บททั้งหมดของ My Bully Next Door: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

BeckettI’m not looking forward to tonight.Not even a little.I lean back against my locker, staring down the hallway like it personally offended me.Two weeks.Two weeks of Ella James in my house.I exhale slowly, dragging a hand through my hair.“This is ridiculous,” I mutter under my breath.“What is?”Sean appears beside me like he always does—too observant for his own good, already smirking like he’s hoping for something entertaining.“Nothing,” I say automatically.“Yeah, okay,” he snorts. “You’ve been in a mood since you got here.”I shrug it off. “Just tired.”That’s the easiest lie.Always is.Because I’m not about to tell him the truth.Not about my dad asking—no, telling—me that Ella’s staying with us.Not about how my mom already has the guest room set up.Not about how there is absolutely no way to spin this that doesn’t make me look like a joke.“Yo, you coming?” one of the guys calls from down the hall.“In a second,” I answer.Sean doesn’t move.Of course he doesn’t.

EllaDinner feels… normal.Which is weird.I sit at the table between Mason and Mrs. Cross, listening as she talks about one of her charity events, her voice light and easy like this is just another regular night.“…and if it’s not the fundraiser, then it’s the shelter. I swear I spend more time with abandoned dogs than I do with my own family.”Mason immediately perks up. “Can we get another dog?”“We already have one,” she reminds him.“But I want a baby one.”I smile, glancing down at him. “You’d name it something ridiculous.”“I would not,” he argues, offended. “I’d name it Rex.”“Of course you would.”He grins like that’s the best idea he’s ever had.Across the table, Beckett is quiet.Too quiet.He’s not really eating, just pushing food around his plate like he’s somewhere else entirely.And he’s not looking at me.Which—I notice.Even though I pretend I don’t.“Mom,” he says suddenly, cutting into her story, “if we win tomorrow, can we have people over?”There it is.She gives

Beckett POVThe kitchen is chaos.Not the bad kind—just loud, busy, lived-in chaos.Cabinets opening. Mason talking nonstop. Plates clinking while Mom moves around packing lunches like she’s running a one-woman assembly line.“I forgot what it’s like having a full house in the morning,” she laughs.Mason bounces in his chair. “Mom, Beckett said a T-Rex could beat a shark.”“That’s because it could,” I mutter, dragging myself into the kitchen.“You just don’t want to admit sharks are cooler,” Mason shoots back.“Eat your breakfast,” Mom says, smiling.I drop into my chair, staring down at the bowl in front of me. I’m not even hungry.“You didn’t sleep?” she asks.I shrug. “Just couldn’t.”That alone should tell her something’s off.Before she can ask anything else—Ella walks in.And everything shifts.She doesn’t look at me.Doesn’t even acknowledge I’m there.Just keeps her head down, moving through the kitchen like she’s trying to disappear.“Good morning, honey,” Mom says.“Morning

Beckett POV I should be focused. That’s what I keep telling myself. Homework open. Laptop in front of me. Game tomorrow. Normal. Everything should feel normal. But it doesn’t. Because every time I try to focus— My brain goes right back to her. Downstairs. On the floor with Mason. Laughing. Like she wasn’t the same girl from school. Like she wasn’t the same girl I’ve— I shut my laptop a little harder than I need to. “This is stupid,” I mutter. I’m not doing this. Not over her. Not over Ella. I lean back in my chair, dragging a hand down my face. Two weeks. That’s it. She’s here for two weeks. Then everything goes back to normal. It has to. ⸻ I push out of my chair and head downstairs. Mostly because sitting still isn’t working. The house is quieter now. Cartoon noise hums from the living room. Mason’s passed out on the couch, one arm hanging off the side. I glance around. She’s not there. Good. That’s good. I don’t nee

Beckett POVI don’t move.I don’t blink.I don’t even breathe right.Because there’s no way—That’s her.That’s not—No.That’s Ella.Standing there like she didn’t just walk into a room full of people who have spent years tearing her apart.Like she doesn’t realize what she just did.What she just changed.⸻“Holy shit…”Sean’s voice cuts in beside me.“When did that happen?”I don’t answer.Because I don’t have one.Because I’m still staring.And I shouldn’t be.I really shouldn’t be.But I am.⸻She’s not hiding.That’s the first thing that hits me.No oversized hoodie.No layers.Nothing to disappear into.Just—her.And for the first time—I actually see her.Not the version everyone jokes about.Not the one I’ve gone along with.Just—her.⸻“Damn,” someone behind me mutters. “She’s actually—”“Yeah,” another voice cuts in. “Didn’t expect that.”My jaw tightens.Something sharp twists in my chest.I don’t like that.I don’t like that at all.⸻She keeps walking.Slow.Careful.L