The Boy Next Door

Chapter 3

Samantha's P.O.V:

We drove back home after we bought food for Hayley. We said our goodbyes and both of us went into our homes. Hayden was no where to be found so I decided to get the house ready for the party. I started in the front of the house, working my way back, pushing back furniture against the wall and locking my moms china cabinets and valuables. I then began hanging lights around the walls and on the banister leading upstairs. I placed random bottles of silly string around the house along with beach balls and balloons. I go out into the backyard and get the campfire wood ready and hang up lights around the deck. While I'm hanging the last strand of light, I hear Hayden walk in and it sounded like he wasn't alone. I walk into the house shutting the back door. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen is Hayden surrounded by 4 kegs and his friend Lucas. I'm glad to see he finally changed from his pajamas to khaki cargo shorts and white flannel t-shirt.

"Hi guys," I say as I set down the empty box that once held all the Christmas lights I used to decorate with.

"Hey Sam," Lucas says with a boyish grin. "The house looks great!"

If he wasn't my brothers friend, I would easily find him very attractive.

"Thanks Luke," I say as I smile and move past the two.

"If you guys are done flirting, I need you Lucas to help me move these kegs around the house," Hayden says.

I laugh, "good luck being with him Luke, I'm going upstairs." I start walking upstairs as I hear a "ouch man, what'd you do that for?!" and a deep laugh.

Jake's P.O.V:

Panera actually turned out to be really good. I'm not sure if they had any in Houston, but whatever.

We mainly talked about my life in Houston and all the weird experiences I had there. I realized that I liked making her laugh, maybe because she didn't do it often enough. I asked her about her childhood but she replied with very little details. More than once I noticed that when she smiled, it didn't reach her eyes. I wanted to ask why but it seemed too soon considering we just met. Though Samantha made me feel like I've known her my whole life. It was easy talking to her.

I dropped her off and went back into my place. I decided to take a shower and dress nice for the party considering I was going to meet people who'll be attending the same school as me. My thoughts drift back to Samantha at times. She was a freshman though...

I pull on my jeans and a black button down and spray myself with cologne. I mess around with my hair till it looks nice and ruffled. Although I can't shake off the "I haven't slept properly" look, I must admit, I clean up nice.

I go downstairs and say goodbye to my parents. "Where are you going, Jake?" My mom asks. I tell her about the party next door and she smiles. "Well that's good! Have fun!" I smile and lean over to kiss her cheek. "I won't be long, mom." She gives me a knowing smile and I head out. My pulse seems to pick up a bit as I make my way over to Samantha's. I ring the doorbell. A tall shirtless guy in basketball shorts opens the door and he has a red cup in his hand.

"Hey man come in," he says and steps aside. Behind him there are groups of people running around, drinking, and dancing on tables.

"Thanks," I say. The guy who opens the door introduces himself as Mason and leads me over to a group of guys. I'll admit I'm a bit nervous, I manage to keep my cool and get along with these people. I never had trouble with meeting new people so it all came naturally to me. I hung around with them for a bit, talking about sports and other small talk.

I tell them about my joining the football team and surpisingly they all encourage me. It's probably because I've spent a lot of my years training and it was the best way to bond with my father. I remember joining the freshman team in Houston, I actually had grown to love it.