The Player Next Door

　　RYLIE

　　My eyes peeled open as a full blast of sunshine hit me in the face. I groaned as I turned over, trying to get some sleep when my brother sauntered into the room.

　　"Rylie! Wake up!"

　　I ignored him, keeping my eyes closed so he thought I was still sleeping. He called me a few more times but eventually left when I didn't budge only to return a few moments later. Before I knew what was going on, he was pouring a bucket of icy cold water all over me.

　　"Myles!!!" I yelled, shooting up off the bed.

　　With a maniacal smile, he said, "Good morning to you, sis."

　　"I am so going to kill you," I yelled, running after him.

　　"Guys! Guys! What is it now?" my mom asked. Myles had ducked behind her and was now sticking his tongue at me from behind her shoulder.

　　"Myles poured cold water all over my bed!"

　　"Only because she wouldn't wake up," Myles yelled back and I growled.

　　"Rylie, go get ready for school. Myles, go up to Rylie's room and clean up the mess you made."

　　"But Mom..." He tried arguing but swallowed his words on seeing the look on Mom's face.

　　Instead he sighed and groaned, "Yes Ma'am."

　　As he passed by me, I stuck out my tongue.

　　"You're such a child."

　　"And you're such a jerk," I replied, heading to the bathroom.

　　I had a nice, hot shower which was a relief after being doused in ice, and came out to find my room all cleaned up and Myles lugging my mattress out of the room. He was struggling to get it out and I watched him do it all alone with a smile. Once he was out, I headed to my closet and picked out clothes to wear.

　　Once I was done dressing, I packed all my necessities into my backpack and headed downstairs for breakfast.

　　"Morning Mom. Morning Dad. Morning butthead brother of mine."

　　"Morning to you too, fish face," Myles retorted but before I could reply, my mom jumped in and said "That's enough you two. Eat your breakfast."

　　"Yes mom," we replied in unison, still giving each other the stink eye.

　　"So Mom, what's with the noise next door?" I asked, halfway through devouring my plate or waffles.

　　"We have new neighbors."

　　"Really? Who are they?" I tried to ask as casually as I could manage.

　　"I haven't had time to meet them yet because they got here late yesterday. You were already asleep."

　　"Oh, right," I replied going back to my food as I took an unwanted trip down memory lane.

　　The house next door had belonged to my boyfriend, or rather ex boyfriend. He and his family had to move away during the summer and despite all my hopes that we could do it long distance, it didn't work out.

　　A few weeks after they moved, he uploaded a picture of himself and a girl kissing. I tried calling him to talk it out but he didn't pick my calls and basically ruined my summer.

　　I told myself I was over it but it was kinda hard to get over something like that.

　　"Thanks for the excellent food, Mom. Now I gotta go," I said standing up from my chair and heading to the kitchen sink where I dumped my plate.

　　"Bye Mom. Bye Dad. Bye butthead," I said as I headed out of the house, not waiting to hear my brother's response.

　　I made my way to my car, got in and then started making my way to school.

　　Okay, a little intro. I'm Rylie, 18 and a resident of a sleepy town in New Jersey called Willow Creek where I live with my mom, dad and my dumb twin brother, Myles. We live a pretty comfortable life and I'm mostly happy with it. I also have two best friends, Olivia and Mason who I'll be meeting at school.

　　That's about all there is to know about me. Oh, and I'm never going to fall in love again.

　　"Hey Liv."

　　"Hey Ry. What's up?" Olivia asked as we both stepped out of our cars.

　　"Nothing much... I have a new neighbor," I added in what I hoped sounded like an offhanded comment.

　　"Someone moved into Asher's apartment? Who?"

　　"No clue. Haven't met them yet but I'm guessing I will soon enough. Knowing my mom, she's gonna have them over for dinner or something."

　　"I hope they're nice," Olivia said, squeezing my shoulder.

　　"Yeah, I hope they're nice too," I mumbled.

　　We continued talking as we made our way to our lockers where Mason caught up with us.

　　"Hey girls."

　　"Hi Mace," I responded while Olivia waved at him. "How was your summer holiday?" I asked.

　　"Totally amazing!" Mason answered giddily. It didn't escape my notice that his usually pale skin had gotten a bit tanned.

　　"Of course it was. Not everyone is lucky enough to win a lottery to go to The Bahamas," Olivia said with a playful roll of her eyes.

　　"Well I did ask you to come with me..."

　　"Yeah, but you only had one extra ticket and it was only right that you spend it with someone special."

　　"Yeah. My cousin and I did have fun on the trip..."

　　"Of course you did." Olivia ruffled his hair playfully and Mason smiled but I could see that it was forced and I could almost predict the words on the tip of his tongue. That she was someone special to him.

　　Mason had a secret only I was privy to. He'd had a crush on Olivia for years but Olivia saw him as a friend and nothing more. I've asked him to tell her how he feels countless times but his answer is always that he doesn't wanna ruin their friendship so he has to deal with stuff like this. It was really sad.

　　To help out Mason, I shifted the topic to a lighter one and soon we were all laughing together.

　　Suddenly, I heard someone screaming at the end of the hall. I was about to run over to see if someone was in trouble when several girls began to scream as well. I took in their expressions and the way they held each other's hands and knew that there was no trouble. There was simply a new guy in school and judging by their reactions, he either looked like a movie star or actually was one.

　　The screams continued to grow louder, there were giggles and some girls even began pretend fainting, all of which was comical to me as I waited with my back to the locker to see the cause of everyone's excitement.

　　When he finally appeared in my line of sight, I was taken back. He was hot. Like drop dead gorgeous. With his high cheekbones, perfect lips, skin that looked like glass and silky brown hair that stopped just above his shoulders, this guy was the embodiment of every teen heartthrob ever. He was quite possibly the most attractive guy I'd ever seen.

　　But at the same time, as I watched him walk by, there was something about him that I didn't quite sit right with me. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded me too of a certain someone or maybe it was the haughty smile on his face as he took in all the attention he was getting... Whatever it was, it stunk and I already wanted nothing to do with him.

　　I know it was unfair to dislike him based off superficial things and a gut feeling but after the summer I'd had, I recognised guys like him for what they were: bad news.

　　"Oh my gosh Rylie! Are you seeing this?" Olivia said tugging on my arm, her eyes fixed on the new guy.

　　"I have eyes, Olivia so yes," I answered, pulling my arm out of her grip before she gave me a bruise.

　　Eventually, he moved on, taking most of the female population of the school along with him.

　　"Wow, who was that guy?" Olivia asked, fanning herself with her hand.

　　"How would I know? I've standing right here with you, you know."

　　"Oh please! He's not even that hot," Mason butted in, obviously annoyed at all the attention the new guy was getting but even I had to arch an eyebrow at him.

　　"You're kidding right?"

　　"No, I'm not. He's not all that," he grumbled, glaring off at the direction he'd walked off in.

　　Olivia stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

　　"Oh my gosh, Mace! Are you jealous?" she asked in between laughs.

　　"Of course not!" Mason retorted. I saw a bit of colour bloom on his cheeks and his eyes darted to the floor.

　　"Oh my gosh! You totes are! I can't believe this!" Olivia cackled.

　　Thankfully, the bell rang and Mason made a quick escape, mumbling something about a teacher asking for him.

　　"Don't we have homeroom together?" Olivia asked me as we watched him walk away.

　　"Just... forget about it. Let's go. We don't wanna be late to homeroom."

　　After meeting up with our homeroom teacher who welcomed us to our senior year of high school and encouraged us to make the most of the school year, we went on to our first class. Math. The perfect way to start the year.

　　Note the sarcasm.

　　It was a mostly uneventful, definitely boring class and I was very happy to be out of it. My next class was an AP History class I took alone so Olivia and I had to go our separate ways. After leaving Olivia, I made a stop at the bathroom to pee... which ended up being a terrible decision.

　　"What the actual fuck?!" I gasped, rooted in place at the sight of the new guy and one of my classmates, Samantha, sloppily making out in the girls' bathroom.

　　I took a moment to take in the sight playing out in front of me because it was truly something else. Samantha was sitting on one of the sinks while he stood between her legs, a hand buried inside her pants doing God knows what. Her top had also been buttoned down and his other hand was fondling her breast. They both looked a mess, Samantha more so than him.

　　Yet despite the fact that I was standing right there, neither of them made any move to stop. They barely even acknowledged my presence. They continued making out until Samantha's wristwatch beeped. She broke their kiss and stared down at it with a pout.

　　"I have to get to my next class. But this was fun. Let's do it again some other time... preferably without an audience," she remarked, directing a pointed look at me like I was in the wrong.

　　What in the world was going on?

　　Samantha washed up, tidied up and walked out of the bathroom, blowing him a kiss before closing the door behind her. I watched her go and then slowly looked back at the guy who was still standing in the girls' bathroom like he owned the place.

　　Then to my surprise, he scowled at me. "Well, that was rude."

　　"E-Excuse me?"

　　"You heard me. Didn't your parents teach you not to stare at people?" he continued, reprimanding me. Then he paused and glanced at me. "If you wanted to join, all you had to do was ask."

　　"Excuse me?!" I repeated, unable to grasp what I was hearing. "You come here, the GIRLS' BATHROOM, get busy with a random girl, refuse to stop even when someone walks in and I'm the rude one? You disgusting piece of shit! You have five seconds to get out of here before I call security and tell them about this. Furthermore, I'd rather drink paint than bring my mouth close to that sewage disposal you call a mouth!"

　　He stared at me with a blank expression for a second and then to my surprise, he grinned at me.

　　"You're feisty. I like that." And then he actually winked at me.

　　I was rooted to the ground, too stunned by his actions to do anything but watch as he walked past me.

　　"Okay... What the heck was that?" I asked myself as I stared at the door after he left, unable to get the image of what I'd witnessed out of my head. I glanced at the sink and felt a shiver run down my spine. I was actually going to throw up.

　　"Um, excuse me. You're on my seat," I said gently tapping on his shoulder.

　　He looked up and surprise, surprise, it was the weirdo from the bathroom. "Hey, it's you."

　　"Yeah, creep. It's me," I spat, still revolted by the entire encounter. "You're on my seat."

　　"I didn't see anyone here so I have no idea what you mean by that."

　　"This is where I sit every time I'm in this class."

　　"That doesn't make it yours though, does it?"

　　I sighed. "I'm really not in the mood for all this, um..."

　　"Blake," he filled in for me.

　　"Yes, Blake. So could you please get up and find another seat?"

　　"No! You find another seat. I'm sitting right here and there's nothing you can do to change that...unless of course, you would like to sit on my lap." And then the fucker had the audacity to wink at me.

　　I was thinking of how to respond to his gross proposition when the teacher walked into the room and addressed me, "Miss Myers, could you please take your seat? Class is about to begin."

　　Blake snickered and I fought the urge to hit him as I took a seat a few chairs away from him.

　　"Prick!" I thought as I glared daggers at the back of his head for the remainder of the class.

　　"So...I heard that you and Blake had a little showdown in History class?" Olivia remarked as we grabbed our trays and joined the lunch line.

　　"Blake? Oh, you mean the new guy?"

　　"Yeah. Him. So...what happened?"

　　"Ugh! He's so annoying and incredibly full of himself!"

　　"Oh really?" Olivia said and I caught the slightest hint of amusement in her tone. "Are you sure you don't like him?" she asked, grinning at me.

　　"Eww! No! Of course not! I don't even see what's so special about him."

　　"Uh...he's cute and crazy hot."

　　"He's not that hot!" I groaned, ignoring the voice in my head that told me I was lying.

　　"If you say so. Still, I won't be surprised if you hook up with him."

　　"Now that will never happen," I replied as we made our way to our table.

　　When we finally got to our table, we found it occupied.

　　"What's going on here?" I asked as Olivia and I came face to face with the occupants. Unfortunately for me, Blake was part of them.

　　"Oh my gosh! Not you again. What are you doing here!?" I asked glaring at him.

　　"Well I got my lunch and I found an empty table which I am now occupying with these very lovely girls," he said, gesturing towards the girls seated around him who giggled at his words.

　　"Who's your friend if I may ask?" he asked, winking at Olivia who giggled and turned pink.

　　I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, if you don't mind, my friend and I were going to sit there so could you and your fan group move?"

　　"I don't see why I should move. You met us here so you can either join us or leave," he retorted bluntly.

　　"Maybe we should leave, Ry. No need to make a scene," Olivia said tugging on my sleeve.

　　"I am not leaving. We always sit here. He can't just move in and steal our spot."

　　"It's a public cafeteria and anyone can sit anywhere. You don't own this table, just like you didn't own that table in class."

　　By now, everyone's eyes were on us and I was aware of my flaming cheeks as I fought to keep from slapping that stupid smirk off his face. I took a deep breath and said, "Let's go, Liv."

　　As we walked away, amidst the giggles and murmuring, I heard Blake mutter something that sounded like, "What a fucking snob."

　　Once hearing that, I stopped and dropped my tray on the table in front of me and picked up the bowl of soup on my tray. With it in my hand, I walked back to Blake and emptied the bowl of soup on his head to the very last drop, a smug grin on my face.

　　"What the heck was that for?" he yelled as he shot up from the bench and stared at me, his eyes burning with rage.

　　"Just being a fucking snob," I responded with my most pleasant smile.

　　And with that, I turned around and walked back to my seat.

　　"Really Ry?" Olivia asked, staring at me.

　　I shrugged and picked up my sandwich, trying not to burst out laughing when Blake matched past me to the bathroom, the smell of tomato lingering in the air.

　　"Mom! Dad! I'm home," I announced as I walked into the house. I looked around and found my mom in the kitchen.

　　"Hey Mom. What are you making?" I asked after pecking her on the cheek.

　　"Well, I invited our neighbors over for dinner."

　　"Oh. I'll be in my room then." I turned and tried to make a quick escape but it was too late for me.

　　"Oh no you don't. Go wash up. They'll be here soon and you'll be joining us."

　　"But Mom..." I groaned but one look from her made me change my mind. "Okay Mom," I answered begrudgingly, trudging to my room.

　　I took a shower and wore a comfortable dress before making my way downstairs just as the doorbell rang.

　　"I'll get it," I yelled, making my way to the door.

　　"Welcome, Mr and Mrs... Wait! What the hell are you doing here!?" I yelled as my eyes fell on a familiar face.