7 Things About the Boy Next Door

Chapter 15

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Ian Maclaren

~Harmony~

"Harmony!" I hear someone unexpectedly holler from my front lawn causing me to startle and make my knife slip as I spread peanut butter on a slice of white bread. The butter knife knocks into my tall glass of orange juice which proceeds to spill all over my hands and food.

I groan loudly and throw the knife forcefully into the sink, trying to relieve some of my anger. Whoever screamed my name is going to get an earful for ruining my breakfast. No one messes with my food...

I give the bench top a hasty wipe and rinse my hands to rid the stickiness. Drying them on my legs, I storm off to the door muttering to myself.

I swing it open with a moody scowl to see Jas standing on my drive with a huge grin and waving at me blithely. Aww, how can I be angry at her?

"There you are!" Jas exclaims and starts heading for me. "There weren't any cars in the drive so I wasn't sure you're out."

"Na, mum's out," I tell her.

"What about your dad's car? It's a Saturday," she asks jumping up my porch.

"Story for another day," I say curtly. "Anyway, what are you doing here? It better be good because you ruined my PB and J for it," I scowl but it doesn't last long, of course a smile breaks out.

"No way, what I have is so much better than PB and J," Jas says smiling, remembering why she came down here.

I laugh. "Okay, what is so important you destroyed my food for?"

"I got a new colour!" she proclaims holding up a small bottle of deep fuchsia nail polish. "And I need a guinea pig," she says like I should be jumping at the opportunity.

I crook an eyebrow and fold my arms suggestively.

"Fine, I'll even throw in a free PB and J," she adds as an incentive. My other eye brow shoots up and she says like she can read me, "plus a beverage of your choice."

"Oh my gosh that's such a gorgeous colour!" I gush snatching the nail polish from her and eyeing it carefully. "I can't wait to play guinea pig!"

"Yay, now come on, I can't wait to see it on someone," she announces happily.

I follow her into her house where she already has a little station set up to paint my nails on.

"Please, have a seat my beautiful volunteer who was not black mailed into coming here today," she says jokingly and I take a seat laughing.

"You know I would've come anyway, I'm just hungry," I say still giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now come on, stop laughing, your hands are moving all over the place." Jas clamps a soft hand over mine to still my movements.

Shaking the bottle and twisting the cap off she begins on a note I'm not too sure I'm ready for again.

"I know it may be a little too soon," Jas starts, "but there's this party a friend of Dylan and mine's is having on the other side of town by the country. Before you say anything," she quickly adds to halt any possible retort I have, "Dylan has already made sure Randy isn't coming that night in that rare case you were up for coming."

She paints a firm stroke over my first nail and fills in the rest.

"Umm," I reply dumbly and look over my shoulder in a lame attempt to avoid the question. I need to start learning that just because I can't see her doesn't mean that she can't see me.