Alice

Chapter Six - Door Or Window

I took my keys out of my bag that was placed on the side of my hips, I turned the lock and opened the door. None of the lights were on but I thought that my mum must've fallen asleep again as it was a little late and she's usually home by now.

"Hello?" I shouted out but no reply.

I closed the door making sure it was locked completely, I didn't want the same mistake that I made last time. Last time I didn't lock it properly and my mum had a go at me because she said it was dangerous as anyone could have walked in and robbed the house.

I started flicking on the lights in the front room first, fiddling with the door to double check that I locked it. I didn't put the chain on as my mum would never be able to get back into the house.

I placed my bag on the coat hook, took my shoes off and placed them near the door on the shoe rack. I walked to the kitchen switching on the light. I noticed straight away that the laptop had moved from where it was this morning and money was placed into the change bowl, with a note saying "order what you want" she must of came back for her lunch break.

I didn't need the money as I had already eaten. I walked over and took a can of sprite from the shelf in the fridge. I opened the sprite and took a mouthful before leaving the kitchen turning the lights back off as I wouldn't want her raging because I'm wasting electricity again.

I made my way to the bedroom, switched the light on, placed the sprite on the coaster that was on my desk and got my pajamas out of the draws. I went to the bathroom turning the shower on and leaving the water to warm up before getting in. I danced my way from the bathroom to the bedroom with my phone, listening to Mirror by Justin Timberlake.

I dried myself off and got dressed in my light grey bottoms and slightly too big blue top. I finally felt comfortable. I took my hair dryer out, plugged it in and powered it on. I was nearly done drying my hair when I heard a noise.

"PING"

I realised that the faint sound was coming from my phone. I stopped drying my hair and picked up my phone from the dressing table and stared at it. Why was he messaging me of all people. I was hoping not to see him today because of the night before. I accidentally broke his gaming controller and I still need to get him a replacement. I opened the message.

"Nice show ;) - D"

What did he mean by that? I picked up one of the small pebbles that was situated in the small bowl on my nightstand, he usually answered when I threw a pebble at his window. But as I spun around the horror sunk in, I forgot to close my curtains. My eyes widened, my heart was racing. He didn't see anything did he? He joked about it before. Another text came through, I looked down.

"How'd you get the bruise?" ;p - D"

Oh no, he definitely saw everything now. I looked back up and felt like I couldn't breath. I got that bruise the other day when we were in Physical Education and he threw the ball at me as we were playing dodgeball, it smacked me on my bum. He knew where I got it from.

Propped on his ledge with his devilish smile, Dylan. The schools player, I don't mean football or basketball, I mean that he hooks up with girls all the time. I'm not jealous but when he does bring them back to his, I have to close my curtains and not go outside because that was our agreement.

The crazy part was that me and him have been friends since we were young but nobody knows, not even Poppie. We prefer to keep that a secret from everyone. I stomped over to my window and lifted the window up in a quick swift motion.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Nope, I got enough." He said with his flirty voice as he bit his bottom lip.

"You're disgusting, stop peeping on me. Don't you have someone's heart to be breaking?" I said annoyed. I wasn't annoyed with him per say, I was annoyed with myself for not shutting the curtains.

"Nope, not today." He said winking and grinning at me.

He sat there looking at me, after what felt like the longest minute of my life, I started to pull the window shut.

"Wait.."

I stopped and looked over at him.

"What?"

I looked over at him and shifted onto the other leg that I was leaning on, his eyes had sadness in them, which means only one thing.

"Door or window?" I asked him.

He knew what I meant because within seconds he was climbing out of his window, through the tree that connected our houses and he slipped through the gap that I had lifted up so he could fit through. I remember the first time he tried to climb to my room.

"Dylan are you sure it's safe?" I asked with worry in my tone.

"Yeah I'm sure, it's a big tree that's... safe. I'll be there in a sec, hang on Alice. I'm coming for you." He spoke with a massive smile that appeared on his face when he noticed I was blushing.

I opened my window wide whilst I was still blushing at the words he used on me. My body was betraying me, I shouldn't be blushing, especially towards him.

I watched as Dylan attempted the impossible. We were in the same class and he spoke to me in secret and asked if he could come round after dinner, I enjoyed his company more than anyone. Besides he was my only friend. If it wasn't us that was hanging out together, it was me and my mum.

He flung one leg out the window and looked down, I saw him taking a deep breath in. Before he lifted his other leg out of the window, I heard his mum and dad shouting at each other. Without hesitation he sat on the ledge with both legs hanging out the window.

"You know we have a door." I smirked whilst propping my face in my hands. I can't believe he was going to attempt this. He won't make it.

"I know but they are in the living room, plus it's too late to be coming out." He said gripping on to the branch closest to him. He tugged on to it trying to make sure that the branch wouldn't break as soon as he was ready to jump to death.

"You'll hurt yourself Dylan." I said worried for him.

"No I won't, I'll be fine. Calm down will you."

He lifted himself into the tree and stood on the thick branch and smirked at me, he took another couple of steps and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He was falling out of the tree, it was as fast as a lightning strike. One second he was in the tree smirking and winking at me making his way to me, making me blush and the next he was buried in the grass crying with his arm looking funny, I shot from where I was standing in my bedroom to the spot where he laid clutching his arm.

"I told you so." I said looking down at him and crossing my arms before going to get his mum, out of the corner of my eye I saw him smiling to himself and covering his eyes. What a strange kid I thought to myself.

He went to hospital and spent the night there having x-rays and having a cast put on, turns out he broke it in two different areas. His mum yelled at him and said he was being stupid. Two nights later he came over and through the door this time. He let me sign his cast but I used my nickname that he gave me so no one knew it was from me. He became popular with all the children and he was named the coolest kid.

He never tried that attempt again for at least a couple of years. He tried again at the age of 14 and this time he made it to my room and he was so happy with himself. We bet on dinner and who was paying, sadly I had to pay using my pocket money.

Even though he became the popular kid in primary school and high school, he never once turned his back on me. That's what I liked about him.

He was now standing in my bedroom, looking down at me with a smile plastered on his face like he had won yet again.

"I wish you would fall again." I said smirking and looking up at him.