More Than Just Neighbours

Part 28 - The Bakers daughter

ETHAN

Running helps me think, keeps me focused. It releases endorphins which makes me feel better...well for a short time at least, so every day I run circuits around the campus and I've gotten pretty good at running...running away from my problems I guess.

Numbness and boredom is pretty much my life cycle at the minute. I go to all my classes, occasionally get a pat on my back from my dad, talk to Sammy over the phone regularly, ignore any messages from Caleb often, train, run, eat, sleep and repeat. Think about her...too much...every time I close my eyes to be exact...but I'm shelving those feelings for now.

So I went out for a run to keep my mind busy and here I am now.

It's 5.30am in the morning, and I've got the city of Boston to myself.

Pretty much everyone is asleep apart from the bakery on the corner that never seems to close its doors. The smell is amazing, so I slow my pace and head inside to grab some coffee and a breakfast danish. The baker's daughter has a soft spot for me, she always gives me extras, today is a ghost shaped cookie no doubt a left over from Halloween. She thinks I stop by this early just to talk to her most mornings but I just really like the food here. She's cute, pretty in fact, but I'm not interested. All I can think about is Mia, she's ruined me, broken me in fact and I can't seem to get my shit together.

It's been months since she fucked me then dumped me for my brother. It's funny how in high school I had the reputation for using girls for sex then never calling them again, for Mia to do it to me, fuck maybe this is karma. I can't face going home, apart from Sammy there's not much left for there to go back to. I can't go back and see her, I was tempted really fucking tempted when Sammy told me that Mia and Caleb were no longer on speaking terms, it was killing me to know what happened between them. It took everything I had not to fly back and beg her to take me back, but the sting of her picking him over me was just too much.

Fuck I miss her.

I even miss my dickhead kid brother.

All this time I thought I was doing him a favour by being there for him for all his games and matches, but deep down, I fucking loved it. I loved being proud of him and supporting him. I never realised how much i'd miss being around that fucking arsehole even when he was giving me grief.

Sighing I leave half of my breakfast that moments ago I was desperate for and head back out into the muted darkness. I make a slow jog back towards my dorms to grab a shower and power nap before class starts, having to side step a drunk couple who are stumbling on the sidewalk on their way home. No doubt on their way back from a Halloween party as they're dressed head to toe as vampires. I laugh a little at the mess of the pair, but soon feel pangs of jealousy that they have each other.

Fuck it, tomorrow i'm going to ask the Bakers daughter out on a date. Try to break this bullshit cycle that I'm in.

Hello rock bottom, i'm fucking done been here!

As I enter my dorm I'm careful not to wake Cody, the total tool that is my roommate. We have nothing in common apart from the fact our families are wealthy. I seriously could not have handpicked a worse human being to be paired up with. So I'm quick to collect together my wash bag, towel and fresh clothes before this bellend awakens and bores me shitless. Before I leave to grab a shower I decided to check my phone that's been charging since last night. Quickly scanning it, I'm surprised to see a text message from Caleb from last night.

I sit down on the edge of bed and just look at his name for a while, considering if I should delete it without reading it like normal or take a peek at what he has to say.

He was probably just out drunk last night and texted me some ranty bullshit...I'm probably best just deleting it.