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Chapter 33
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THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 34
My cell beeps, making me jump. “Oh my God. I’m losing it. ”I pick it up to see a text from Steve.Im now a stalker. Jumped your fence. In the pottery room.My lips beg me to smile, but the nausea churning in my stomach makes it impossible. My fingers move to tell Steve I can’t. That I need to be alone. But I feel this little pull to him, too. The urge to watch him play and share gummy bears with him. Spending time with him is starting to feel like my new normal, and though I want nothing more than to be excited about that, I can’t fully muster it up right now.I also can’t tell him no.Dropping my backpack inside the foyer, I go through the house and right out the back. When I open the door to the room, I see Steve sitting on the small couch with his guitar next to him.“I thought you could try to make something again if you want. Or I could give you another lesson— Hey, what’s wrong?” Steve pushes his hair behind his ear so it doesn’t hang in his face.I want to tell him. To tell so
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 35
“According to police, the vehicle was traveling at high speeds when it lost control on one of the curves. There was a female passenger in the vehicle with him, but due to her being a minor, no name has been released yet. Both occupants of the car were dead at the scene. ”Dead.Dead.Dead.They’re both dead. Jason is dead. A girl is dead. Due to her being a minor…Another girl, just like me.The fuzz takes over again. I don’t hear anything else. Just my pulse mixing with the noise and throbbing in my head. The cries ripping out of me with so much strength, they tear me apart. A girl I didn’t know has died with Jason. He could have lied to her like he did me. Maybe she thought she loved him and he loved her. Maybe she just trusted Jason like he always told me to do. The way I did. And now because of that, she’s dead.“Shh. It’s okay, dolcezza. I have you. I’m here. I have you. ” Dad repeats the words over and over as the tears keep coming. I’m holding him so tight, my nails dig into h
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 36
“No. I can promise you they’re not. ”I think about everything that’s happened since we lost Mom. How he pushed me away. How I pushed my friends away before, and now I’ve pushed Steve. Steve was right. I’m not taking my life back. I’m not fighting. Jason is still winning. And maybe… Just maybe he wasn’t all bad, either. It’s not something I will ever know. But maybe he just wanted to feel loved and didn’t know how to find it the way he needed to. Just like me. He’s responsible for his actions, and I’m responsible for mine.Maybe if I could have been stronger, he wouldn’t have been in that car. Or that girl wouldn’t have been with him. Maybe she would still be alive, maybe not. There’s no way of knowing. It could have been the first day they met, or he could have been tricking her the Edwarde way he did me. Either way, I refuse to stand by anymore. Refuse to let people get hurt because I wasn’t strong enough to do something. Even though Jason is dead, I want to fight, for myself, for o
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 37
I shake my head. “I was only lost for a little while, but I found my way back. ”Lillian speaks next. “Your mom was incredible, but she didn’t make you special, Emily. You did that yourself. We’re your best friends. We love you. ”At that the tears start to leak from my eyes. “I love you guys, too. ”“It hurt to have you push us away,” Lillian whispers. “We’d always been a team and though we understood, it sucked. And then when you started talking about this new boyfriend you didn’t want us to meet, it was like you didn’t care. You’d moved on and forgotten about us. We weren’t good enough to be there for you, when we loved her right along with you. ”When Ellie’s parents fought, she talked to Mom. When we needed a ride somewhere, we asked her. Lillian started her period for the first time at our house and my mom was there. I should have realized it hurt them, too. That they felt like I left them, as well.“And even after everything happened…” Ellie shifts. “You didn’t want to see anyo
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 38
We’re silent for a minute, and then I add, “I know I pulled away first…but you guys aren’t innocent either. The way you treated me. I don’t think I deserved that. ”“You’re right,” Ellie says.“I’m so sorry,” Lillian adds. “Maybe we can try to start over… Go slowly. ”My heart bounces. “I would love that. ”“All of us made mistakes. I’d like to try to get our friendship back, too. ” Ellie looks down.It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. I need to prove things to them, and them to me. The fact that we’re all willing gives me hope.I listen as they talk about some of the things they’ve been doing the past months. Then I talk to them about Steve and tell them I have a new friend named Emery I hope they can meet one day.Each word is a cleansing breath. A compression on my chest bringing me back to life again.And I can’t wait to live.When I finally get up to leave, both girls stand, too. Lillian holds out her pinkie first, then Ellie, and finally me. We link them all together. “Always,”
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 39
Now that I've tied the knot with my fictitious fiance, I want a divorce. Since we were both children and lived next door to each other, I have known Joel. When I was paying more attention to his sibling than anything else. I am aware that it is scandalous. That is all in the past at this point. Right now, the only thing that matters is the final request that my father who is dying has. All he wants is to be the one to walk me down the aisle. The individual who is able to assist me in realizing that desire is Joel. However, the fact that he is a billionaire has drawn a ruthless adversary. In addition, I am unable to put my faith in him. I am being played by Joel. In the event that I discover that I am pregnant, should I still leave him? When we were ten years old, the roof was being pelted with raindrops. Depending on where you are in the house, it could sound like a calming patter that is perfect for putting a baby to sleep. However, this is not the attic. Just now, the sk
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 40
I continue my descent down the opposite stairway. In the kitchen, the light is currently on. A request for entry. That's how it is. The reason for this is because my father has not yet arrived home, and there is already food waiting for him. I choose to disregard that and run directly to the referee. Check it out. There is some casserole that was left over from breakfast this morning.One-half of a BLT sandwich, most likely the portion that Marie was unable to consume. I won't deal with that at all. There is cheese and macaroni. It is ham. To pickles. The chocolate cake cut into a slice. Wings of chicken. These are nachos. Now we are having a conversation. I grab the package of wings and the nachos that are now dripping with sauce, and I begin eating them on the counter. Before the rear door opens and Marie arrives, I only manage to make it through three of the bedrooms. This is her favorite stance at the moment, and she is currently standing in the doorway with her hands on her hi
THE GUY NEXT DOOR Chapter 41
Another thing that I am aware of is this. Abigail Higgins is a devoted follower of my brother. Since she was five years old, she has. She did, in fact, follow him around for a period of time once. He served as her savior and her prince. During the course of the conversation, those wide-eyed stares morphed into sideways glances, which were accompanied by flushed cheeks and a twitch of the corner of her mouth. Upon Charity's departure to attend college, Abigail shed tears. Would she shed tears for me?It's really unlikely. How is she doing? In spite of this, I can't help but inquire. The door to the refrigerator is being shut by Marie. You, Abigail? She is doing well. Just as every other eighth-grader is, I am completely overwhelmed with schoolwork. When it comes to a math project, I am assisting her. I make a raised eyebrow. "I was under the impression that you detested mathematics." "Yes, I do," she confesses. "Would you like to take my place?" In a hurry, I respond with "No."
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