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The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door
Penulis: Jellyfish

Chapter 1

Penulis: Jellyfish
“Vivian, did you hide your posts on social media?”

Zane stood outside my dorm building, holding a cup of warm milk.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I felt like it.”

He held out the cup. “Still mad? You skipped breakfast this morning. Your stomach will hurt.”

I didn’t take it. “How do you know I skipped breakfast?”

He paused. “Your roommate told me.”

I glanced at the cup of milk and smiled. “Did she also remind you that I’m lactose intolerant?”

Zane hesitated. “It’s warm. It should be fine.”

“Does Selene drink milk?”

He looked up at me. “Vivian, not everything has to be about her.”

“I was just asking.”

“She had low blood sugar this morning, so I picked up breakfast for her while I was out. This cup is specifically for you.”

“Did you add sugar?”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t drink sweetened milk.”

He fell silent for a moment. “Vivian, don’t nitpick.”

I slipped my hands into my pockets. “Take it back.”

He frowned. “About what I said at dinner last night, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“What way?”

“When I called you the girl next door, I was just trying to keep everyone from teasing us. I didn’t want to make our relationship a big deal in public.”

“So when Selene asked if you had a girlfriend and you said no, that was your way of keeping things low-key, too?”

Zane rubbed his forehead. “You know what we are to each other. Why are you so hung up on the exact words?”

I stared at him.

For the first time, I realized just how good he was at fooling himself.

A voice called from behind us.

“Zane!”

Selene Whitaker came running toward us with a stack of books in her arms. The smile on her face slowly faded when she saw me.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Zane remained perfectly composed. “No.”

Selene turned to me. “Are you two arguing? Is this about last night? Vivian, please don’t get the wrong idea. I honestly didn’t know you two were that close.”

So, in everyone else’s eyes, we were nothing more than close friends.

I set the cup of milk on top of a nearby trash can.

“There’s no misunderstanding.”

Zane picked up the cup. “Vivian, I brought this all the way over here first thing in the morning, and you’re just going to throw it away?”

“I can’t drink it.”

Selene hurried to intervene. “Is this my fault? I could buy you something else to drink, if you want.”

“This has nothing to do with you.” Zane’s voice remained even, though a trace of impatience crept into it—an impatience he didn’t seem to realize he was showing. “She’s always been like this. You just have to humor her a little, and she’ll get over it.”

My eyes stung. I looked straight at him.

“Zane, I’m not a child anymore.”

He paused for a moment. “I know.”

“So you don’t have to humor me anymore.”

His fingers tightened around the cup.

“Fine. Then take some time to cool off on your own.”

Selene spoke softly. “Vivian, don’t be mad at him. Last night, he even told me you were afraid to walk alone at night because you get scared so easily. He thought it was funny.”

Zane cut her off in a low voice. “Selene.”

So even my fear of the dark had become a joke he could share with someone else.

The warning bell rang.

Zane shifted his backpack to his other shoulder. “Come on. We don’t want to be late.”

“You two go ahead. I’m going to grab breakfast.”

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  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 11

    I held the bag tightly.“Thank you.”“One more thing.” He paused. “I never deleted our photos.”I said nothing.“I used to think keeping our relationship private was a way to protect you. I didn’t want people gossiping about you.” He gave a bitter smile. “It took me too long to realize I’d simply gotten used to having you follow behind me.“I thought you didn’t need a title, explanations, or someone looking after you.“But you did.”His voice grew quieter.“You always did.”I looked at him and finally said just one thing.“Zane, it’s all in the past.”He nodded.“I know.”“I hope you live well, too.”“Yeah.”The boarding announcement sounded again.I turned and headed toward security.Just before passing through the gate, I looked back once.Zane was still standing there.He didn’t chase after me.He simply waved goodbye.Over the following year, I rarely heard from him.On the occasional holiday, he’d send me a brief message wishing me well, and I’d reply with a

  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 10

    He sent another message.“You once said we’d watch the first snowfall of the year together.”I didn’t reply.A few minutes later, he sent me a voice message.“Vivian, I went to that little diner we used to visit all the time. The owner still remembers you. He asked why you hadn’t been around lately. I ordered your favorite beef and tomato stew, without the cilantro.”He paused.“I’d eaten half of it before I remembered that you’re not here anymore.”“How did I ever convince myself you’d always be there?”I stopped the recording.Daniel asked, “Your ex?”I shook my head.“No.”“Then what is he?”I thought for a moment.“An old habit.”Daniel nodded.“Old habits can be broken.”“Yeah.”“I used to have old habits, too. Staying up late, skipping breakfast, and thinking I was better off alone.”“What happened?”“Then I met someone.”I lowered my eyes to my book.“That person sounds unlucky.”“Pretty unlucky,” he said with a chuckle. “Got lost on her first day and kept

  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 9

    I looked at him.“You remember that I’m easily scared, that I have a sensitive stomach, and that I don’t like walking alone at night. But whenever there’s a choice to make, you always expect me to be the one who gives in.“You think I understand you, so you don’t have to explain yourself.“You think I can’t live without you, so you don’t have to cherish me.”His lips pressed into a thin line.“That’s not true.”“It is.”I spoke calmly.“You love me, but you’re certain I’ll always be waiting right where you left me.”He opened his mouth, then closed it without saying a word.I picked up my laptop bag.“Go home.”“I’m not leaving.”“Suit yourself.”The next day, I posted on social media.The photo showed the blue roof of the main academic building on campus.The caption was short.“First week of my new life.”Less than a minute after I posted it, Zane liked the photo, then quickly unliked it.He sent me a private message.“Did that guy take the picture for you?”I re

  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 8

    Zane looked up at him.“This is between Vivian and me. You don’t need to get involved.”Daniel ignored him and looked only at me.I pulled my hand free.“It’s fine.”Zane’s hand dropped to his side, his fingers curling inward.I handed Daniel the food container.“Thanks for the soup.”Daniel took it.“Don’t forget our group discussion this afternoon.”“Okay.”After he left, Zane asked quietly, “Group discussion? You’re in the same group as him?”“Yeah.”“Vivian, are you doing this just to make me jealous?”“I’m here to attend classes. Group assignments are normal.”“But you never used to do this.”“There are a lot of things I never used to do.”He stared at me for a long moment, unable to respond.“What do you want me to do?”“Go home.”“Anything but that.”“There’s nothing else.”Zane fell silent for a long time before setting the insulated bag at my feet.“Take the chestnuts. Consider this trip a waste of time if you want, but at least don’t make me take them b

  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 7

    Mom took her phone back.“Have you eaten?”“I bought some bread.”“Bread again?”“I’ll go to the dining hall tomorrow.”“Okay. Get some sleep early.”She paused before adding, “Don’t let him sway you.”I hummed in acknowledgment.After the call ended, I stood motionless outside the dorm.Zane sent me a text.“I’ll come find you.”I tied the top of my bread bag tightly.Just then, Daniel walked past, carrying two containers of hot soup.He glanced at me.“Have you not had dinner?”“I was just about to eat.”He looked at the bag in my hand.“Bread?”“Yeah.”He held out a container of soup.“I bought an extra one.”“No, thanks.”“I really did buy too much.” He placed the soup in my hands. “Just remember to return my food container tomorrow.”The warmth rising from the soup made me blink.Zane actually came.When I spotted him outside the academic building, I was still holding Daniel’s food container.He wore a black jacket, and the ends of his hair curled upward.

  • The Girl Next Door   Chapter 6

    “You can borrow it for now.”He handed me the umbrella.“I’m Daniel Hayes.”“I’m Vivian Lane.”“Vivian?”He mispronounced my name.I corrected him once.He repeated it slowly, trying to get it right.For some reason, I thought of Zane.He had never mispronounced my name.But now, he couldn’t even reach me.“Vivian, don’t hang up.”Zane’s voice came through the phone while I was shopping for bread at the supermarket.The caller ID showed Mom’s number. It was only after I answered that I realized she’d handed her phone to him.“Why did you go to my house?”“Your mom said you’d call her today.”“So you were waiting around for me to call?”“I just wanted to hear you say something.”I put the bread in my shopping basket.“Now you’ve heard me.”“Where are you?”“On campus.”“Which university?”“Zane.”“I asked which university.”His voice dropped low.“It wouldn’t matter if I told you.”“Why wouldn’t it? I could come find you.”“I don’t need you to.”“You’re alon

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