the boy next door

1

MACKENZIE ZIEGLER.
thursday, december 7

i step off the plane and walk down the connector to the airport. i wait for maddie and my mom by the exit, rolling suitcase in one hand and phone in another.

"hey, kenz." maddie comes into view. she looks tired, yet somehow still breathtakingly beautiful. her hair is in two fishtail braids, which she did when she got bored on the plane, and for what must be the twentieth time today i regret doing nothing more with my hair than tossing it up in a messy ponytail. at least we're both dressed the same– sweatpants and a hoodie.

"where's mom?" i ask, peering down the narrow hallway that joins the plane exit to the airport entrance. i see an old couple, a young family, two teenage girls, but no mom.

"there she is." maddie says, pointing her out to me. "i want starbucks, do you?"

"yes." i reply immediately. i could so use a coffee right now.

"mom, kenz and i are getting starbucks, you want us to get you anything?"

"decaf." mom says. "will you girls be able to find baggage claim by yourselves or should i wait for you?"

"you can go, we'll find it." i tell her, and then we split off into to different directions. "so, mads. you excited?"

"nothing new about it." she shrugs. "except that california might be the hottest place we've moved to so far."

"yeah." we're in line now, so i pause as i glance up at the menu. "but maddie... i don't know. moving to california in the middle of the school year is kinda intimidating. and i liked new york city!"

"kenzie, get over it. you knew we weren't gonna be there for more than three years. it's actually surprising that we stayed more than a year and a half." maddie yawns, clearly not very interested in this conversation. i pout to myself and cross my arms.

we've moved seven times in our life– when maddie was two and i was one, we moved from pennsylvania to florida. then back to pennsylvania when i was four, and we stayed there until i was seven. then we moved to new jersey, and after i turned nine, colorado. when i was eleven, it was, surprisingly enough, london. then, at thirteen, new york. three years later, california. so i guess this counts as the eighth move. at first, i really hated the constant change, but ive learned to deal with it. it's not so bad anymore. i'm good at making friends, but not so good at staying in touch with them. hopefully, since maddie is going to college soon, this will be our last move.

"ready to order?" the guy behind the counter asks. i look up in surprise, i hadn't even realized the line was moving. shit, he's cute. not just cute, but cute cute. he has brown hair and hazel eyes and a dimple that appears when he talks, and his face is scattered with fading freckles. a starbucks visor is placed atop his messy curls, somehow making him even more attractive.

"i'll have a iced caramel macchiato, grande. oh, and a tall decaf, please." maddie says, not stuttering over a single word.

"um, and i'll have a..." my eyes go up to the menu again, even though i already know what i want. "iced vanilla latte, grande."

"will that be all?" he asks, clicking something into the cash register.

"yes." maddie smiles, and the guy, remarkably, smiles back at her, dimple and all. his eyes flit up and down quickly, clearly checking maddie out. i look to the side, pretending to be engrossed in the dessert counter.