THE BOY NEXT DOOR

Chapter One

Benjamin's POV:
"Are you ready for today?" Oliver asks. I shrug.
It's just our junior year, there's nothing special about it for me. However, Oli has this big idea that this will be his year, he's gonna try out for the football team and find himself a cheerleader. His goal is to get Anna, his crush since 6th grade.

"Oh come on! you have to be excited about something!"

I shake my head, "Nope. I prefer being home over going to school."

"Come on benji! This year is going to be awesome, if you make it awesome. We have to branch out, this is one of our last years, it's time for us to shine."

He'd been giving me this speech for the past two weeks leading up to our first day of school. To be honest I was tired of it. It's just high school. Our reputation doesn't matter, just our grades, so we can  get into a good school and actually have a decent life in the real world. Of course I have told him this, but to Oli, it's all about popularity, and we are not popular, never have been, and I never will be.

"I just don't find popularity all that important, Oli." I let out a loud sigh as we climb onto the bus. We take our typical seat around the middle of the bus. I lay my head on the window and he nudged my shoulder.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm just talking." He says, and I shrug, letting out a laugh, "You're gonna get all popular this year and forget all about me."
He wraps his arm loosely around me, my heart speeds up and I feel my cheeks going red. All I can focus on is the feeling of his finger tips brushing against my shoulder. I don't hear what he says again until his arm isn't around me.
I guess by now you've guessed my secret. I have a crush on my childhood best friend. Cliché right?

"Earth to Benji! Come on man, we're at school!" Oli says, and I sigh, standing up to follow him into our high school. Upon entering, several of Oli's friends come over to us, we all start comparing schedules. Benji and I have several classes together, thankfully, considering I have one other friend, a sophomore named Elisa. When she finds us she gives me a hug and we, of course have no classes together but we do have the same lunch time.
I reach for Oli's pinkie, as I have since we were young kids, and squeezed. It was comforting to me, holding his hand when I got anxious.

"Okay, I'm gonna go to class with Benji, see ya guys later." Oli says, pulling me away from the crowd and toward my first period class.
He hugs me with a pat on the back before walking toward his own class.
So begins the first day of my junior year.