by J. L. Perry
She makes me laugh. Meg is grounded because she got busted sneaking out to meet her boyfriend in the middle of the night. If my sixteen year old did half the things she has done, I think I’d lock her up permanently.
Me: Sure, I’ll be over soon. x
I have a quick browse through my newsfeed before I log off. Looking out my bedroom window, my eyes move towards my neighbour’s house. Imagine my surprise when I see Carter standing at the window directly opposite mine. He’s looking straight at me. Great. Don’t tell me that’s going to be his bedroom.
My eyes narrow at him. What is he staring at? A small, smug smile plays on his lips. God he infuriates me. Standing up, I reach for the cord of my blinds. I don’t think I’ve ever closed them before. I love the sunlight the window provides. There goes my sanctuary, my happy place. Could this day get any worse?
When my eyes reluctantly move back to his, I find him laughing. Fuck him. I can already tell he gets pleasure out of pissing me off. Flipping him off only makes him throw his head back and laugh harder. Arsehole.
I tug on the cord, hard, in frustration. Dreary darkness fills my room when the blinds are down. I have a feeling this is what my life is going to be like now that I have that douche as my neighbour.
Grabbing my phone off my desk, I storm out of the house. I end up staying at Meg’s place until late. Her parents treat me like one of their own. My dad’s working the night shift for the next two weeks, so there’s no need for me to be home. The further I’m away from that arsehole, Carter, the better. His room is so close to mine we’re practically damn roommates. What a nightmare.
••••
My dad’s still asleep when I get up Monday morning. It was around 3:00am when he finally got home. I hate the hours he works sometimes, but he loves his job. He’s been working in the Police Force since he was eighteen years old. That’s all he knows, he’ll never give it up.
After I eat my breakfast and wash my dishes, I set about getting things ready for my dad when he wakes. I pour his cereal into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. I put two slices of bread in the toaster. All he’ll need to do is pop it down. I fill the kettle with water and place two sugars and a tea bag in a mug, leaving it on the benchtop.
When he’s doing day shift we always eat together. When he’s not, I usually get things prepared for him. Not that he expects it, but I like doing it for him. I’m sure being a single parent for the past ten years hasn’t been easy for him.
I was around two years old when my mum’s headaches first started. She would spend days, sometimes weeks in bed because of them. My dad tried to get her to go to the doctor, but she refused, saying they were just migraines. My dad said she was stubborn like that. It’s a trait I’ve inherited I’m afraid.
By the time she finally did go for tests, the tumour on her brain was so large it was inoperable. They tried chemo. It was her only option. It wasn’t successful. It made her so sick. She spent the last six months of her life bedbound. She died when I was six. Her death broke my dad’s heart. They were teenage sweethearts. I’m not sure if he’ll ever completely get over it.
••••
I open the blinds in my bedroom before leaving for school. I’m not going to be home all day, so I don’t need to worry about stupid Carter taunting me. I don’t even bother to look in the direction of his house. I’m not going to let him ruin my day again.
Heading out back, I give Lassie a quick pat before I feed him and replenish his water dish. “I’ll see you this afternoon, boy,” I say as I leave. He’s too busy eating to even notice me disappear through the side gate.
Just my luck as I walk down the drive, Carter and his mother come out of their front door. “Morning, Indiana,” she says to me. “This is my son, Carter. The one I was telling you about.”
“We metyesterday,” I reply, plastering a fake smile on my face.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me that,” she says turning her attention back to her son. I use that time to narrow my eyes at him. I have a good mind to tell his mother how rude her son is. Maybe he’s adopted. How else could someone so lovely have such a prick for a kid?
Now that he’s standing by his mother, I see they have the same eyes. That’s pretty much it though. He must get his looks from his father. I bet he’s good looking. His mother is extremely attractive, but her features are fairer than Carter’s.
“Slipped my mind, I guess,” he says, looking my way and winking. Ugh!
“Why don’t you give Indiana a lift to school, since you’re both heading the same way? It’ll give you a chance to get to know each other better.” What little I know about him is enough.
“No,” we both say in unison.
“Carter,” she scolds, causing him to frown at me. “It will do you good to have a friend on your first day.” I almost want to laugh at her comment. Friends is something I doubt we’ll ever be.
“Thanks anyway, Mrs. Shepard. I usually get the bus to school.”
“Don’t be silly. Carter will drive you. Won’t you?” she says nudging him.
“Fine,” he exhales while rolling his eyes in frustration. Even when he’s angry he still looks sexy. That just pisses me off even more. Getting in the car with him is the last thing I want to do. If giving me a lift is going to annoy him though, then I’m all in. I’ll take pleasure out of giving him a taste ofhis own medicine.
“Okay. That’ll be great,” I say smiling at his mother. When she turns to look at her son, I wink at him. I grin when his eyes narrow. Two can play at this game buddy.
“Have a nice day you two,” she says sweetly. How she could’ve produced such a monster is beyond me.
“Bye, Mum.” I’m surprised when he bends down and gently kisses her cheek. She smiles up at him. He’s so tall he towers over her petite frame.
“Nice car,” I say once I’m seated in the passenger seat. He grunts at my comment. I roll my eyes. I should’ve known better than to give him a compliment.
I have no idea what type of car it is. It’s an oldish type, I know that much. It looks like it’s in the process of being done up. A muscle car I think they’re called. Don’t quote me on that. My dad will know. He loves anything to do with cars.
It’s a ten-minute drive to school. I decide to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the journey. Well, that was my plan until he leans over when we’re stopped at a red light, and retrieves a packet of cigarettes from the glove compartment.
After he lights one up, he throws the packet in the centre console. “You shouldn’t smoke you know,” I say. “It’s not good for you. Don’t you read the warning labels on the packet?” I pick up his cigarette packet and point to the words ‘SMOKING KILLS’ that’s written in large bold font.
He blows a puff of smoke in my face before snatching the packet out of my hand. “Mind your own fucking business, kid. You really think I give a shit if I die?”
“Why would you say that?” I ask, horrified. Hearing him say that upsets me. I know firsthand how devastating cancer can be. “Carter?” I add when he doesn’t answer me.
“What?” he sighs, looking over at me.
“You want to die?” I see what looks like sadness briefly cross his features before he recovers. Returning back to that hard-arse look he always seems to wear.
“I didn’t say I want to die. I just said I don’t care if I do.”
“Well that’s just sad.”
“Listen, stop with all the damn questions. I’m only giving you a lift because my mum made me. We’re not friends. Got it.”
“Got it.” Loud and clear you stupid jerk. I turn my head to look out the window. “Word of advice. If you want to make any friends here, I suggest you lose the bad attitude. This is a small town. You don’t want to get a bad reputation on your first day.” He doesn’t bother replying to my comment.
We travel the rest of the way in silence. When we reach the street the school is situated on, he pulls over to the curb. “Get out,” he barks.
“Wh
at? The school is further down the road.”
“I know,” he says smirking. “If you’re so worried about my reputation, you’ll understand why I don’t want to be seen travelling to school with a kid in my car.”
“I’m not a damn kid,” I snap. “I’m one year younger than you.”
“Huh. You could’ve fooled me. You look like you’re twelve.” Abruptly removing my seatbelt, I get out of the car.
“Fuck you,” I say as I slam the car door shut. So much for not letting him ruin my day again.
CARTER
I SIT AND WATCH HER WALK DOWN THE STREET TOWARDS THE school. Why does she make me feel bad for being mean to her? I almost want to drive up beside her and tell her to get her sweet arse back in the car. Fuck that. Not happening.
Damn her arse is fine. My eyes are glued to it. Today she’s wearing these sexy as hell skin-tight jeans. Why does she have to be such a babe? Why can’t she be an ugly fucking troll or something? I feel my dick stir in my pants. Hell no. I need to get some action today— anything to get her face, those lips, and that sinful arse of hers out of my head.
I lose sight of her when I pull into the car park. That’s probably a good thing. Having her living next door is bad enough. Knowing how she affects me, and having to see her around school every day, isn’t going to be fun.
Parking the car, I grab my backpack and head towards the school office. My mum said I have to go there to pick up my schedule.
••••
By the time lunch rolls around, I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve managed to avoid Indiana all day. I’ve even managed to organise my first hook-up with a pretty blonde. Don’t ask me what her name is. I’ve forgotten it already. The name’s not important anyway. I’m only up for a bit of fun, nothing more.
After I grab something to eat, I make my way towards a table. “Carter,” one of the guys from my math class calls out. “Come sit with us.” He seems like a cool enough guy so I head over to him and his friends.
“Thanks,” I say when I take a seat at the end of the table. He proceeds to introduce me to his mates. There are at least ten of them. I’ll never remember all their names.
Brad, the guy sitting opposite me sizes me up. I hate it when people do shit like that. I feel like I’m being judged. “You’re a pretty big dude,” he says flicking his head my way. “Have you ever played football? We could use a guy like you on our team.” He’s one of those pretty boys. The kind the girls seem to fall all over. Smug bastard. I don’t usually associate with his type.
“Nope. Not a fan of sports. Running around the field with a ball seems like a waste of fucking time if you ask me. The only physical exercise I like to do is the bedroom kind.” The other guys at the table laugh. He doesn’t seem impressed though. Fucker.
“You don’t just run around the field with a ball, you dick. It takes skill.”
“Whatever you say, man,” I shrug, like I don’t give a shit. He’s obviously offended by my comment. I choose to ignore the fact he just called me a dick. I’ve already made one enemy today, Indiana. That’s enough for one day.
The table goes quiet. I’m sure they’re waiting to see where this goes. I’m guessing nowhere unless he decides to call me another name.
I pick up my food and start eating. When I look up and make eye contact with him he’s glaring at me. If he thinks that’s going to intimidate me, he’s seriously mistaken. I don’t scare easy. I stare him down.
“Hey Brad, here comes Indi,” I hear one of the guys say. My head snaps towards the entry. What’s it to him? She’s walking towards our table. She has a friend with her. She’s not bad. I might need to add her to my list of conquests. I’m sure that would piss Indiana off.
“You tapped that yet?” one of them asks. I’m presuming he’s asking if he and Indiana have got it on. Why that pisses me off I have no idea. That cocksucker better not say yes.
“Not yet, but this weekend my parents are going away. I’m gonna invite her over,” he chuckles. The cock sitting next to him gives him a high five. I’d like to high five his fucking face.
“I bet you can’t get her to go all the way,” another one adds. Fuck. Am I going to have to take on this whole damn table?
“How much?” Brad asks.
“Fifty bucks.”
“You’re on,” Brad answers reaching over the table to shake his hand. Seriously, they’re making bets on her now? “It won’t be the first cherry I’ve popped and your fifty will make it all the sweeter.” He rubs his hands together when he says that. Like hell will he be having her over this weekend. I have no idea how I’m going to put a stop to this, but I will.
As the girls walk past, Brad reaches out and pulls Indiana onto his lap. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispers in her ear. It instantly gets my back up. Why do I care that his hands are on her? But fuck me, I do.
“Brad,” she giggles, trying to get up off his lap. I want to tell him to let her go, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Don’t make any plans for Saturday night, okay?” he murmurs in the crook of her neck. She pulls her head back and smiles at him. She has a pretty smile. When she’s around me, all I seem to get is a scowl. I guess with the way I treat her I deserve it.
“What’s on Saturday night?” she asks.
“You and me. We’re going to do something. Just the two of us,” Brad answers.
“Like a date?” she asks. When he looks around at the other guys sitting at the table and smirks, it takes everything in me not to lunge at him. My blood has reached boiling point. I try to act unaffected when the guy next to me mumbles, “A date with his bed.” I swear I want to knock him out.
“Yeah, a date. I’ll call you, okay?” Brad replies, smiling at her sweetly. Fucker. There’s nothing sweet about him. He’s a fucking snake.
“Okay.” He lets her go and she rises from his lap. Her eyes quickly scan the table before landing on me. The smile drops from her face and her eyes narrow. That makes my lips turn up for some reason. Sure I’d prefer one of the smiles she gave that fucker, but I like that my presence affects her.
“Hi. You must be new here,” I hear her friend ask. Tearing my eyes away from Indiana, I find her friend smiling down at me. She’s even prettier up close, but has nothing on Indiana.
I can feel Indiana’s eyes boring into the side of my head, so I decide to turn on the charm. “Carter,” I say, plastering a huge grin on my face. I extend my hand to her friend and she takes hold.
“I’m Megan,” she giggles, batting her eyelashes at me. That shit pisses me off. I hate it when girls act this way. Like the rest, she’s putty in my hands.
“Let’s go,” Indiana snaps grabbing her elbow and dragging her away. I chuckle. If talking to her friend pisses her off, I may have to do it more often.
INDIANA
“I think I’m in love,” Meg says as I drag her away from that arsehole. He can put on the charm for her. Why didn’t I get that kind of greeting when I met him? God, he gets on my nerves. I hate that seeing the way he was with Meg just now made me jealous.
“You need to stay away from him,” I demand as we weave our way through the other students, making our way towards our table.
“What? Why? Have you heard something about him?” she asks.
“That’s my new neighbour. The one I was telling you about.”
“Shut the fuck up,” she says looking over her shoulder in his direction. “No way. That hottie is your new neighbour? Damn girl, you get all the luck.”
“Don’t let his good looks fool you. That’s all he has going for him,” I say.
“With a face like his that’s all he needs,” she laughs.
“Meg,” I exhale, frustrated. “Please.”
“Okay. Don’t get your panties in a knot. Anyway, I think he has the hots for you.” Her comment makes me laugh. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
“Trust me. He doesn’t have the hots for me. He can’t stand me,” I admit as we take our seats. Maybe I sh
ould’ve sat on the other side. I have a clear view of my infuriating neighbour from here. Pulling my lunch out of my bag, I realise I suddenly have no appetite. That smug bastard is eating hisfood like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“Oh, I beg to differ. I saw the way he was looking at you when you were on Brad’s lap. If I’m not mistaken, those gorgeous brown eyes of his turned green.”
I ignore her observation. She must be seeing things. I know how a guy acts when he’s interested. Carter’s definitely not interested. “What do you think I should do about Brad?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“Are you seriously asking me that? He’s been chasing you forever. Go out with him. He’s a babe. Anyone else would kill to be asked out by him.”
“Well I’m not just anyone. I’m not sure if I want to be serious with a guy yet. You know what his reputation is like. He’s going to expect sex.”
“So give it to him. You’re nearly seventeen Indi. You can’t hold onto your virginity forever.” She’s right. I know that, but I don’t want to give it up to just anyone. I was hoping to give it to someone special.
Brad and I have hung out a bit. Mainly in a group. Never on our own. Well, except last weekend when he walked me home from a party. He kissed me goodnight. Technically it was more than a goodnight kiss, but it never went any further.
It’s not like I haven’t made out with guys before. I have. But, now we’re getting older, the guys expect more than kissing. I know I’m ready. I’m just not sure if Brad is the one.
“Stop overthinking this,” she says reaching for my hand when she sees the worried look on my face. “We’ve been over this a thousand times.”
“I know. It’s just …”
“Just what? At least he’s had experience. He should know how to please you. My first time was horrible.” I laugh at her comment. She was fifteen when she lost her virginity. It was the first time for both of them. Going by what she’s told me, it was a disaster.