The Girl Next Door
Chapter 14

Once Mia disappears from sight, everything inside me uncoils. Reluctantly, I glance toward the house, well aware I'm about to get my a*s chewed out for the impromptu party. Although I can't bring myself to regret it. If I hadn't thrown the bash, I wouldn't have hooked up with Mia. f**k, I shouldn't even call it that. What happened between us is way more than a f**k and flee situation. I've had plenty of those in the past, and they've never meant a damn thing. This feels nothing like that.

It blows me away that she allowed me to take her virginity. Even the thought of being buried deep inside her body is enough to have my c**k rising to attention. Instead of giving in to the urge to follow Mia, I yank on my khakis and T-shirt. Guess it's time to face the firing squad. Best to get it over with and move on with my day.

Silence greets me as I walk through the first floor. This place is monstrous. I have no idea why we need all this space except that Dad likes to showcase our wealth since it's a direct translation to his professional accomplishments. Over the last twenty years, he's built a successful law practice from the ground up. Now he has four partners and fifty associates. His plan is to expand and open a couple of practices in major cities across the United States.

That's where my brother comes in.

Archibald the second-or Ari as everyone calls him-will be starting his senior year of college at Wesley. If everything goes according to plan, he'll attend Stanford Law School like the old man. Ari has a four-point GPA and scored a one-seventy on the LSAT, so getting accepted shouldn't be a problem. He's one smart motherfucker. My parents couldn't be prouder.

Me, on the other hand?

Not so much.

I know Dad had hoped I would follow in his illustrious footsteps, but that's not going to happen. Unlike my older brother, I had a tougher time in school. Concentration has never been my friend. It's not that the work was too hard, just boring. My mind wanders. I get antsy. When I was in elementary school, I'd stare out the window while the teacher droned on. All I could focus on was getting outside and throwing the football around with my friends. I lived for recess.

It wasn't until second grade, after a shit-ton of calls and notes from the teacher and principal, that I was taken to a psychologist, tested, diagnosed with ADHD, and promptly put on medication. It helped to settle my a*s down, but school has always been t*****e. I force myself to do it since it's the only way I'll make it to the NFL.

It's no secret that my father is disappointed in how I've turned out and the issues I struggle with. Has he come out and said it?

No, but there have been enough sly comments and little digs over the years to let me know how he truly feels. Maybe he thinks I'm an i***t, too stupid to pick up on what he's laying down. Just because I have trouble focusing, doesn't mean I'm a dipshit. My father prizes intelligence over athletic ability. He might boast to anyone who will listen that his son is a talented enough football player to be scouted by the pros, but that's still second best in his book.

Ari is the heir, and I'm the spare.

I didn't ask to have ADHD. It's been a pain in my a*s, but I deal with it the best I can.

What other choice is there?

The medication helps, but it's not a cure-all. Football is the only thing that holds my attention. When I have that ball in my hand, and I'm searching the field for an open receiver, my mind slows down, and I'm able to think clearly. Or maybe it speeds up, and I can see all the possibilities. It only takes a split second to process my surroundings. My brain cuts through all the guys, and I replace a receiver who can complete a pass and take it down the field, eating up the yards with his cleats.

God, but I f*****g love it.

It's my reason for living.

The only other thing that's come close to holding my attention is Mia. Up until this point, she's kept me at a firm distance. I don't blame her for it. Mia is gorgeous, smart, athletic, and focused on her future. She wants to be a lawyer. We're complete opposites in every way.

I'll never be good enough for that girl.

As soon as that thought creeps into my head, I push it away.

For whatever reason, the stars have aligned, and I have the two things I want most in this world. Football and Mia. I don't want anything to f**k it up.

The moment I cross over the threshold into Dad's office, he glances from the computer screen and points to the leather armchair parked in front of his antique mahogany desk. I slip onto the chair and wait for him to read me the riot act. Should I have invited so many people over last night?

Probably not.

My bad. Won't happen again.

When I open my mouth to apologize, he cuts me off.

"What the hell was Mia doing here?"

I raise my brows, thrown off by the question.

This is what he wants to talk about?

"We were swimming." When he glares, I shift on my seat and tack on, "It's hot out."

He snorts in disbelief. "What I walked in on was more than," he uses his fingers to make air quotes, "swimming." There's a pause. "She was practically naked."

"She was wearing her bra and underwear," I mumble, embarrassed to be discussing the situation with my father. "She didn't bother to go home and change. Don't make a big deal out of it."

My parents have never questioned my relationships. Dad has even slapped my back a time or two and told me to make sure I wrap it up tight. The last thing I need is to get some chick pregnant at this stage of the game. And he's right.

This fall, I'll be attending Wesley. As long as I can prove myself in training camp this summer, the starting quarterback position is mine for the taking. That's unheard of for a freshman, and I damn well know it. What I need to do is work my a*s off so these guys can see I'm the key to a winning season.

I've tried to convince the old man that entering the draft after my sophomore year would be better, but he's not having it. The deal is that I wait until my senior year and earn my diploma. As long as I don't get injured, there's no reason everything shouldn't pan out the way it's supposed to. The plan is to major in communications so I can lay the foundation for a broadcasting career at ESPN after I retire. Without playing ball, that communications degree won't be worth the paper it's printed on. Dad likes to remind me of that every chance he gets.

"What was she doing here in the first place?" he growls, drawing my attention back to the conversation.

"Helping me clean up after the party last night." Hell, I would much rather discuss that situation. Even thinking about what he walked in on has the tips of my ears burning. If it had been any other girl, I wouldn't have given a s**t. I would have patted her on the a*s and sent her on her merry way. But I can't do that with Mia. I should have been more careful.

"It better not be anything more than that," he snaps, shaking his head.

I straighten on the chair. There's something about his tone that rubs me the wrong way. "Why does it matter so much?"

"You know why it matters." His booming voice echoes off the wood-paneled walls before he strains forward, resting his forearms on the polished wood. "I don't want you f*****g around with that girl." "We weren't f*****g around."

"It sure as hell looked like you were." He stabs a finger at me. "Whatever plans you might have hatched in that brain of yours, get them out right now!"

What the hell?

Are we seriously having this conversation?

"I don't understand what the problem is."

Dad leans back on his chair and stares at the ceiling before muttering under his breath, "Do I really need to spell everything out for you?"

His words feel like a backhanded smack. My jaw locks as heat floods my cheeks. "Yeah, it would be helpful if you did."

With an exasperated sigh, he glowers at me like I'm ten kinds of stupid. It only serves to piss me off more. "Mia's a nice girl. A good girl. The last thing I need is for you to mess with her head and hurt her."

"Why would I do that?" A pit the size of Rhode Island settles at the bottom of my gut.

A knowing smile tilts the corners of his lips. "Come on, Beck," his voice trails off as he shrugs. "You're not the most focused guy in the world. Especially where the ladies are concerned. You've spent the last couple of years screwing your way through this town, and other than me telling you to be careful, I haven't said a damn word about it."

"Mia is different," I say through stiff lips.

"Of course, she is." There's a pause. "Which is exactly why she's not for you."

Even though I shouldn't be surprised by the comment, I am. This entire conversation has blown me away.

"And why is that?" I grit between clenched teeth, forcing him to admit the truth.

The silence between us stretches until it becomes almost painful.

"Mia deserves a guy who has his head on straight, and that's not you. She needs someone like your brother." He waves a hand airily as if he hasn't just crushed my spirit. "Someone solid." So...now I'm not solid?

My ADHD makes me a wild card? Someone unworthy?

His comments stun me into silence. For once in my life, I have no idea how to respond.

Dad must realize he's overstepped because he clears his throat and attempts to backtrack. "Look, Beckett, I love you. You know that, right?"

Laughter bubbles up in my throat.

Really?

After everything he said?

That's how we're going to wrap up this conversation?

With a-hey, buddy...you're an i***t, but you're our i***t.

My parents think I'm a fuckup who will never amount to diddly squat. And I sure as hell am not worthy of a girl like Mia.

"I'm grateful you have so much athletic talent, or I don't know what the hell you would do with your life."

Thank f**k I'm sitting for that backhanded compliment.

Unable to listen to another word of his bullshit, I pop to my feet. "Are we done here?" I stare at the space above his shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact.

f**k that guy.

"Yeah, we're done," he sighs.

"Great." Five strides, and I'm at the door. I need to get out of here before I lose my s**t.

"Beck..."

My step falters, and my shoulders stiffen, but I don't turn around. "Yeah?"

"Stay away from Mia. I don't need any problems with her parents. And that's exactly what I'll get if you go sniffing around her."

When I fail to respond, his voice sharpens. "Did you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

And then I'm gone, disappearing through the hallway and taking the stairs two at a time before turning down the hall and slamming the door to my room. I need a joint so I can zone out and forget about the garbage my father just spewed. For a day that started out so well, it sure turned to s**t in the blink of an eye.