Page 9 of Love Thy Neighbor

“Are you sure your hymen hasn’t grown back?”

“Okay, that isnothow it works and you know it. But, if that’s your way of implying it’s been way too long since I’ve gotten laid, you’re right.”

“Good. Then we agree. You’re coming with me tomorrow.” She opens her mouth to argue, but I point a finger, silencing her. “You’re going.” I toss her phone back to her. “And that’s final.”

“Don’t boss me around like you used to do in high school.”

“You love it when I boss you around.”

She grumbles something, but I don’t catch it. I’m already back down the hall, almost to my bedroom. If I’m going to spend the night out with Caroline trying to teach her how to get some, I need to get ahead on work now because I will needa lotof drinks to get through it, which means I’ll do fuck-all on Saturday.

“If I go—and that’s abigif—you’re buying drinks! And I amnotdoing karaoke!”

2

Caroline

“Bossy jerk.”I shake my head. “Nope. Bossyass. Yeah, Cooper Bennett is anass.”

I slip my gray chinchilla-soft blanket around my shoulders, cocooning myself back into its warmth, and crawl onto the couch to resume my state ofI’ve had a long day and all I want to do is be a bum.

“Bossycheapass too,” I add, my teeth beginning to chatter because my once cozy blanket is now cold. I was out of my haven for too long. I’m freezing again.

I’d say I can’t believe Cooper won’t turn the heat up, but the man is so tightfisted when it comes to the bills. If I even dare leave the water on for more than two seconds when brushing my teeth, he’s there to turn it right back off and scold me forrunning up the billslike I don’t pay my fair share too.

I don’t understand where he gets it either. It’s not like he grew up fighting to get food on the table or struggles his way through life now with his cushy video game developer job. There’s no solid reason for him being so stringent with his money other than wanting to make me miserable.

Who am I kidding? He probably gets off on bossing me around just like he has since high school.

We attended the same schools since kindergarten and had several classes together, but we weren’t what you’d describe as friends. Hell, I wouldn’t have even called us acquaintances. Cooper had his friends and his admirers from playing every sport he could sign up for.

Me? Well, I had my books. And I was happy in my own little bubble of quiet.

We didn’t truly interact until my parents went through the world’s most amicable divorce and I moved before the start of our freshman year. Not wanting to uproot me from a school district I’d been in my whole life, my dad—who I opted to live with full-time—moved us right across the street from my now best friend.

And Cooper being Cooper took it upon himself to “take me under his wing,” which apparently meant forcing me to put my books down and talk to actual humans.

Much to my initial dismay, the guy never left my side. But eventually, I grew used to him.

He can be overbearing, sure, but on the other hand, he’s helped me overcome my perpetual shyness in many ways, so I guess I can’t bemoan him too much.

“Thank you…ass,” I mutter.

“I know you’re not in there mumbling about how much you hate me,” he singsongs from his bedroom.

“You’re right. I’m just gushing over how much I love you.”

Not.

“That’s what I thought!”

With a roll of my eyes, I point the remote toward the TV and press play, turning my beloved vampires back on, trying to drown out my best friend’s clacking away on his keyboard.

“And don’t roll your eyes at me!”

“Are you spying on me or something?”

“No. I just know you that well.”

---