Some Love Isn't Forever (Book One of 'The True Reality' Series)

Neighbor

Doctor Heslege walked over to the car as Sophie's dad got out, leaving both the girls and their mother inside still.

"Hello Mr. Foster." He said in greeting. "What are you doing on this side of the neighborhood, last I checked you didn't live here."

"We had to move out of the house while they cleaned it out, so we rented this one for the month" it was a lie, but Sophie felt like someone was choking her. She couldn't stay here for a month, not when she knew he would be living next door.

Doctor Heslege and her dad kept talking, and Amy and her mom were talking about something for school, so Sophie grabbed her backpack and got out of the car.

"Where are you going Soybean?" Her dad asked as she walked up the driveway.

"I'm going to go check out the house."

He nodded. "Alright, don't be too long" Sophie gave him a quick thumbs up and walked the rest of the way up the driveway.

Glancing around, she turned to go inside but froze when she noticed the pair of blue eyes watching her from the side window of Doctor Heslege's house. The moment she turned to face the window the curtains closed and the eyes is appeared inside the house.

Sophie frowned and went inside, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. The house wasn't as empty as she'd expected. There was a table in the kitchen which she assumed was the dining table, a couch and TV in the living room, and a few mattresses on the floors of the bedrooms. Sophie had to admit; it could have been way worse.

She picked a room on the side of the house, and dropped her bag on the floor. Sophie looked around the room. The walls were an ugly tan color, with white trim at the base of the wall. The blinds were tangled and broken, and the carpet was covered in dust and what Sophie hoped wasn't mold.

She moved to the window to untangle the blinds. After undoing three of the knots the blinds fell off of the windowsill.

Sophie threw her hands up in frustration, letting the blinds fall to the floor. "Can this day get any worse?!" She walked over the the wall and sat down against it.

The last few weeks had been torture. First Keefe showed up at her school. Then the concussion. Then the long hospital stay. Then some freak broke into their house, claiming that she's next? What did that even mean.

She looked up and wiped her eyes. Was she crying? Sophie stared at her wet hands, not sure when she'd started crying.

She wiped her hands off on her pants and stood up, and looked up, right out the window. Across from her was another window looking into what had to be another bedroom, and inside was Keefe, frozen in place and staring right back at her.

Sophie backed away and ran out the door. The day really had gotten worse.

She ran down the hall, and towards the back of the house. "Hey, soybean, where are you going?" Asked Amy from one of the bedrooms.

"I Uhh, want to switch rooms?" Sophie smiled, glancing around nervously.

"Ha, no. You got first pick I'm not trading now."

Sophie put her hands on Amy's shoulder's and bent down. "Please, I'm begging you Amy" Her sister frowned.

"What are you so afraid of? It's a room." Amy pulled away and marched down the hallway towards Sophie's new room.

"No wait!" Too late. Amy walked into her room, so Sophie reluctantly followed.

"Oh." Amy was looking out the window. Keefe was gone now, but to Sophie's convenience a photo sat by the window of him and Doctor Heslege- Elwin.

"Yeah... that's why I wanted to switch..." Sophie muttered.

Amy was quiet for a minute. "Well... good luck with that." She tan out of the room.

"Wait, what. AMY!" Sophie yelled, but she didn't run after her. There was no way she was going to give up her room. It looked like she'd have to deal with her new neighbor, and maybe if she got lucky enough she'd never even have to talk to him.

She couldn't have been more wrong.