The Girl Next Door

~6~

                                                              "Even though you out here looking so ungrateful. I'mma keep it moving, be classy and graceful..."

7:00 p.m 

Onika Maraj

I step out of the shower and blindly reach for a towel. Successfully finding it, I wrap it around my body. 

The silence in the house is welcoming since Roman said that she was going to a kickback.

I walk into my room, heavy in thought about what to wear. 

A few minutes later, I am dressed in comfortable grey sweats and a white tank top. Satisfied, I walk out of my room and head downstairs to find something to eat.

As I walk down the stairs, I hear the unmistakable sound of a ball bouncing. Furrowing my brows, I walk over to one of the living room windows. 

Peeking through the silk curtains, I see the girl next door bouncing a ball underneath the basketball goal, seemingly waiting waiting for someone. I see that it's just starting to get into the dusk time period, casting a orange glow outside. 

I then remember that I have to go get the mail. I'm expecting a letter from UCLA saying that I've been accepted and so far it hasn't came in yet.

I walk to the door, disabling the security alarm, then I head outside.

The natural salty air of Santa Monica hits me, though there isn't an ocean nearby. I walk down the warm cobblestone path, barefooted, to my mailbox. 

As I do, I watch the green-eyed girl across the street run gracefully to the hoop and bounds into the air, making a perfect layup with ease. She quickly retrieves the ball and begins to cross up an imaginary person.

I shake my head, laughing quietly at her actions and open the mailbox. In the dusky sunlight, I see that I have two envelopes sitting in the mailbox, both looking heavy in weight. 

I squeal and pull out the two envelopes. The first one, to my dismay, is for Roman from a college and the second on is for my mom. My mouth drops open and I switch through them again, but nothing is addressed to me.

A groan escapes my mouth and travels into the air. It stops when I feel something lightly push against the back of my legs.

I turn around and see that a ball is at my feet. 

I look up and see the girl from next door walking towards me. My heart starts racing as I bend over and pick up the ball, juggling the ball and the mail. 

As she comes closer, I see that she is quite taller than me. Sweat is beading up on her forehead and her collarbone which is quite visible since she's wearing a Golden State Warrior jersey. 

"Ya gonna give meh mi ball back, or ya jus' gon' keep starin' ah meh, gal?"

I take a step back, startled by:

1. Her accent, which was as thick as mine when I first came here. 

And

2. How rude she's being when I was just trying to help her.

She takes a step closer to me, leaving a few inches between us. Automatically, chills run down my spine, making me shudder.

I mentally curse myself as I watch a smile slide across her face. That's when I take in her facial features.Her strong jawline which outlined her face.

 Her bright green eyes which bore into mine, making me feel smaller than I actually am. 

She then takes another step towards me, leaving no space between us. I can feel her little puffs of breath at the top of my head, each one sending a tingling sensation through my body.