Page 39 of The Boy Next Door

Starting with something easy, I address my friendship with Maggie first by visiting her house.

Her home is a condo with two smaller houses in one building. Which side is hers again? Her mom decorates with fresh flowers on the porch during other seasons, but both sides look identical right now. Taking an educated guess, I ring the bell.

"Sam?" Maggie says, poking her head out of the door... to the other house.

After silently apologizing to her neighbors whom I just disturbed, I follow Maggie into her family's side of the condo.

We sit on her couch, and she mutes the volume on her trashy reality show where yacht workers travel the world while catering to rich snobs who can afford private yachts.

"You hurt me before," I start. "I want you to be on my side."

"Well, I think I am," she says, nudging her side into mine. "But it doesn't mean I'm giving up Clay."

"That's fair." I grimace but get the words out.

"It is?"

"Yeah... you deserve to make your own choice about him, just like me."

While not lying, I'm not exactly thrilled. The mature decisions are never fun. And I thought this would be the easy task.

"You never wanna speak to him again?" Maggie wonders.

"I don't know. Sometimes yes. Sometimes no."

On-screen, the yacht workers jump from the gleaming white boat into the blue waters below, and I wish it were so easy to leave behind my own problems and start again.

While hating his betrayal, there are moments where I remember talking about art or boys with him and I miss hanging out.

"Expecting you to hate him isn't fair," I tell Maggie. "Since I don't."

"Hey, I'll totally pretend to hate Clay if you wanna yell and bash him."

"No thanks." Well... "Maybe later. For now, will you be my buddy—"

"Always," Maggie promises.

"—For this."

The envelope I hold up seems even smaller between the two of us. Yet with her hand in mine and the envelope in the other, the potential contents are less terrifying. It's time. Time to find out what the future holds.