The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 27

Hands down, this has been the week from hell. Not one damn thing has gone right for me.

All right, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration.

Classes were good. Most of them are dance which makes the day pass by in the blink of an eye. And I was able to secure my old job at a small studio in town teaching a few classes to four and five-year olds. Yeah, they're squirrelly and have way too much energy, but they're adorable as hell and make me laugh. And I need the cash. Unlike Mia, my parents don't have a fat portfolio filled with stocks and bonds. They do just fine, but it helps them out if I have my own spending money.

So...if everything is going just fine why aren't I able to shake the feelings of irritability and discontent? It's almost as if something is brewing inside me and I have no clue what it is. And that makes me nervous. Jack has Facetimed a handful of times since my return, but our relationship doesn't feel the same. It's almost as if I was able to blot everything out when I was in London and now that I'm once again at Wesley, it's impossible to do that. It only adds to my growing confusion.

What I will say is that it's nice to be back with Mia. I really did miss my girl. And dancing again for Monsieur Dupre has been amazing. I didn't realize how much I'd learned and grown in London. But he's noticed. And that means everything to me.

My brain continues to spin as I yank open the apartment building door and walk through the lobby. Instead of waiting for the elevator, I decide to take the stairwell. As soon as I arrive at the third-floor landing and push through the metal door, the sound of music assaults me. My jaw unconsciously locks as I tighten my hands. The trimmed nails bite into my flesh, leaving little crescent-shaped imprints on each palm. Even though I'm at the far end of the hallway, I can already guess where the booming bass is originating from. Colton and Beck's apartment.

In less than two seconds flat, the annoyance that had been simmering beneath the surface becomes full blown anger.

The music grows in intensity with every step I take toward my apartment. By the time I shove the key in the lock, I'm ready to explode. With a slam of the door, I stalk into the living room. Mia is at the small dining room table with her laptop and earbuds. My guess is that they have to be noise cancelling otherwise there is no way she could work through this racket. I shoot an irritated glance toward the wall we share with our neighbors. For a handful of seconds, I consider contacting the building manager to complain before deciding against it.

Although, if this continues much longer, I'll be more than happy to make that phone call.

Mia glances up from her computer screen and gives me a wave. The smile curving her lips disappears as she takes in my expression. She pulls out the earbuds and sets them on the table next to her laptop. "Hey! How was school?"

"It was fine." I send another glare toward our noisy neighbors before waving my hand in their direction. "How long has this been going on for?"

"Hmmm. Maybe an hour or so?" Mia shrugs. "It's not that big of a deal. It kind of goes with the territory when you're living in an apartment building with a bunch of college kids. The weekends get noisy."

My lips sink further into a scowl. "Someone should really talk to them about this." When her brows rise, I add, "It's so rude! I can barely hear myself think."

"I'm sure it won't last much longer. I'll bet they're just pre-gaming it before hitting the parties."

"I don't care what they're doing. They should have more consideration for the people who have to live next to them."

"Well, I can see someone is in a mood."

I drag a hand down my face.

Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. I lived in the dorms for two years. The weekends were exactly like this and it never bothered me in the least. Hell, most of the time, I was the one leading the charge.

Even though I suspect the reason for my pissy mood, I'm not ready to acknowledge it to myself or Mia. Instead, I do my best to shake off the bad vibes before they can totally ruin my night.

"Sorry." I drop my bag onto a chair. "It's been a long week. I'm just tired and still adjusting from moving back here." That's a reasonable explanation for my behavior, right?

Mia pops to her feet before closing the distance between us and pulling me into her arms. Because my bestie knows me so well, she cuts right through the bullshit and gets to the heart of the matter. "I know it hasn't been easy living next to Colton, but I'm glad you're back. There's no way I would have wanted to go through senior year without you."

Her earnest words make the tension rushing through me evaporate. "Me, too." As tempting as it had been to stay in London, there's no way I would have gone through with it. Mia and I only have this year to spend together before we go our separate ways. Her to law school and me to...well, something with dance. I'm not nearly good enough to make a living as a professional dancer but I would love to one day open my own studio and teach.

"So, any plans for the night?" she asks before pulling away. "Isobel and Kara are going to Bang Bang. Apparently, they didn't get enough last weekend. Izzy said something about a hot bartender."

As soon as she mentions the club, an image of Colton pops into my brain. The way his lips had devoured mine before coasting over my body and settling on- Nope.

There is no way I'm going there.

I quickly shove the memory away and shake my head. "I'm in the mood for that." "Really?" Her brows slide together. "You love shaking your a*s on the dance floor."

She's right. Under normal circumstances, I love getting out there and busting a move. Presently?

Not so much.

And that has everything to do with a certain someone who shall remain nameless. Although his goddamn music is reverberating off my walls which makes it difficult to not think about him. "That's fine with me. Let's see." She taps her finger against her chin. "I heard Lambda Chi Alpha is having a huge bash. We can always stop by and check it out."

"Yeah," I mutter, glancing away before sucking my lower lip into my mouth and chewing on it thoughtfully, "maybe."

Usually, I'm the one trying to cajole Mia into going out for the night and cutting loose, not the other way around.

Disconcerted by the role reversal, Mia lays a hand across my forehead. "Are you feeling all right? You're not acting like yourself."

I snort out a laugh and try to shake off the strange emotions that have taken root inside me. It's become an all-too-common occurrence. I've had to do this too many times since my return to Wesley. As much as I don't want to admit it, this has everything to do with Colton. I hate that he has so much control over my life when I want nothing to do with him. If only there were a way to purge the guy from my system. That's exactly what the thirteen months spent in London was supposed to accomplish. Clearly, that didn't happen.

"I'm fine." I suck in a breath before releasing it. "You know what, maybe we should go to-"

My voice ends on a squeak when there's a loud crash against the interior wall that connects with the guy's apartment and then the music is cranked up which, quite honestly, I didn't think was possible.

Mia raises her voice in order to be heard. "Maybe we should go out and grab something to eat."

I grit my teeth and try to hold onto the last shreds of my temper, but it's no use. "I'm not going to be forced out of my own apartment! I've had enough, I'm going over there!"

"Oh, God." Even though she mutters the words under her breath, I hear them loud and clear. "This isn't going to end well."

"Not for them it won't," I agree.

Before she can stop me, I stalk out of the apartment. Twenty steps bring me to their door. I raise my fist and pound on the wood. Now that I'm right outside their apartment, the music is obnoxiously loud. This is ridiculous!

Ten seconds tick by without answer. I grit my teeth and rap my knuckles harder.

f**k!

I hiss out a breath before shaking my hand.

Oh, I am so going to let them have it!

After another twenty seconds, the door finally swings open and I replace Beck on the other side. There's a cheerful smile on his face. "Hey, Alyssa! Wanna come in? We're pregaming it. Lotta parties happening tonight." He points at me. "You should really come out with us." My eyes narrow before I bare my teeth. A low growl rumbles up from my chest.

There's a pause. "Give me a sec." He holds up a finger before turning away and yelling into the crowded apartment, "Colton, it's for you!"

Instead of waiting, I push past Beck and stomp into the crowded apartment. Jeez. There must be at least thirty people jammed in here. I recognize a number of guys from the football team. For each one, there's at least two girls hanging on them. Unless you're Colton Montgomery.

Then you have at least four groupies pawing at you.

A punch of unwanted jealousy surges through me before I can stomp it out. That thought is so disturbing, that I quickly shove it from my brain. As soon as our gazes collide, he rises from the couch he's parked on. Without a word to the jersey chasers attempting to maul him, he cuts easily through the crush of people. His towering presence has them scattering out of the way. It only takes a moment for him to reach me.

Before he can say anything, I snap, "We need to talk."

Carefully he searches my face. "Okay."

When he doesn't move, I growl, "In private." Any moment, I'm going to lose my s**t.

"Um, yeah." He glances over the throng before locking his fingers around mine and towing me through the cluster of people laughing and drinking in the small apartment.

Even though I steel myself for it, the moment he makes contact, a little zip of electricity sizzles through my veins. If there's a way for me to turn off this unwelcome attraction, I haven't found it.

It's only after he shutters us away in the privacy of his bedroom and clicks the lock into place that I wonder if marching over to give him a piece of my mind wasn't the best idea. He leans against the door, barring my escape, before crossing his arms against his wide chest.

Yeah...this definitely wasn't a good idea. I should have taken Mia up on her offer to grab something for dinner and gotten the hell out of here instead of taking matters into my own hands.

"What's up?" he asks, interrupting the frantic whirl of my thoughts.

My mouth goes bone dry as I try not to notice how good he looks in the fitted navy-colored T-shirt that hugs both his chest and biceps. It occurs to me that this is exactly how I got in trouble last weekend.

I clear my throat and glance away. "The music is really loud." Unconsciously, my gaze flickers back to him. It's like I can't not look in his direction.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Things got a little out of control. I'll turn it down. No problem."

His apology takes the wind out of my sails. I shift my weight, unsure what to say.

One brow hikes up across his forehead. "Is there anything else?"

"No." I shake my head as my teeth sink into my lower lip.

The room turns quiet as he pushes away from the door and deliberately closes the distance between us. Every step sends my heart jackhammering painfully against my ribcage until I'm positive he's able to hear it above the pumping beat of the music emanating from the other room. Every nerve ending inside me goes on high alert.

My eyes flare wide. As much as I long for his touch, I realize that if he does, it will be my downfall. As much as I want to be over Colton, I'm not. I hate myself for the attraction that hums like a live wire between us. The callous manner in which he dumped my a*s should have killed every fragile emotion inside me. It's disconcerting to realize that it didn't. My feelings are as strong as ever. Even if they're tinged at the edges with fury.

What's worse is that his intentions are written clearly across his face. And still, I'm powerless to stop it from happening. It's demoralizing.

My hands tighten into fists. "Don't," I whisper, knowing that it won't do me a bit of good. As much as I don't want this-him-there's a part of me clamoring for his touch. The moment he touches me, I know that the battle is already over.

His hands gently cup my cheeks as he tips my head and searches my eyes. "You shouldn't have come here."