The Boy Next Door

Lake House

I shoot daggers with my eyes at Jared.

"That would be a great idea!" My mom exclaims and I groan internally. "Then I'll see you later, Malia. Love you." She says and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. She turns on her heels and walks into the crowd, leaving me with Mr. Idiot. I turn to face him with a scowl.

"Aww, you're cute when your angry," he coos. Did he just call me CUTE!? I feel a small blush cover my cheeks and I glare even harder. Curse my damned cheeks.

"Fuck you," I grumble and push past him. But as I pass, a dark spot shows itself on the other side of Jared's face. I stop and turn to look at it.

"What is that?" I ask.

"What are you talking about?" He says, playing dumb.

"The mark on your face, what's that from?" I inquire. His hand rubs the back of his neck.

"It's nothing," he brushes it off.

"Jared, that's a black and blue mark. As in you're hurt" I say. " You didn't have one when I saw you at school."

"Don't worry about it," he mumbles and walks past me. I follow him out to his car in silence. I know something was wrong, but I didn't want to push it.

I hop in and he starts the car. He drives out of the parking lot, making a turn. But the turn isn't in the direction of my house. I give him a confused look.

"Trust me," he says. I give him one last glance, but decide not to question him. Usually I wouldn't trust someone like Jared, but I have a gut feeling that he wouldn't hurt me. I guess I really do trust you, Smith.

He drives on a highway for about fifteen minutes, taking us a little into the county. It's totally dark out now and I look out the window to see the stars.

There are woods across a small meadow by the side of the car. The leaves are just recovering from the winters day the grass is at a short length.

Suddenly Jared takes a turn down a long driveway. We head into a wooded area and soon enough I spot a wooden cabin.

"Where are we?" I ask. Silence follows my question. I look at Jared thinking about how to tell me.

"Promise you won't laugh?" He asks as we park. At first I think he's joking, but his face looks a little worried and I realize this place means a lot to him. I nod and we get out of his truck.

I'm still wearing my black dress, so the chilly night air makes goosebumps run up and down my spine. The back of my heels sink into the ground as I walk towards the wood cabin. It looked as if it had been made by hand. A single light hung on the wall, lighting up the yard.

"I grew up here," Jared starts." I lived here since I was 1 till 13 years old. I did home school for a those years. Then my dad got a raise and he moved us into town. I didn't want to leave. All of my childhood is here. My aunt, Jackie, moved in after we left, so I'd come back here every once in a while and play with her daughter, Payton."

He glances up to the sky and back down at his feet. I keep my mouth shut and listen to him carefully, trying to picture a little boy running around this yard. I smile at the thought, then realize that Jared's about to speak again.

"We stayed in close touch. Jackie would always invite us over to a dinner every weekend. We would gladly except and come here to have a wonderful time. Then my dad got the call." He stopped walking.

His eyes glinted with tears. I stop and gather the courage to carefully grab his hand, trying to comfort him. His head whips up in surprise of my actions. I give him a comforting look. His fingers suddenly intertwine with mine and I smile. A warm, tingling feeling spreads through me.

"Aunt Jackie had pass away. Everyone was devastated, especially Payton. We soon found her will which said that Payton would inherit the cabin. Back then she was eighteen, two years older than me, now she's twenty. She took the house and has been living here ever since. I come and visit when I can, but after Jackie, my dad couldn't bare to see the cabin again."

A single tear now falls down his face. I reach to wipe it away gently, being careful not to push on his bruise. His eyes are dark with hurt and it makes me want to kill the person who made him feel this way. He smiles weekly at me. A light glow burns in the pit of my stomach as I see how I can make him feel better.

He lets go of my hand and my warmth goes away. But it's soon returned when he pulls me close and hugs me. It takes me a minute to register what he's doing, but I quickly hug him tight. He loosens his grip, still keeping me in his arms. I look into his eyes which have grown lighter.

He leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead. It a small gesture, but it means a lot to me. Sparks fly everywhere and my knees grow weak. I wish I could stay here forever.

"Hey JJ! What's up?" A female voice cuts through our moment.