The Boy Next Door

ｔｈｉｒｔｙ ｆｏｕｒ

Rachel

We were only days away from graduation. I was growing more impatient by the day. All motivation to show up to school was lost. What I never thought would hit me, hit me harder than expected. The senioritis was in full swing and there was no way of helping it now. There was no more school work that even was still to be completed. Only mandatory graduation rehearsals and meetings with out counselors to discuss our plans for after graduation. Despite my utter laziness I attended what I needed to, to get stuff done.

Contrary to the other schools in the school district, my school pushed us to decorate our our graduation caps. From the time I watched Wyatt's graduation to now I have had the same idea for how I wanted to decorate mine. When my mom heard that today was the day that I was receiving my cap, she was quick to offer our dining room table as a craft center for me and my friends. Colton, Dylan and Katie were set to come over. I didn't want to make it a big event.

I sent a message to our group chat: "Please bring me pitch for the supplies. I am a broke high school student. Also please bring whatever else I may have forgotten to buy if you want it. See you guys soon."

Not even two minutes later, there was a knock at my door. Colton stood there with his phone in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. "I came to see what kind of help you needed setting up and getting things organized. I also brought my mom's really good veggie dip." He closed the door behind him.

"Everything is set up and ready to go for later. My mom was very excited about this and brought out every piece of craft supplies that we own before she left."

"So you're home alone?" He asked.

"Yes, I am."

"What a poor choice on your mom's part." He said.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Do you know how much trouble we could get it?" He asked. He grabbed my arms and placed them on his shoulders for me and gently wrapped his arms around my low back letting them loosely pull me closer to him.

I looked him in the eyes. "A lot of trouble." I said, going along with his previous comment. His smooth lips gently grazed over mine before planting a light kiss. I knew where he wanted to go with this; I had no reason to complain. I took it a step farther and deepened the kiss. He slowly pulled away.

"But we can't get into any trouble now, the other guests will be over soon." He placed a kiss on my forehead and walked away into my kitchen.

I stood there for a second in disbelief of what had just happened. I went into the kitchen. He had helped himself to a platter and was starting to spread the vegetables that he brought onto it. "You're such an asshole." I said. The way it came out could have been taken as sarcasm.

He looked up from the counter. "I know. You've known that since the day we met."

"You can't just leave me hanging like that." I said. "That's no fun. What was the point of making that comment if you knew all along that nothing was going to happen right now?" My tone was a little bit snarky.

"Babe, relax. I didn't realize it would upset you." He said.

"For the last two months I haven't been able to get a real, good hug or physical attention because of my ribs and all of this other shit from the car accident. I don't know if it's a fear of hurting me or what it is. I'm not thin ice that's about to shatter given a small amount of force. I am and I have been craving physical attention so bad, for so long and haven't gotten anything. So, being tricked into thinking that I was getting some made me really upset. When that's the way that makes you feel most loved, that's hard to deal with because it makes me feel like I'm not wanted." I walked out of the room before I blew up on him more for no reason. I went and sat on the couch in the living room. He didn't follow me into the room right away, it took about five minutes before he came and sat next to me.