Page 14 of The Boy Next Door

Though we live side by side, I don't see Dylan over the next few days. Of course, my curtains are closed tight and I sprint to and from my car. All to avoid the older Cruse brother. I'm not ready to run into Hunter again, so there's not much chance I'll see Dylan either.

Except at school, obviously.

"Hey, what's up?" Dylan says when we run into each other in the hallway at the end of the day.

"Uh, I'm heading to photography club." Same as him. Except there's no camera in his hands. "Are you?"

"No, not me." He smiles, but it doesn't hide how he tenses. "I'm heading home."

"Oh... did you quit?"

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Wha—"

"Don't start," he snaps.

"Sorry." It's foolish, but the harsh tone guts me a bit. I try to hide it. "It's okay, you don't need to tell me anything."

"No, I'm sorry." He doesn't seem much friendlier but at least apologizes. "I shouldn't have snapped."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No." His face goes hard.

God, what is it with the Cruse brothers? Or is it me who brings out the ugliness? Sometimes it's hard to tell, but they're definitely related. The clipped tone and way they can close off without even moving a muscle, it's the same in each.

"Well, I'll see you later." I hold up my camera as an excuse, photography club.

"Wait," he says as I edge away. "I don't think I got the chance to tell you." The smile he gives me now seems real and helps ease the bags under his eyes. "I'm really happy for you and Hunter."

"Uh, what?" 'Hunter and who?' is my first thought.

"Don't feel like you need to keep your distance or anything. You can talk to me." Dylan wrinkles his nose and tilts his head as he reconsiders. "I mean, don't tell me how hot Hunter is or anything about the way he kisses."

Oh no. I must stop this madness and correct him. While almost certainly the wrong time, he's already in a bad mood. At least I won't bring him down once I tell him Hunter and I are done. He's already down.

Then he says, "I'm really happy for you two. Honestly, I'm also happy for myself."

All the air escapes from my lungs. Does he know somehow? That I'm hopelessly in love with him and it is hopeless, so he's excited he's off the hook? I am missing the start of photography club, but he never asks if I mind being late, like it's a forgone conclusion I'll drop everything for him.

"Hunter hasn't really been back since he left," Dylan says. "I've visited him. He came home one Christmas but that's all."

"Oh, that sucks?"

"Yeah, I'd love to see him more." He smiles like we share a secret. "And if he has a reason to stay, maybe he won't take off anytime soon."

Oh, he's happy because he thinks I'm that reason. I'll keep his brother nearby. I hesitate before correcting him; this is the least grumpy he's seemed since the conversation began. He's not having a good day, and I made it better. So even if it hurts me, I can't hurt him.

But I must look a little freaked out because Dylan raises his hands. “Sorry, is that too much pressure? I know you just started seeing each other, but it’s obvious how much he likes you and—” Dylan’s eyes widen. “Oops, probably shouldn’t say too much.”

I can't break his heart, but I can't quite play along and say some love-struck nonsense about Hunter. I can't act smitten about the wrong brother to the right one.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I definitely don’t care at all, and my stomach doesn’t do a funny swoop when Dylan says his brother likes me.

Besides, there’s no possible way he’s reading Hunter right.

He isn’t acting like he likes me at all.

Is there something his brother sees that I don’t?

No, Dylan is wrong. He has to be. Not that I care.

My only option here? A strategic retreat.

"Club!" I yell when I mean to speak. "I better get going."

While not a smooth or graceful exit, at least it's an exit. I head in the right direction for photography club, but I don't end up going.

~

Orange leaves have started falling from the trees. I notice during my routine scan of the neighborhood when I get home from school. While the weather's still pleasant, it feels like autumn is officially underway on this Friday afternoon at the beginning of October.

Maybe enjoying the start of fall distracts me because I jolt in near terror when my regular scan for Hunter actually produces results. I see his blond hair and prepare to dart inside, slamming my car door.

"Ow, crap!"

Worst plan ever.

I slam the door on my thumb and bite my lip to keep other noises of pain from escaping. I clutch my hand awkwardly and regret everything while Hunter comes over at the commotion.

"Turn around," I order weakly. "You saw nothing."

"Okay, then I still heard a scream." He comes closer. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy, thanks for asking." Half curled into myself, my smarting thumb hurts, but it's the embarrassment that triples my agony.

"Uh, let's—"

"Are you talking to me now?" I blurt out.

"Are you avoiding me now?" he fires back.

"I can't do this." I turn away, still clutching my hand.

"Yes on the avoidance," he mutters.

"No, I mean I really can't do this, not now." I hold up the offending digit, now red and slightly swollen. "I need some ice and a quiet place to die from humiliation. Okay? Please tell me that's okay because ow."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Bye," I squeak out as I rush away.

"Feel better."

Why? Does he want me to feel better because he cares? Is he only wishing me well to be polite?

Neither option seems very likely.

? ~

The outside is full of hazards. When returning home from school the next day, I jog to the front door.

"Yikes!" I shout as I fall.

Yikes? It doubles the embarrassment. Yikes indeed.

Mom found a new lawn mower, who moved a fallen branch to the sidewalk. He probably thought nobody would trip because it's large enough to see and avoid. Why would anyone blindly sprint to the door?

Avoiding Hunter Cruse is becoming hazardous to my health. But being around him doesn’t feel safe either.

As I pick myself up, only my pride is wounded. That’s when I hear it, a noise from the pond area. A cough? And a sniffle?

Nope, I don't care.

Hunter Cruse doesn't deserve my sympathy or pity. I'm not investigating. I should head inside and forget I heard anything.

"Hunter should cry," I say with a frown. I feel like a jerk.

And part of me is curious. What's causing the tough, inscrutable rocker to shed real tears?

Even though I don't care, I check on him anyway.

Except it's not Hunter sitting on a small bench near the pond. It's Dylan.

"Are you okay?" I ask, heart hurting at the sight of him.

"How did it all go so wrong?" He stares into the pond, not even attempting to hide the tear tracks on his face.

The pink hydrangea blooming behind him seems so strange. The bushy, bright petals are at odds with his misery.

"Relationships are crazy," he says. "One minute, it's secret and hot. Seriously, so hot. Oh my god, once we—"

"Uh, what’s going on?" I cut in a tad frantically.

"That seems like forever ago. Now I'm out here crying. I miss the days when you and I tossed notes into this pond. Being a kid was so much easier than dealing with a broken heart."

"What?"

No, he can't mean... Despite how this appears....

His watery blue eyes find mine. "Renee and I broke up."