knowledge about marriage, but I know you weren't supposed to fight all the time like they did. Curse and scream and fuss all night long. And I'd never get any sleep. I mean especially living in close quarters and all. Their room was right next to mine. In a small quaint apartment, on the second floor of a building in the hood of Brooklyn. But hey, it's all good. None of my friends parents are together and they're just fine. I guess I'd be ok. The only thing I'm afraid of is to choose. I'm only 17 and I don't want to be in the middle. I love my dad. But we've never really gotten along. He just comes home, bosses me around, and since he's been laid off from his job he's had a particularly weary mood about him lately. And my mom, well she's not my mom but she's the mom I know. My mom passed away when I was a baby. Something about complications or something like that. So when Daddy met Gineva, I had a mom again. Shes pretty cool I guess. She's always been there for me so I guess that counts for something. But I need to choose bc school starts soon. Guess I've got some figuring out to do!"

Its Friday and there's two weeks left of the summer before school starts again. This year is my senior year. I'm ready for prom, for graduation, for all of the senior parties to take place during the day on the last day of the week because we get out a hour before underclassmen. I'm also ready to lose my virginity. All of my friends have already lost there's to the upperclassmen when we were freshman. They'd always asked why I was wanting to hold on to it. I mean City View High was full of cute quarterbacks and point guards. All big enough to handle my petite 130 pound frame. So why wait? It's not worth any value. And it's not like it's getting me any attention from them either. I'm a nerd. My hands are always full of calculus or physics book covering my flat chest. I didn't have a body like the other girls. No butt. No boobs. It's like womanhood had forsaken me and left me in the body of a middle school girl. And it didn't help I had these thick glasses that'd fall off from time to time. No one would ever be interested in me. No one I wanted anyways.

There was a deeper reason as to why I was still a virgin. I was gay. Or what I assumed to be gay. Id never had a crush on a guy or desire to be with any of the jocks my friends were always lusting over. I just found myself to be slightly aroused at the cheerleaders that'd sit front row at the basketball games. Short skirts, mid drifts, long hair and full bodies. Mother Nature treated them good. I wanted to be like them, yet I was aroused by them. I was so confused. From time to time I'd have to remember to blink as I caught myself staring at them bouncing and gyrating all over the CVH gym room during the games. I can't imagine how the girls locker rooms would be after the games. 12 hot girls all taking showers. Maybe All taking showers in front of one another.

What I assumed to be a part of life or a phase was turning into a reality. Could it be? Me? Little 130 pound fragile ole me? A lesbian? No body and no sense of style. No guy wanted me what would make me think any of the girls would either. But that was really the least of my worries. I came home after a day on the town with my friends to a rude awakening.

"Come on Tika. You're coming with me." "Where are we going?" I said in a low unbothered tone. "We're moving!" She said. "We're going down south. I have a better job and there's a better school for you. Come on and take this stuff downstairs. We don't want to miss our flight." "Flight? What do you mean flight? What do you mean move down south? I like it here! I don't want to leave!" "It's ok baby." My Daddy murmured. "Ok?! what do you mean ok? This is my senior year and you're making me leave?" My Daddy marched over to me. Made me sit in my favorite pillar by the window and told me how things haven't been going great for them. How Geniva could care for me better than he could. But how could he. How could he just let her take me.

And there it was. The decision was made. I was moving. Away from my friends. Away from memories. Away from the varsity cheerleading team. That's all I could think about on the way to the airport. I'd just come to terms with myself about myself. Why did I have to leave. I had more self searching to do. Why couldn't we have just stayed longer.