The Boy Next Door

"Is This Blackmail."

"So, he just ignored the message you sent him?" Claire asked, as we walked to the lunch table. As we made our way to the table, where Sasha and Kim were talking about gossip that had been circling the school, Claire and I both sat down.

"I doubt it Brooke, he probably just didn't see it," Claire says, setting her copy of the Pride and Prejudice down on the table. Claire was dumbfounded because Justin ignored me. Sasha, and Kim just continued to ramble on about something that wasn't important.

"Claire, I'm serious, he didn't respond to my message, but it's not really a big deal. I don't care anyways," I lied.

"Brooke, I know you better than you know yourself. I can tell you care that he practically ignored you. I don't know what's wrong with him. I was sure that he had a crush on you. I'm right most the time. I don't know what happened," Claire says, picking her book from off the table and opening it.

"I told you he didn't," I say lowering my head. It's not like I had a crush on him or anything, I just enjoyed his company, he was a really good friend before he came to this school, around these people. Maybe I shouldn't have pressured him in to coming back to public school. I liked him a whole lot better before he came here.

"Did, you guys hear that Ashley Roberts and Justin Bieber are a thing now?" A random girl says, walking past our table with a group of her friends. I widen my eyes and continued to listen to their conversation.

"No way! He's crazy, and so is she. They deserve each other," another girl says.

"Yeah, I heard from Sarah Matthews that she is just using him for popularity, and to get back at someone named Brooklynn, whoever that is," she replies, walking away from our table. I break my focus from the girls, and look at Claire, she had been engaged in her book, so I doubt she heard anything those girls had said. Sasha and Kim were both eating their food, talking to each other, so I doubt they heard anything either.

I allowed my mind to go back to their conversation. What did she mean by "get back at me," I didn't do anything to her. If she's still mad about the whole Liam kissing me thing, she was going to have to get over it because he's the one that kissed me, not the other way around.

After the lunch bell had rang, we all dispersed to the next thing on our schedule. I had a free period, and so did Claire, so we both went inside the theater to hang out.

"Brooke, I have an idea, maybe we can go up to Justin when school is over and ask him what his problem is. He has no right being rude to you. I refuse to sit back and allow him to be rude to my best friend with out saying a word to him," Claire says, all in one breath. She has always been known to talk really fast when she is angry.

"Nope! That definitely sounds like a terrible idea, I refuse Claire. That also means you can't go by yourself and try confronting him either. Word travels fast so I will know if you do anything Claire," I say, pointing my finger at her.

"Oh, whatever, I know you are curious as to why he hasn't been talking to you. I know you like him Brooklynn. It's really not that hard to tell."

"Claire, for the last time, I do not like Justin," I reply with a bit of an attitude.

"Well sorry," Claire responded, holding her hands up in defence. I just looked at her before rolling my eyes.

School didn't take long to end at all, so Claire and I decided to walk over to my house so we could study together for the upcoming test for Mr. Williams' class.

"What if we text Justin from my phone? He doesn't know my number. I can act anonymous and ask him why he's been ignoring you?" Claire says, twirling her mechanical pencil around her finger in thought.