Next Door

Seventeen

Mark POV

I hear the front door slam, and Dean walks into the living room behind me.

       "We have a problem"  he says, I can hear how frustrated he is, he sounds all out of sorts and I know he's on the brink of an episode.

"What?" I asks looking around at him, I saw Sienne go into Maria's house just as he did and I already have an idea as to what they talked about.

"You already know don't you?!" Dean yells walking over to the couch, he seems to be getting angrier by the second which is not good in the slightest.

"You already know that f*cking old hag has already poisoned Sienne against us!" he says slamming down on the couch.

"Calm down Dean." Is all I say going back to looking at my laptop. I start to feel the tension in the room rise.

"You should've seen the way she looked at me Dad!" He says so overwhelmed with hurt and anger.

"She will come around to us. We can't overwhelm her because that will just push her away more" I say putting my laptop up. "I will figure this out son just go try and get your mind off of it" I say walking out of the living room.

Dean angrily walks down the hallways and before he can disappear out of my sight I say "don't do anything stupid"

Dean looks back at me with the darkest look and my heart sinks. I walk into the kitchen and look out the window at Sienne's house.

Deep in my thoughts I think back to a memory.

Flashback ~
   "You need to control your son!" I hear a woman's voice say in my direction.

Sitting out on the porch of the house I put down the book I was reading and stand up walking over to the voice.

There's an older black woman walking towards the house and she seems to be extremely upset. Her granddaughter looks to be crying off in the distance. I wonder what's upset her so much.

"Excuse me?" I say to the lady as she walks up to the porch of the house.

"I said you need to control your son!" She says so seriously her eyes could cut me.

How dare she bring up my son and she doesn't even know him?

"What has he done Ma'am? To upset you so much?" I ask walking down the steps to get closer.

"Don't play dumb with me! He's been stealing Kennedy Sienne's things! Her things keep coming up missing and I know it's your son who's taking them! I've seen the way he stares at her for hours! I want you to keep him away from her. She has no business having a boyfriend at this age anyways" she says yelling at me so loud I know the neighbors can hear.

"Ma'am I can assure you my son is not a thief and I do not appreciate you hailing those accusations at my family" I say starting to get angered.

"Well I don't think you know your son, because I do! I know what he is! Keep him away from her!" She yells and I've had enough.

I walk up to her staring down at her small frame and look her dead in her eyes "don't you ever speak ill of my son again."

That makes her quiet down. "Now show yourself off of my property and don't come back!" I say walking up my porch stairs.

I grab the book I was reading and go inside the house slamming the door behind me.
   
"Dean come here!" I yell still angry.

I walk into the kitchen and wait for him to come in. I see him come into the kitchen and I know he heard everything that woman said. He looks extremely angry already.

"Are you taking that girls things?" I ask looking down at him seriously.

"No sir" he says and he folds his arms.

"Tell me the truth!" I yell.

I see him swallow "so what if I am!! That old lady cant tell me what is and what isn't mine!"

I sigh and I know immediately that he's my flesh and blood. Already so overly possessive, but that can drive someone away. I know that to be fact. But it's hard sometimes to keep yourself in check, he will need to learn that soon.

"I know you love that girl, and I know you can't get her out of your head, but you need to be smart Dean! You can't make silly mistakes! No more taking her things" I say

He storms out of the kitchen and goes to the back to slam his door. I shake my head and look out the window to see the little girl my son is obsessed with laying in the grass painting something.

She's a pretty girl, it's obvious. I can tell that when she comes of age she will be even more beautiful, but right now she has my son enrapt I shake my head. I put some of the dishes in the dishwasher and sit down on a kitchen chair.

All of a sudden I hear yelling which makes my heart beat fast I look out the window to see my son walking over towards that lady's house and she's yelling at him.

I drop everything and run outside.

I hear my son yell "you can't keep her away from me!"

I run and grab my son by his shoulders and the lady has told her granddaughter to go inside already. She is over to us in a heart beat yelling profanities.

"I told you to keep your crazy ass son away from my babygirl!" She yells at me now.

My son pushes his hand into his pocket and I look down to see a wooden handle and a sharp metal reflective object. Knowing what it is I grab his hand fast making him drop it back into his pocket before he can pull it all the way out.

I look up to see that the lady is no longer yelling. She has a scared look in her eye. She looks back at both of us and shakes her head. She looks down at Dean and then at me with wide eyes and turns back to walk to her house.

That weekend I saw the girls parents arrive and leave.

Me and Dean didn't see her again until one day at a college football game. Where she was wearing the rival teams colors.

She had grown so much.

Then and there I knew instantly how my son had felt all those years ago.

Flashback ~