The Boy Next Door

Chapter 14

Present

It's real depressing to be driving around all night with tears streaming down your face. Luckily for me, I drove so long that I ended up being the only one on the road, before pulling into the lot of a hotel.

Sleep wasn't really an option as I tossed and turned majority of the night. The sun rose and I found myself just staring out the window until I found the energy to roll out of the bed.

Now, at eleven-thirteen in the morning, I just sit here on the couch, mindlessly watching the news anchor talk of some sports event later on today. My breath hitches in as something about a missing person glides across the screen. I keep my eyes on the television screen, waiting for the story to unfold for viewers like me. I grab the small remote and turn up the volume, attentively waiting for the anchor to speak. My heart pours out to the family of the missing teenage boy. However, the clip of the next story causes me to break down completely. A car accident occurred last night during the rain a couple of towns over.

A mother and son.

Dead.

With trembling lips and wet cheeks, I point the remote at the screen and shut it off. Burying my head in the palms of my head, I try to stifle the tears and memories pushing their way forward.

A loud gasp escapes my lips at the sound of consecutive knocks at the door. Wiping my eyes quickly, I stand up and shuffle towards the door.

"Dylan?" I mutter after opening the door, his shoulders visibly relaxing at the sight of me. My eyes dart over to the short-haired blonde standing beside him, her cheeks a light red tint. "H-How did you-"

"You took her car." He softly interrupts while looking into my eyes.

They probably tracked it.

Bringing myself back to reality, I pull the door further open to make room for them to enter. Dylan's footsteps sound throughout the room as he makes his way towards the couch, Adeline slowly trailing behind. Stopping directly in front of me with a sad look, she instantly wraps her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry," I quietly say into her hair as I wrap my arms around her.

I can only imagine Dylan's eyes on us with a stupid smile on his face. The thought of him vanishes from my mind as Adeline's sniffles fill my ears.

"I-I'm sorry for my mom, and everything she said-"

"No," I begin to say over her. "I overreacted."

Adeline pulls back, her puffy red eyes staring into mine in disbelief. She opens her mouth to object as I give a barely visible smile, shaking my head to make her stop. Wiping away the loose tears under her eyes, I close the door and make my way over towards Dylan, who is now sitting on the armrest of the couch.

"Thanks for, uh, coming and stuff." I say while sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

Adeline plops down in the middle, looking between the both of us with a small smile. Minutes pass of just silence before Adeline grabs the remote, turning the television back on. The security camera clip of some guys robbing a convenient store dances across the screen, my nerves from the car crash clip beginning to seize.

"Where's Lily?" I randomly ask.

Adeline pulls her eyes away from the screen as she answers. "She's with my dad. He took the day off."