Misunderstood: Inspired by the Neighbor from Hell Series (A Neighbor from Hell YA Book 1)

by R. L. Mathewson

  “And why must you be a pain in my ass?” Sebastian countered as he selected a book before continuing to drag her toward the back door.

  “Because it’s my job,” Mikey said, nodding solemnly as he dragged her outside and headed toward the lounge chairs that had been placed off to the side to make room for the tables they’d set up for the party and gestured for her to sit down.

  “Read,” Sebastian said as he dropped down on the lounge chaise beside her with a pointed look at the book in her hand.

  “I’m afraid that I can’t do that,” Mikey said with a sad shake of her head as she reached inside her sweatshirt pocket and pulled out her baseball.

  Within seconds, she was rolling the ball between her hands as she glanced around the large backyard, taking in the line of barbeques set up next to the patio, the tables covered with food, coolers, the men of their family working the grills while some of the women were relaxing on the other side of the patio only to frown when her gaze landed on the small group of people standing off to the side, looking decidedly uncomfortable in their designer clothes and the looks of disgust on their faces as they pointedly ignored the rest of the party. They would never be mistaken for Bradfords, Mikey thought before she moved on to a boy their age with dark brown hair and a scowl that looked painful, watching them with bored interest as he dropped down in a chair at one of the tables.

  “You really can,” Sebastian said, reaching over to give her braid a gentle tug that had her focusing back on him.

  “You’re probably right,” Mikey said, nodding in agreement before adding, “but we won’t know that until you tell me what I want to know.”

  Chapter 14

  “I thought you wanted help with this book report,” Sebastian reminded the brat determined to drive him crazy.

  “And I thought you knew me better than to think that I would drop something like this,” Mikey shot back.

  “It’s nothing,” he bit out, refusing to talk to her about this.

  “Then it shouldn’t be difficult to tell me all about it,” Mikey said with a syrupy-sweet smile that had him narrowing his eyes on the little brat.

  “Fine. I’ll tell you what you want to know if you tell me what you said to my parents this morning,” Sebastian told her, curious to find out what she could have possibly said to convince his parents to stop trying to push therapy on him.

  “I’m not sure that’s really going to work for me,” Mikey said with a helpless shrug.

  “And why’s that?” Sebastian asked, unable to help but notice just how beautiful she was when she was trying to be devious.

  “Because I have something that you want more,” Mikey pointed out as she continued to roll the baseball between her hands.

  “You really don’t though,” he drawled, hoping that it was enough to convince her to start talking.

  “I really do, which is why I think it would be in my best interest to negotiate a better trade.”

  “We could do that…” Sebastian said, sounding thoughtful before adding, “or I could drag you upstairs and shove you in a closet, and leave you there until you finish that book.”

  Slowly nodding, Mikey said, “I liked the first deal better.”

  “I thought you would,” Sebastian murmured, gesturing for her to get on with it.

  With a heavy sigh and an adorable grumble that had his lips twitching, Mikey said, “I told them that they expect too much from you,” making him frown.

  “That’s it?” Sebastian asked, because there had to be more to it than that.

  For the past three years, he’d told them that there was nothing wrong with him and that he didn’t need therapy, but they’d refused to listen and now…

  Now, he wasn’t sure what to think.

  “Well, that and I told them that they should beat you,” Mikey said, nodding.

  “Of course, you did,” Sebastian murmured absently as he glanced back to find his father laughing at something Uncle Jason said and…

  “Honestly, I think you took them by surprise with that freak comment,” Mikey said, drawing his attention back to find her gesturing with the baseball in her hand to get on with it.

  For a moment, Sebastian considered changing the subject, but he knew that she’d just go to his brothers or one of his cousins and ask them. Knowing that he didn’t have much of a choice, he said, “Have you heard about the Bradford curse?”

  “Does it have something to do with your inability to stop stealing my food?” Mikey asked, looking thoughtful.

  “No, it has nothing to do with that,” Sebastian said, waving that off.

  “Okay, so then what is it?” Mikey asked while he sat there, debating the best way to explain this without making things weird between them.

  That led him to wondering how she’d managed to be around his family for three years without learning about the Bradford curse. Then again, that probably had something to do with him, Sebastian thought as he glanced over at Jonathan, wondering why his brother hadn’t told Mikey about the curse just to screw him over. Probably because Jonathan knew that he would kill him, Sebastian thought as he shifted his attention back to Mikey.

  “Sometime back in the 1800’s, my great-grandparents grew up on neighboring estates in England and from what I’ve been told, they took great joy out of tormenting each other. They’d made each other’s lives a living hell. It got so bad that they were forbidden to be in the same room when they were little, but that apparently wasn’t enough to stop them. They found ways to torment each other until they’d finally had enough and began avoiding each other.”

  “They didn’t see each other again until they were both forced to attend the same ball. From what I’ve been told, they hadn’t been able to take their eyes off each other. When they realized who they were, they were furious and that probably would have been the end of it if fate hadn’t thrown them together. They continued making each other’s lives a living hell as though they’d never stopped and fell in love in the process. Since then, every Bradford has met the same fate,” Sebastian said, carefully choosing his words.

  “And what fate is that?” Jonathan asked around a hot dog as he dropped down on the chaise lounge next to them.

  “Nothing,” Sebastian said with a glare that told his brother to leave it alone since he had no plans on telling Mikey everything. He knew better than to tell her anything that she could use to torture him with later, and he knew damn well that she would torture him if she ever found out more about the Bradford curse.

  “Sebastian was just telling me about the Bradford curse,” Mikey said, moving over to make room for him.

  “Oh, and why were we doing that?” Jonathan asked in a deceptively casual tone as his eyes danced with amusement while Sebastian sat there, inwardly cursing himself for not putting a stop to this when he had the chance.

  “Because she asked,” Sebastian bit out.

  “And what did you tell her?” Jonathan asked.

  “About your great-grandparents falling in love,” Mikey answered for him since Sebastian was busy glaring at his brother.

  “Then I should probably take over from here,” Jonathan said with a sad shake of his head and a heartfelt sigh as though the prospect of screwing Sebastian over somehow pained him.

  “Not necessary,” Sebastian bit out only to be ignored.

  “Did he tell you that Bradfords don’t propose?” Jonathan asked, shifting so that he was facing Mikey.

  “No, he didn’t get to that part yet,” Mikey said as she helped herself to a potato chip off Jonathan’s plate.

  “Then I got here just in time,” Jonathan said, taking his time finishing off his hot dog as Sebastian sat there, contemplating killing the little bastard.

  “Why don’t they propose?” Mikey asked Jonathan as he stuffed the last bite of hot dog in his mouth.

  “Because if they’re thinking clearly enough to propose then they’re not really in love,” Sebastian answered, hoping that it would be enough to appease the little brat.r />
  It wasn’t.

  “So, no Bradford has ever proposed?” Mikey asked, frowning in confusion.

  “There have been a few…” Jonathan let his words trail off as he shot Sebastian a look that was going to get him killed.

  “What happened?” Mikey asked, glancing between the two of them as she waited for an answer.

  “It didn’t end well,” Sebastian said, gesturing for her to start reading.

  Frowning, she glanced at Jonathan expectantly. With a shrug, he said, “They ended in disaster before they even made it to the altar. Uncle Eric tried, but ended up dumping his fiancée at the dinner rehearsal.”

  “Wait. Uncle Eric dumped Aunt Morgan at the wedding rehearsal?” Mikey asked, looking adorably confused.

  “No, Uncle Eric was engaged before he married Aunt Morgan, which brings us to rule number two,” Jonathan said as he held up two fingers. “Bradfords elope.”

  When Mikey opened her mouth to ask a question, Jonathan cut her off with, “Or it ends in divorce. They also don’t go on honeymoons until after the first year.”

  “But my mom and Reese went on a honeymoon right after they got married,” Mikey pointed out.

  “And how did that end?” Jonathan asked even though they all knew how it ended.

  Badly.

  Uncle Reese ended up trying to surprise Aunt Kasey with a trip to the Bahamas, which ended with them both being detained by customs, losing all their luggage, losing their original resort reservations and ended up getting kicked out in the middle of the night from the only motel they’d been able to find a room, and somehow ended up spending the night in jail.

  Blinking, Mikey whispered, “We do not speak of it.”

  Nodding, Jonathan said, “Exactly.”

  “Okay, so Bradfords don’t propose, they don’t have traditional weddings, and they can’t go on honeymoons until a year after they get married, is that it?” Mikey asked, pursing her lips up as she thought it over while Sebastian sent Jonathan a look that told him that he’d better keep his mouth shut.

  With a mouthed, “I won’t tell,” and a wink in Sebastian’s direction, Jonathan climbed off the chaise lounge with a nod and an absently mumbled, “Pretty much,” that had Mikey frowning as she glanced back at Cole, who was sitting off to the side, glaring at the house next door.

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Mikey said, gesturing to Cole as she looked back at Jonathan. “What does this so-called curse have to do with Jessica calling that girl Cole’s future wife?”

  “Does she live next door?” Jonathan asked, making a show of studying his nails as Sebastian shook his head, vowing to kill the little bastard if he said another word.

  “Yes, why?” Mikey said slowly, clearly wondering what that had to do with anything.

  “Just a lucky guess,” Jonathan said, shrugging it off as he turned around and headed toward the backyard where Mathew and their cousin Joshua were tossing a football.

  Slowly exhaling, Sebastian turned his attention back to Mikey and–

  “Oh, I almost forgot something,” Jonathan said as he turned around.

  “What’s that?” Mikey absently asked as she opened her book and settled in to read right around the time that Sebastian found himself moving, desperate to get to his brother before he could screw him over and–

  “Bradfords only marry their neighbors.”

  Chapter 15

  “Why?” Chloe asked no one in particular as she rubbed her hands down her face, slowly exhaling as she counted to ten and–

  “You’ve betrayed me for the last time!” came the announcement from behind the locked front door that had Chloe dropping her hands away to glare at the reason why she was panicking.

  “I betrayed you?” Chloe asked in disbelief because if anyone here had been betrayed, it was her. “You told him that I thought he was cute!”

  “Because you do!” Katie shot back from behind the safety of the front door.

  “No, I don’t,” Chloe bit out only to demand. “Why did you tell him that?”

  “Because you’re always staring at him!”

  “Glaring!” Chloe snapped. “I’m always glaring at him!”

  “Same thing!”

  “No, it’s really not,” Chloe said, sighing heavily as she stood there, rubbing her hands roughly down her face as she told herself that this wasn’t happening.

  It just couldn’t be…

  There was no way that her life was about to get worse than it already was. It just wasn’t possible, she told herself as she dropped her hands away. God, she hated her life, Chloe thought on a groan only to follow that up by wondering if she wasn’t making too much of this.

  Maybe Cole hadn’t heard Katie? Or maybe he really just didn’t care? That was possible, Chloe told herself with a slow nod and the reminder that he barely knew that she was alive. With any luck, he wouldn’t mention it to his friends, Chloe hoped as she slowly exhaled trying not to panic, but it was kind of impossible since she knew what would happen if Cole ever told his friends what her little sister said.

  They would make her life a living hell.

  Not that they weren’t already doing that anyway, but something told her that if they found out what Katie said that they’d make it a hell of a lot worse and she really didn’t think that she could handle that. For probably the hundredth time this week, Chloe wondered if she’d be better off transferring to the public high school, but…

  That really wasn’t really an option.

  She’d worked her butt off to get into Latin Scribe High School. For four years, she’d worked her butt off, got good grades, studied day and night so that she could nail the entrance exam, and did every extracurricular activity that she could fit into her schedule all so that she could make her application stand apart from the rest with the hope that it would be enough to get her a full scholarship.

  And once her dream finally became a reality…

  Cole’s friends had turned it into a nightmare, making her life a living hell and making her wish that she’d never heard of Latin Scribe High School. It would be so easy to tell her uncle that she wanted to transfer, but then she would have to tell him why and she really didn’t think that was a good idea considering that Cole’s grandfather was his boss.

  God, why couldn’t she just be invisible?

  Knowing that it was pointless to worry about something that she had no control over, Chloe checked under the doormat for the key that was supposed to be hidden there and wasn’t really surprised when she couldn’t find it.

  “You interfered with my business,” came the disgruntled announcement that had Chloe looking up and biting back a groan when she spotted Katie standing in the window, holding the spare key.

  “Uncle Nick told you to let it go,” Chloe reminded her as she stood up while she tried to figure out how she was going to get in the house now.

  “Uncle Nick also told you to watch me,” Katie pointed out with a smug smile as Chloe considered her options and realized that she really didn’t have any.

  Not unless she wanted to try climbing to the second floor to see if she could squeeze through the bathroom window and she really didn’t want to do that, mostly because she wasn’t a big fan of heights. That left…

  “I guess I’ll just have to tell Santa Claus what you did,” Chloe said with a sad shake of her head.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Katie said with a small gasp of outrage that had Chloe biting back a smile.

  “Oh, but I would,” Chloe said, taking immense satisfaction in seeing the glare on her sister’s face, “I really would.”

  Katie didn’t say anything for a minute, but then again, she didn’t have to, not when they both knew that she would never do anything to risk pissing off Santa Claus. She would–

  “Then I better go make sure that it’s worth it!” came the announcement that had Chloe panicking as she watched her little sister suddenly disappear back behind the curtains.

  “Katie?” Chloe said, licking her l
ips nervously as she shifted her attention to the other windows as she tried the front door again only to bite back a curse as she pushed away from the door and–

  Got the wind knocked out of her when she ran into something solid. Before she fell back against the front door, a strong pair of hands wrapped around her arms to steady her. With a murmured, “Thank you,” Chloe moved to step back and…and…

  “Where’s the little demon?” Cole Bradford, the boy that she’d rather avoid, asked, barely acknowledging her as he reached past her and knocked on the front door.

  “Slowly destroying my will to live,” Chloe mumbled hollowly because this could not be happening.

  “I know the feeling,” Cole said, slowly exhaling as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck while she stood there, unable to help but wonder one thing…

  “Umm, what are you doing here?” Chloe asked, glancing from the boy that she wanted nothing to do with to the window as the curtains parted so that Katie could press her small face against the glass with a murderous glare.

  “Paying off the little demon,” Cole said, reaching into his pocket and pulled a five dollar bill out and held it up for Katie’s inspection.

  After a moment, Katie slowly stepped back, allowing the curtains to fall back in place. When Chloe heard the telltale click of the lock being turned, she pushed past Cole, grabbed the door handle and shoved the front door open, and–

  Wondered where her sister was.

  Damn it!

  “Katie?” Chloe called as she glanced around the front foyer, looking for the little girl that had gone too far this time.

  “Where the hell did she go?” Cole asked as he closed the front door behind them.

  “Into hiding,” Chloe said as she started up the stairs to check Katie’s usual hiding spots when the sound of a door opening on rusty hinges caught her attention.

  She wouldn’t…

  God, who was she kidding? Of course, she would, Chloe thought, shaking her head in disgust as she headed back down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen even as she was tempted to leave her sister down there until Uncle Nick came home, but…