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Chapter 47: Mia
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The girl next Door Chapter 48: Beck
A small knot of tension sits at the bottom of my belly as I rap my knuckles against Dr. Hayes' partially open office door. She glances up from her computer screen and smiles before waving me in."Thanks for stopping by." She pulls off her glasses and sets them on the desk next to her coffee cup. "I read over your latest draft and have a few suggestions." She leans back in her chair. "I thought it would be easier for us to discuss them in person rather than emailing back and forth."Sure, no problem.""Great. Want to get started?"I nod.As I take a step toward the desk, she waves to the tiny loveseat. "Let's sit on the couch, it'll be more comfortable."Comfortable for who?Certainly not me.My step falters as I clear my throat and search for an excuse. I'm trying to keep as much distance between us as possible. "My computer is kind of heavy. It might be better to set it on the desk while we work." I'm grasping at straws. My computer weighs a pound or two at the most.Her l
The girl next Door Chapter 49: Mia
I hop out of my Jeep and smooth down my skirt before hurrying into El Toro, a popular Mexican restaurant in town. Under normal circumstances, this is one of my favorite places to eat. The chicken enchiladas are to die for.But today?I don't really have much of an appetite.Mom drove down so we could have lunch together. It's been a couple of days since Dad dropped his bomb, and I've been checking in to make sure she's doing all right.So far, so good.As I arrive at the hostess stand, I see Mom has already been seated at the back of the restaurant near the window. There's a huge margarita sitting in front of her. When the hostess leads me to the table, I give Mom a quick hug before settling on the chair across from her."Hi, sweetie," she says. Her gaze drifts over my floral-colored blouse and red skirt. "You look nice.""Thanks. You do, too." I'm relieved to see that she hasn't fallen apart. I was worried she would be dressed in sweats. Not that I would blame her. Instead
The girl next Door Chapter 50: Mia
The waitress returns with my Diet Coke and Mom's margarita. "Just in the nick of time," she mutters, swallowing down half of it in one thirsty gulp. "Have you spoken to him yet?"I shake my head. Like Beck, he's reached out. And like Beck, I've avoided his calls and texts. There is nothing he can say or do that will change the disgust and disappointment coursing through me. If he wasn't happy in his marriage, he should have done something about it instead of sneaking around behind Mom's back."As furious as I am with him," she says, "I don't want to cause a wedge in your relationship. No matter what happens between us, he is your father, and he loves you."It's almost a relief when our lunch arrives. Mom needs something solid in her stomach to counteract the tequila. She's been snacking on the chips and salsa, but it's not enough.I use my fork to push around the beans and rice on my plate. "I'm not ready to talk to him right now. He didn't only walk out on you, he walked o
The girl next Door Chapter 51: Mia
"You really said that?" Alyssa gapes before shoveling the last of my enchilada into her mouth. It's been sitting untouched in the refrigerator for days. "To Dr. H?" she mumbles around a mouthful of tortilla, cheese, and chicken.I swing away from her as she sits on the couch in our living room. "Yup.""Damn, girl!" she hoots, slapping her thigh. "You are seriously my hero!"I tunnel my fingers through my hair and groan. Days later and I'm still reeling from the encounter in the bathroom at El Toro."No, I'm not." I spin toward her again as I continue to pace. A mixture of nerves and nausea makes it impossible to sit still.My bestie shakes her head. "Are you kidding me? Everyone on campus has heard the rumors about Hayes. It's about time someone called her out on her bullshit.""I've heard the gossip, too," I admit, "but I never suspected there was any truth behind it." I blow out a slow breath. "If I hadn't seen it happen with my own eyes, I still wouldn't believe it." Wh
The girl next Door Chapter 52: Beck
The spiral I throw lands perfectly in Colton's hands. Whatever problem he had been struggling with earlier in the season seems to have worked itself out.Thank fuck, because that's the last thing we need right now. We have four games under our belt and eight more to go. It's still early, but we have an undefeated record.When Coach blows his whistle, signaling the end of practice, I unsnap the chin strap and pull off my helmet, letting it dangle from my fingers. Colton jogs toward me, meeting me as we head off the field.Grinning from ear-to-ear, he holds out his hand for a fist bump."Looking good out there," I tell him. "Nice to see you got your groove back.""Damn right I did, baby!" He flashes a grin as relief oozes from every pore of his body. "And not a moment too soon with the Alabama game coming up."Already I know it'll be a tough one. Both mentally and physically. We're neck and neck with Alabama. After next Saturday, one of us will be first in the conference, and I
The girl next Door Chapter 1: Mia
Summer before freshman year of college..."Get your butt over here," my best friend squeals from the window where she's taken up sentinel, "you need to see this!"That's a negative, Ghost Rider. I'll take a hard pass. I have zero interest in spying on a yard full of drunken classmates who are partying it up at my neighbor's house. Reluctantly, I glance up from the toes I'm painting with a pale pink polish. Coney Island Cotton Candy, to be precise.When our gazes lock, Alyssa waves me over. She's practically vibrating with excitement. Kind of like a schnauzer."Everyone is over there!""Not true," I mutter, lacquering my baby toe with an impressively steady hand. "We're right here." And that's exactly where I plan to stay."Yeah, that's kind of the problem." She steeples her hands together before shaking them at me. "Please?" she begs. "Can't we go over there for a little bit? Just a little? That's all I'm asking."That's all she's asking...ha!I'm calling bullshit.Alyssa
The girl next Door Chapter 2: Mia
A dozen outfit changes later, Alyssa settles on a black knit tank and white skirt that showcases her sun-kissed legs to their best advantage. Alyssa has been taking dance classes since she was three years old. She's toned with long, lean muscles."Damn girl, you look hot." Not that her crush will appreciate the effort. Alyssa needs to move on. I'm thinking a twelve-step program would help kick the Colton Montgomery habit."I would gladly live in your closet if you'd let me." She grins before doing a little twirl. "It's my happy place."A reluctant smile quirks my lips.My mother is a card-carrying shopaholic and has the Amex Black Card bills to prove it. She buys clothes like our house burned to the ground and nothing could be salvaged. Even with racks of space, my wardrobe is bursting at the seams. Three-quarters of the stuff has never seen the light of day. Alyssa is lucky we're roughly the same size so she can borrow whatever she wants.Now that she's dressed and ready to
The girl next Door Chapter 3: Mia
Believe it or not, before our parents left town for a long weekend in New York, Archie asked me to keep an eye on their son. His actual words were-make sure no one dies.As if I exert that much control over Beck?Yeah, right. Beck doesn't listen to anyone, let alone me.Exactly what am I supposed to do?Tattletale?Facetime his parents so they can get a first-hand glimpse of the ensuing pandemonium?As much pleasure as that would give me, it's not going to happen. I might be a lot of things (a rule follower and a goody-goody, if you listen to Beck) but there are lines that can't be crossed, and snitching is one of them.This will be one more antic Beck gets away with. I suppose that's the beauty of being Beckett Hollingsworth. He doesn't give a shit about anything other than football.The Neanderthal sport is his life.By the time Beck was a freshman in high school, he'd already drawn the attention of Big Ten college coaches. They couldn't wait to get him on their roster. If he
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