Page 15 of Forbidden

II

The Boy Next Door—Literally

Chapter Six

Rosalie

Livingwith my dad and Joanna ended up being one of the best decisions I had ever made. The only downside to the month I had been there was my obsession over what happened to Shane grew even more.

There weren’t any photos of Shane anywhere in the house. Joanna never mentioned him either. It had been two and a half years since I last saw him, but whenever I closed my eyes, I could still feel the heat of his lips pressed against mine.

With only a few weeks left before I started college at Rutgers, my dad insisted I cut back on my hours at work. I was working part time at the bank, but now my money was going to go towards saving for school and not to my mother and stepfather. My dad even said he’d help pay for college. I didn’t think things could get better.

As I walked up the driveway after working that morning, Dad and Joanna were leaving the house. I smiled at Joanna, but she walked past me as if I wasn’t there and got into the passenger seat of my dad’s Toyota.

“Is she alright?” I asked.

“She’ll be fine. She’s just anxious,” Dad said. “Shane is coming. We’re going to pick him up now.”

Shane is coming! In all the time since I last saw him, I hadn’t met anyone who could replace Shane. In my head, I started to do a happy dance.

“I can go with you. Where has he been?” I asked, trying to control my excitement.

“I think it’s better if you stay here. Joanna’s already pretty upset.” My father lowered his voice. “Don’t say anything, but Shane was in jail again.”

“Again?”

“Yes, again. I told you, he’s had a tough life. Trouble seems to follow him, and with his past, he can’t seem to catch a break. I can’t get into it now, but I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. One of the terms of his parole is that he can’t live with his father because of all the trouble he’s been in. I don’t know how long he’ll be here, but he’s moving in.”

I waved as my dad and Joanna drove away, but the real reason I was still outside was that I was too stunned to move. The one guy I had lusted over for the past year was going to be under the same roof, in the same house, sleeping on the other side of a wall from me.

* * *

It feltlike forever before I heard my dad’s car back in the driveway. I had changed out of my work clothes into a pair of jeans, but I barely remembered doing it. All I could think about was Shane coming and his being in jail. Again.

Again?I wanted answers. Why was he there? I had a hard time believing Seth’s pot was enough to put him away for so long, but what else could have happened to him? I had to know.

As soon as Shane got out of the car, I could see the difference two and half years away made. His shoulders looked wider and the muscles on his arms were thicker than they were before. He had sunglasses covering his eyes and his hair was shorter. His clenched jaw told me he did not want to be here.

Shane was walking ahead of them carrying a large duffel bag. I opened the door as they approached and he took a step back when he saw me. His face contorted with disgust.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” he asked.

He pushed past me, his boots echoing through the house as he headed straight for the stairs. Joanna looked worn out and my dad looked helpless as they came in. It was obvious neither of them were going to explain anything.

I felt uneasy hearing Shane’s footsteps in the hall upstairs. I didn’t know if he remembered which room was his, and I was still sensitive about my space. I heard my bedroom door creak open and raced after him.

“That’s not your room,” I said.

He looked around. “It’s nice though. Maybe we should switch.”

“You haven’t even seen your room. It’s nice too.”

“I don’t need to see it. I know the princess gets the better room.” He took his sunglasses off and glared at me. “Am I right?”

His tone made me cringe. Somehow, in my excitement of hearing he was coming back, I forgot one simple thing. He hated me.

Shane pushed past me and walked farther down the hall to his room. The door slammed shut.

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