Lahat ng Kabanata ng Boy Next Door : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

MATEO Wow, it was morning again. Sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell across my face. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, hoping I could steal a few more minutes of sleep then came the knock.“Mateo, it’s time for morning prayer.” I sighed beneath the blanket. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”I’m from a religious family. And not just any religious family, my father is a priest.Sometimes, I wonder if people realize how tiring that can be.Everyone expects me to be well-behaved because I’m the priest’s son. Parents at church often use me as an example for their children. Some of the younger kids even come to me for advice, as if I somehow have my whole life figured out. I’m only in Grade 11.I finally dragged myself out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom, still half asleep. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I made my way downstairs.My family was already gathered in the living room. My little sister, Lucía, was kneeling beside my mother. She was in Grade

MATEO Monday morning finally arrived. I hurried toward school, keeping my head down as I walked through the alley.For some reason, I hated telling people that I was a priest's son.People always assumed that being the priest's son meant I had no freedom and honestly... They weren't completely wrong.I couldn't do half the things my classmates did. Parties, hanging out late, going places without permission—things I secretly wanted to experience but there was always that expectation hanging over me.You're the priest's son. So I kept to myself, I didn't usually talk to anyone on my way to school then I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I stopped and looked up, it was him.Nikolai.“Hey, boy,” he said with a grin. “You're my neighbor, right? I saw you the other day, but I couldn't talk to you.”I nodded and that was it, just a nod. I had absolutely no idea what else to say. I'm so awkward.Nikolai didn't seem bothered. “I'm new here, and it's my first day,” he continued. “So I trust you

MATEO The chirping of birds slowly woke me. I reached for my phone and checked the time.5:40 a.m.I had barely slept. My mind had been restless for most of the night, and I had spent more time staring at the ceiling than actually sleeping.I picked up my phone and scrolled through it for a while.There wasn't much to see anyway. My parents regularly checked my phone, so I didn't have many interesting apps or things to look through.Eventually, I dropped it on my bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time I finished, it was past six. I went downstairs and joined my family for morning prayer.Afterward, we quickly ate breakfast before everyone went their separate ways. Dad worked as an editor, while Mum owned a large store. Dad usually dropped Lucía off at school on his way to work. I took the bus.I grabbed a slice of bread and headed downstairs, still chewing as I walked toward the front door then I saw Niko, he was standing outside his house.My steps immediately slowe

The next morning, I arrived at school expecting everything to feel normal but as soon as I entered the school grounds, I spotted Alex, Sophia, and the others.They immediately called me over. “Mateo!”I walked toward them. “Where's Niko?” Alex asked.“I haven't seen him.”Alex raised an eyebrow. “You didn't come with him?”I shook my head. “I haven't seen him since last night.” I almost added that I would have gone to his house to check on him, but I stopped myself. Why would I say that?Alex tapped my shoulder. “Come on. Let's go to class. I'll meet up with him later.”We headed inside. When we reached the classroom, Daniel and Sophia were already sitting together.A few students turned to look at us as we entered. Some waved, I waved back before heading toward my usual seat.Daniel leaned toward me. “So you're finally hanging out with them?”I shrugged. “Niko introduced them to me.”Daniel nodded. “I see.”Sophia, meanwhile, kept staring at me. I noticed.“What?”She didn't answer,