The Boy Next Door

Chapter 7

⠀⠀⠀Hayden crinkles her nose as Wyatt explains the plan for tonight, Halloween. "A barn party?" she questions.

⠀⠀⠀He nods. "The whole senior class is going to be there. There's food, music, and beer. What else do you want?"

⠀⠀⠀"For it not to be in a barn!" she exclaims. "Aren't there like pigs or cows or something in barns?"

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt gives her a look that says shut up and sighs. "Just put on a costume, and I'll be outside your window to pick you up at eight."

⠀⠀⠀He backs away from the windowsill he was standing at, and Hayden pulls it back down.

⠀⠀⠀Forty minutes later, at eight o'clock on the dot, Wyatt knocks on the window, one hand over his eyes in case she's not already dressed. She takes one last Snapchat selfie to send to Brandon before she hops off her bed and makes her way over to the window, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her black jeans.

⠀⠀⠀"Aw, you're a cat," Wyatt states as she slides out the window, flicking the black cat ears attached to her headband.

⠀⠀⠀She looks at him and scrunches her eyebrows together. "What are you?"

⠀⠀⠀He shrugs. "I dunno. It ain't actually a costume party."

⠀⠀⠀"Why did you tell me it was?" she screeches.

⠀⠀⠀"I thought it'd be funny," he explains.

⠀⠀⠀She crosses her arms and turns back towards her house.

⠀⠀⠀"Where are you going?" he asks.

⠀⠀⠀"To take off my fucking cat ears!" she screams.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh no you ain't," he says, marching up behind her and dragging her back.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm going to look like an idiot!" she exclaims, flailing around to try to escape.

⠀⠀⠀He releases her, and she stumbles forward. "No you won't. You look cute."

⠀⠀⠀She gives him her best death glare and begins towards her bedroom window once again, forcing Wyatt to scoop her up in his arms bridal style.

⠀⠀⠀"Put me down!" she hisses.

⠀⠀⠀He carries her into her own backyard and walks over to the fence the divides the grassy area from the pigs' area. He finds an area on the perimeter that is absolutely filthy and hangs Hayden over it.

⠀⠀⠀"You keep the ears on, or you go in with the pigs," he threatens.

⠀⠀⠀"Put me down!" she repeats.

⠀⠀⠀He lowers her down a little more, and she finally surrenders.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, okay! I'll wear the ears. Just stop this," she begs.

⠀⠀⠀A victorious smile on his face, he brings her back over to the grassy side of the fence and puts her on her feet. She immediately begins to slap him and tell him that she hates him.

⠀⠀⠀"You love me, and you know it," he teases.

~ ~ ~

⠀⠀⠀They make the ten minute walk to the barn and enter it. Hayden is surprised at how wrong her assumptions had been about the place. There were no animals or really any farm equipment in the barn at all. The middle had a shiny wooden dance floor set up, the DJ stand in the front. Tables covered with food and drinks lined one of the walls while couches lined the others, couples making out in a way that would get them removed from the town if they did it in public. All the girls are dressed slightly more scandalously than usual. It may not be what she's used to on Halloween, but it certainly exceeds her expectations.

⠀⠀⠀Jessie comes running over to the two, dragging Dustin along with her. "You came! Wyatt had me all worried that you were going to bail."

⠀⠀⠀"He may or may not have dragged me part of the way here," Hayden says.

⠀⠀⠀Jessie takes Hayden's hand and starts pulling her away from the two boys. "I need to talk to you about something."

~ ~ ~

⠀⠀⠀"Stop staring at her," Dustin says. "It's creepy."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm not," Wyatt grumbles.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes you are," he repeats.

⠀⠀⠀"So what?" Wyatt asks. "You stare at Jessie constantly."

⠀⠀⠀Dustin clicks his tongue. "Yeah 'cause I've been dating her for almost six years. Just tell Hayden that you love her already."

⠀⠀⠀"I don't love her," he mumbles, not believing it himself.

⠀⠀⠀Dustin cocks his eyebrow. "C'mon man. We all know you do. It ain't a bad thing."

⠀⠀⠀"Dusty, she has a boyfriend. She's in love with him. Nothing good will come out of me telling her that I love her."

⠀⠀⠀"I see the way she looks at you. There's no way she still loves her boyfriend if she's looking at you the way she does," Dustin explains.

⠀⠀⠀Wyatt shakes his head. "She talks about him all the time. She does love him, and I ain't about to tell a guy's girlfriend that I love her. That's wrong. How would you feel if someone told Jessie that he loves her?"

⠀⠀⠀Dustin frowns and walks away from Wyatt, quickly making his way across the barn to where Jessie and Hayden are standing.

⠀⠀⠀He wraps his arms around Jessie from behind and kisses her shoulder. "You're going to love me forever and only love me, right? You're not ever gonna love someone else, right?"

⠀⠀⠀Jessie giggles. "Dustin, what's going on?"

⠀⠀⠀"Wyatt is over there talking all kinds of crazy, and I just want to make sure," he explains.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, baby, I will love you forever," she tells him.

⠀⠀⠀Hayden looks over at Wyatt and walks over to him.

⠀⠀⠀"What were you guys talking about?" Wyatt asks.

⠀⠀⠀Hayden laughs. "She was asking me for advice about some anniversary thing. What about you guys?"

⠀⠀⠀He replies, "Oh, nothing really."

⠀⠀⠀"Sounds real exciting," she jokes.

⠀⠀⠀"Actually," he says, "I, uh, I need to tell you something."

⠀⠀⠀She nods her head, indicating for him to go on. In his own mind, he's reciting silent prayers for him not to make a total fool out of himself by what he's going to do.

⠀⠀⠀Hayden's phone rings, and she pulls it out of her pocket to check the caller ID. "Oh, shoot, can you hold that thought?"

⠀⠀⠀He nods his head.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, baby," she says, walking away from Wyatt.

⠀⠀⠀By the time she returns from her call with Brandon, Wyatt's moment of bravery has passed.

⠀⠀⠀"What did you want to tell me?" she asks.

⠀⠀⠀He shrugs. "I forgot."