The Boy Next Door - Jennifer Sucevic Page 0,51

a Karen, so be it.

Mia glances up from her computer screen and waves. 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 class?”

“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 a big 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 over that racket.”

“I’m sure it won’t last much longer. They’re probably having a few drinks before hitting the parties.”

“I don’t give a damn what they’re doing. They should have more consideration for the people who live next to them.”

“Well,” she says lightly, “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 spent two years in the dorms. 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 ruin my night.

“Sorry.” I drop my bag onto a chair. “It’s been a long week. I’m just tired and still adjusting to the time difference.” That’s a reasonable explanation for my behavior, right?

Mia pops to her feet before closing the distance between us and dragging 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 by my side.”

Her earnestness makes 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 actually 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, but I would love to open my own studio someday and teach.

“So, any plans for the night?” she asks before pulling away. “Isobel and Kara are going to Bang Bang. They didn’t get nearly enough last weekend. Izzy said something about a hot bartender she wants to flirt with.”

As soon as Mia 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 my—

Nope. There is no way I’m going there.

I quickly shove the memory away and shake my head. “I’m not in the mood to club.”

“Really?” Her brows slide together. “Since when? You love shaking your ass on the dance floor.”

She’s right about that. Under normal circumstances, I enjoy getting out there and busting a move. It’s the best feeling. Totally freeing. All my problems float away, and it’s just me and the music.

I shrug, refusing to reveal the real reason. Bang Bang has officially been tainted. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go there again and not think about what happened in the parking lot. As much as I’m trying not to dwell on Colton, it’s difficult when his music is reverberating off our walls.

“All right. I’m sure we can figure something else out. 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 it thoughtfully, “maybe.”

Usually, I’m the one attempting to cajole Mia into going out 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

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