CHAPTER TWO
Indiana
Slamming the front door, I stomp down the hallway towards the back of the house. “Out you go, boy,” I say to Lassie once I slide open the glass door. I feel so let down. I can’t believe I was actually looking forward to meeting that douche. Nobody has ever been so rude to me. Ever.
He’s nothing like I expected. Well, I don’t really know what I was expecting. Certainly not what I got. He’s a prick, plain and simple. A rude, egotistical arse. And as much as I hate to admit it, a sinfully hot one. Why does he have to be so good looking?
He’s so tall, and so built. Every stinking inch of him. His dark hair and haunting chocolate eyes just add to his attractiveness. His cute little dimple on his left cheek. His perfectly straight white teeth add to his illuminating smile. Well they do when he smiles. I hate to admit that he’s gorgeous even when he frowns. To top all that off, he has this perfectly chiselled face, which I’d seriously like to slap right now, by the way.
That part definitely took me off guard. Sure I’ve met a lot of hot guys before. Nothing that could compare to him though. He towers over my tiny five-foot-one inch frame. His dark hair and eyes suit his equally dark persona. It’s a shame he doesn’t have the personality to accompany his looks. If he did, he’d be perfect.
Unexpectedly, I felt an instant attraction to him. That was until he opened his damn mouth. God I’m so mad right now. How could I let him get under my skin like that? Jackass. I almost feel sorry for him. I did say almost. Crazy I know. I swear I saw something in him. I can’t explain what. It was almost like his bastardry was an act, a front. I could be wrong. Surely no one could be naturally so rude and mean. His mother seems so sweet.
I’m glad my dad isn’t home at the moment. I’d hate to have to explain my sudden bad mood to him. He’d be furious if he knew how Carter just spoke to me.
I make my way towards my bedroom. I need my iPod. Music may be the only thing that can calm me down. At the very least, it can help occupy my mind so I don’t have to think about my new neighbour from hell. I thought Mr. Shepard held that title, but his new stepson has just taken the prize.
After placing my earplugs in my ears I turn the volume up to full. I also grab my iPad off my desk and move to my favourite spot in my room—the window seat my dad built for me. This is my happy place. I sit here for hours some days. Even though my bedroom window is at the side of the house, it’s towards the back, so I get a glimpse of the lake that backs onto our property.
Logging onto my Facebook account, I send a private message to my bestie, Meg. If anyone can cheer me up, it’s her.
Me: You around?
Meg: Of course. You know I live on here. LOL. What’s up pretty girl?
Me: I just met my new neighbour.
Meg: What? Mr. Don’t-let-your-dog-poop-on-my-lawn-again moved out?
Me: LOL. No. His new wife and stepson moved in.
Meg: WHAT! Someone married the fucktard? OMFG!
Me: I know. Crazy! She’s actually really nice. I have no idea what she sees in him. Her son on the other hand …
Meg: How old is her son?
Me: A year older than us.
Meg: Is he hot?
Me: Meh. He’s okay.
Total lie. He’s more than okay. If I tell her the truth she’ll be over here in a flash. I’m not sure why the thought of her crushing on him doesn’t sit well with me, but it doesn’t. Maybe because today he just became my enemy. Maybe it’s something else. My bestie is boy crazy. She has a new boyfriend practically every week. I swear I can’t keep up with them.
Meg: What’s the deal with him then?
Me: Ugh! He’s a douche. A rude prick.
Meg: Oh. Did he upset you? You need me to come over and teach him some manners?
Me: No. I can handle him. Thanks for the offer though.
If I told her what he said to me she’d be straight over. She’s very protective when it comes to me for some reason. We’ve always had each other’s back.
Meg: Wanna come over to my place? I’m still in prison for sneaking out the other night. My parents suck.
She makes me laugh. Meg is grounded because she got busted sneaking out to meet her boyfriend in the middle of the night. If my sixteen year old did half the things she has done, I think I’d lock her up permanently.
Me: Sure, I’ll be over soon. x
I have a quick browse through my newsfeed before I log off. Looking out my bedroom window, my eyes move towards my neighbour’s house. Imagine my surprise when I see Carter standing at the window directly opposite mine. He’s looking straight at me. Great. Don’t tell me that’s going to be his bedroom.
My eyes narrow at him. What is he staring at? A small, smug smile plays on his lips. God he infuriates me. Standing up, I reach for the cord of my blinds. I don’t think I’ve ever closed them before. I love the sunlight the window provides. There goes my sanctuary, my happy place. Could this day get any worse?
When my eyes reluctantly move back to his, I find him laughing. Fuck him. I can already tell he gets pleasure out of pissing me off. Flipping him off only makes him throw his head back and laugh harder. Arsehole.
I tug on the cord, hard, in frustration. Dreary darkness fills my room when the blinds are down. I have a feeling this is what my life is going to be like now that I have that douche as my neighbour.
Grabbing my phone off my desk, I storm out of the house. I end up staying at Meg’s place until late. Her parents treat me like one of their own. My dad’s working the night shift for the next two weeks, so there’s no need for me to be home. The further I’m away from that arsehole, Carter, the better. His room is so close to mine we’re practically damn roommates. What a nightmare.
••••
My dad’s still asleep when I get up Monday morning. It was around 3:00am when he finally got home. I hate the hours he works sometimes, but he loves his job. He’s been working in the Police Force since he was eighteen years old. That’s all he knows, he’ll never give it up.
After I eat my breakfast and wash my dishes, I set about getting things ready for my dad when he wakes. I pour his cereal into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. I put two slices of bread in the toaster. All he’ll need to do is pop it down. I fill the kettle with water and place two sugars and a tea bag in a mug, leaving it on the benchtop.
When he’s doing day shift we always eat together. When he’s not, I usually get things prepared for him. Not that he expects it, but I like doing it for him. I’m sure being a single parent for the past ten years hasn’t been easy for him.
I was around two years old when my mum’s headaches first started. She would spend days, sometimes weeks in bed because of them. My dad tried to get her to go to the doctor, but she refused, saying they were just migraines. My dad said she was stubborn like that. It’s a trait I’ve inherited I’m afraid.
By the time she finally did go for tests, the tumour on her brain was so large it was inoperable. They tried chemo. It was her only option. It wasn’t successful. It made her so sick. She spent the last six months of her life bedbound. She died when I was six. Her death broke my dad’s heart. They were teenage sweethearts. I’m not sure if he’ll ever completely get over it.
••••
I open the blinds in my bedroom before leaving for school. I’m not going to be home all day, so I don’t need to worry about stupid Carter taunting me. I don’t even bother to look in the direction of his house. I’m not going to let him ruin my day again.
Heading out back, I give Lassie a quick pat before I feed him and replenish his water dish. “I’ll see you this afternoon, boy,” I say as I leave. He’s too busy eating to even notice me disappear through the side gate.
Just my luck as I walk down the drive, Carter and his mother come out of their front door. “Morning, Indiana,” she says to me. “This is my son, Carter. The one I was telling you about.”
“We met yesterday,” I reply, plastering a fake smile on my face.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me that,” she says turning her attention back to her son. I use that time to narrow my eyes at him. I have a good mind to tell his mother how rude her son is. Maybe he’s adopted. How else could someone so lovely have such a prick for a kid?
Now that he’s standing by his mother, I see they have the same eyes. That’s pretty much it though. He must get his looks from his father. I bet he’s good looking. His mother is extremely attractive, but her features are fairer than Carter’s.
“Slipped my mind, I guess,” he says, looking my way and winking. Ugh!
“Why don’t you give Indiana a lift to school, since you’re both heading the same way? It’ll give you a chance to get to know each other better.” What little I know about him is enough.
“No,” we both say in unison.
“Carter,” she scolds, causing him to frown at me. “It will do you good to have a friend on your first day.” I almost want to laugh at her comment. Friends is something I doubt we’ll ever be.
“Thanks anyway, Mrs. Shepard. I usually get the bus to school.”
“Don’t be silly. Carter will drive you. Won’t you?” she says nudging him.
“Fine,” he exhales while rolling his eyes in frustration. Even when he’s angry he still looks sexy. That just pisses me off even more. Getting in the car with him is the last thing I want to do. If giving me a lift is going to annoy him though, then I’m all in. I’ll take pleasure out of giving him a taste of his own medicine.
“Okay. That’ll be great,” I say smiling at his mother. When she turns to look at her son, I wink at him. I grin when his eyes narrow. Two can play at this game buddy.
“Have a nice day you two,” she says sweetly. How she could’ve produced such a monster is beyond me.
“Bye, Mum.” I’m surprised when he bends down and gently kisses her cheek. She smiles up at him. He’s so tall he towers over her petite frame.
“Nice car,” I say once I’m seated in the passenger seat. He grunts at my comment. I roll my eyes. I should’ve known better than to give him a compliment.
I have no idea what type of car it is. It’s an oldish type, I know that much. It looks like it’s in the process of being done up. A muscle car I think they’re called. Don’t quote me on that. My dad will know. He loves anything to do with cars.
It’s a ten-minute drive to school. I decide to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the journey. Well, that was my plan until he leans over when we’re stopped at a red light, and retrieves a packet of cigarettes from the glove compartment.
After he lights one up, he throws the packet in the centre console. “You shouldn’t smoke you know,” I say. “It’s not good for you. Don’t you read the warning labels on the packet?” I pick up his cigarette packet and point to the words ‘SMOKING KILLS’ that’s written in large bold font.
He blows a puff of smoke in my face before snatching the packet out of my hand. “Mind your own fucking business, kid. You really think I give a shit if I die?”
“Why would you say that?” I ask, horrified. Hearing him say that upsets me. I know firsthand how devastating cancer can be. “Carter?” I add when he doesn’t answer me.
“What?” he sighs, looking over at me.
“You want to die?” I see what looks like sadness briefly cross his features before he recovers. Returning back to that hard-arse look he always seems to wear.
“I didn’t say I want to die. I just said I don’t care if I do.”
“Well that’s just sad.”
“Listen, stop with all the damn questions. I’m only giving you a lift because my mum made me. We’re not friends. Got it.”
“Got it.” Loud and clear you stupid jerk. I turn my head to look out the window. “Word of advice. If you want to make any friends here, I suggest you lose the bad attitude. This is a small town. You don’t want to get a bad reputation on your first day.” He doesn’t bother replying to my comment.
We travel the rest of the way in silence. When we reach the street the school is situated on, he pulls over to the curb. “Get out,” he barks.
“What? The school is further down the road.”
“I know,” he says smirking. “If you’re so worried about my reputation, you’ll understand why I don’t want to be seen travelling to school with a kid in my car.”
“I’m not a damn kid,” I snap. “I’m one year younger than you.”
“Huh. You could’ve fooled me. You look like you’re twelve.” Abruptly removing my seatbelt, I get out of the car.
“Fuck you,” I say as I slam the car door shut. So much for not letting him ruin my day again.