Boy Next Door ✔

chapter twelve

C A L E B 

"You ran away?" Dustin exclaimed. "Dude, I knew you were an idiot but this is some next level shit."

I scoffed in response, "Aren't you being too harsh? Anyway, I remember you telling me once that the most effective way to deal with your problems is to run away from them."

"What exactly was your problem in that situation?"

"Him, isn't it obvious?" I groaned. I meant to continue, however I was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh, who could that be? Last time I checked, you didn't have any friends other than me," Dustin said with a proud expression on his face before lowering his voice. "Oh no.. could it be that it's Mateo?"

I flung a pillow at his face and told him to shut up before making my way over to the door and pulling it open. I definitely hadn't expected to see Olivia there, out of all people. "Olivia? Why are you here?" I began, but realized that sounded a bit too harsh so I quickly saved my ass. "I mean- not that I don't want you here, it's just-," I shut myself up when I realized that instead of saving my ass, I was only digging myself a grave. 

Olivia looked up at me with a grin, "Dustin invited me here, actually! Can I come in?"

Regardless of how confused I was, I let her in and shut the door behind us, giving Dustin a look as if to ask him what on Earth he was planning. 

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's about time you made some friends," Dustin scoffed. "I'm not going to sit here and watch you become a hikikomori, as amusing as it would be."

"A hikiko-what?" was my response. Dustin waved me off before asking me to sit beside him and Olivia who were now seated on the floor in front of my bed. I was about to comply, however another unexpected knock on the door kept me from doing so. 

"Did you invite anyone else?" I questioned, looking over at Dustin with a raised brow. "Are you throwing a party or something?"

"I didn't invite anyone else," Dustin reassured with a shrug. "Maybe this time it's really Mateo."

I gulped nervously and began to make my way over to the door. My hands were shaking as if I were a character in a horror movie as I reached for the knob and swung the door open. I let out a huge sigh of relief when I spotted Matthew instead of Mateo. Bless my luck.

"Matthew? What are you doing here?" I said with a small grin. 

"I'm sorry for showing up uninvited," Matthew said, scratching the back of his neck, a meek expression on his face. "But my dad's throwing a fit and he won't let me in the house so can I crash at your place for tonight?"