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“It means, it’s just my luck I would be stuck living next to the girl that gets off on other people’s pain.”
That stung. I know the girl he saw back then was a mirror image of what I saw in myself, and those demons are ones I’ve been fighting for most of my adult life. I still hate that the only memory he has of me is my ugly side, that scared part of myself.
I huff, and instead of showing my hurt and having him bask in it, I cross my arms over my chest and cock my head to the side.
“What do you want, Drew? Or did you come all the way over to make my day even worse?”
His eye roll is spectacular as he thrusts the note I taped to his door into my hands.
“I would appreciate it if your guys could keep it down. I work nights and I need my sleep, so if you could hurry up and finish your Barbie Dreamhouse, that would be great.”
Before that last comment, I was prepared to compromise. Now the Queen Bitch wants out and right now I don’t have the energy to fend her off.
“That’s nice. My workers only work during the day, so it looks like you’re going to have to invest in some earplugs.” A smirk twitches at the edges of my lips as his eyes narrow and the anger radiates off him in waves.
The longer I stare at this man, the more I realize how much he’s changed since high school. He still has that mass of dirty-blond hair that always seems to fall in front of those green eyes that used to haunt my dreams all those years ago. His body has obviously changed, he’s gotten toned, chiseled and clearly started taking care of himself, but that doesn’t change the fact that he still hates me, as do most of the people in this town.
“Jesus, you’re still the same stuck-up bitch from high school, aren’t you?” he whispers to himself but loud enough for me to hear and it’s then that the thread holding all my emotions together snaps and I slam the door in his face, tears filling my eyes as I sink against the closed door and tilt my head back, looking at the ceiling.
I am doing this for Mom. I have to remember that. She is the only thing that matters right now, not the way his green eyes took in my long legs, or the fact that his gaze kept flicking to my mouth. I can’t fantasize about Drew Mitchell while he’s living right next door. Nope. That would be a very bad idea.
Drew
Of course, it had to be Kate Murray. Of course, it had to be the one girl that made mine and every other kid in high school’s life a living hell. I hated her for four years. I hated the way her hair flowed so effortlessly down past her shoulders. I hated how beautiful she looked with or without makeup and I really hated how much I liked her despite all that.
High school wasn’t a picnic for me like it was for my sister Addison. Yes, I made something of myself after I graduated, and yes, I have great friends and an amazing life now, but that doesn’t mean the trauma I suffered those four years isn’t permanently embedded into my soul. Every whispered look, every bout of hushed laughter that was directed my way still lingers in the recesses of my mind and they refuse to leave, no matter how many hours of therapy I pay for or how many women I’ve slept with since. Those teasing comments about my weight, about my love for math and my lack of desirability, all stung when I was seventeen, but now at twenty-seven, I’m not that quiet overweight kid that hated himself. I changed my diet, started therapy and started working out my issues in a boxing ring instead of a drive-through. That shy, timid kid is still in me somewhere, and I thought I buried him years ago, but seeing Kate, the reason for most of those horrible years, standing in front of me, looking just as gorgeous as she did ten years ago, is causing a rush of emotions coursing through me.
For some reason, when she opened that door, I expected something other than the girl I knew all those years ago. I was hoping she grew out of the bitch she was when we were teenagers, but the second she opened her mouth and spewed the same crap she did in high school, I knew it was too good to be true. I’d just need to accept the fact that she’s living beside me.
“You know when I asked you over here for dinner, I expected you to actually be present... you know, talk to your sister and all that,” Addison says with a wink, picking up a piece of garlic bread and bringing it up to her mouth.
“Come on, Addi, leave the man alone. I heard he has a brand-new neighbor…” Cash, my best friend since sixth grade, says through a mouthful of spaghetti.
I give him a sideways glance, wondering how he knows about Kate. But then again, Cash knows everything that goes down in this small town.
“A new neighbor? Do tell,” Max asks, looking sideways at his twin brother Mark, both sitting across from me as I shake my head.
Lucas stays quiet like always, listening and taking everything in. He’s been that way since we were kids and I wish that the rest of my friends were more like him, then maybe I wouldn’t have to have this conversation.
“What is this, the inquisition?” I mutter, taking a big bite of my pasta and hoping that it bides me some time to avoid the barrage of questions I know are coming my way. I love my friends; we’ve been thick as thieves since the second grade, but right now all I want to do is get through this night without talking about Kate.
“I heard it’s Kate Murray,” Cash pipes up and Addison’s face brightens with curiosity.
Fucking hell. Here we go.
“Really? Didn’t you have a huge crush on her in high school?” she teases as I throw a piece of bread her way.
She catches it easily and places it in her mouth before winking in my direction. My eyes stray to Max whose eyes are only on my sister, and I wonder for the thousandth time in the last ten years when he’s going to shoot his shot with her, but before I can dwell on it, everyone starts talking at once about my alleged crush on the Queen Bitch.
“Is she still hot?” Cash smirks, loving this whole thing. “I bet she loved your transformation from geek to Greek god.”
Everyone bursts out laughing and I can’t help but join in. I will admit my abs have always been a source of pride for me, something I maintain because I spent most of my formative years envying them on others.
“Did she even recognize you? Did she hit on you? Because I know that was always your dream,” Max says with that dreamy look in his eyes, and I sigh dramatically because it’s times like this I wish I had different friends.
“Everyone just stop!” I yell, the whole house going quiet as I glance at everyone wondering why my love life is so appealing to them. “I know everyone seems to think they have free rein on my love life, and as much as I appreciate the concern, there’s nothing to tell.”
Five pairs of eyes stare back at me in disbelief.
