Page 38 of Withered

That being said, he flicks my nose, a thing I hate and he knows very well. I scrunch my nose, and he starts laughing, triggering a laugh from me too. I live for moments like this. Family is the best thing a person could have. And not just a family, but a loving and supportive one. I feel lucky to have it.

When our laughter dies, Dad engulfs me once more and leaves for work.

I was about to head back to the kitchen when the doorbell rings again. My eyebrows draw together in confusion as to who that might be. It has to be Dad. He must have forgotten something else.

“What did you forget this time?” I ask as I open the front door.

My smile fades when I notice the person, who ignores me and walks past me as if it’s his own house.

“What the hell?” I shout.

“What? Not happy to see me?” Jake says, sarcastically.

“Do you always barge into people’s houses without their permission, Henderson?” I ask him as I take a sip of my juice.

“We are neighbors, Evans,” he smirks.

He walks further into the house, making himself comfortable by sitting on the couch. I follow him and watch his every move. He’s wearing a black T-shirt, which is new to my eyes as I always see him in white, black skinny jeans, paired with black sneakers. His hair was wet as if he had just walked out of a shower, with thick, dark strands of hair falling into his eyes.

This boy looks like a freaking model who just jumped out of a GQ magazine, and the sad part is he doesn’t even try. Just put him in a sack, and he’ll pull that off too.

I groan internally. Why did God invest his time in Jake Henderson and not me?

Jake waves a hand at me and says, “Hey.”

The anger that was in me just a few minutes ago is back again, and now it is directed toward him.

I ignore him and instead inquire, “What are you doing in my house, Jake?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

“What is it?” I ask him.

“Did you know that Tyler ditched school today with that Jones chick?” He asks.

I nod. “I know that. And her name is Kristy. For you, Kristina. What are you trying to imply here?”

“What I’m trying to say is that you’re alone with no friend to hang out with, and the same is true for me. We’re going out today,” he says.

“We? As in you and I?” I move my finger between us.

“Yep,” He says it with a lopsided grin, showing off his dimples. I try to ignore it, which is very difficult.

I finish my juice. “And you didn’t even think about asking me?”

“Would you have agreed to it?” He asked.

“No,” I say.

“There you have your answer.” He smirks, as if he won the argument.

“I don’t care. I’m still not going out with you,” I declare and make my way to the kitchen.

I open the fridge to get the egg tray out and begin making scrambled and fried eggs. Jake enters the kitchen as I begin to crack them, and I keep my attention on him from the corner of my eye.

He looks around, then walks towards me, standing right next to me, back against the counter, both hands clutching the counter’s edge on either side.

He watches me and asks, “Are you cooking?”

---