That Boy Next Door

Chapter 6

A/N I've dedicated this chapter to @tennisforever because 1) I happen to love tennis and 2) Your constant comments make me smile :) So thank you for supporting my book!

"You're funny," Dannie said as slid her pencil and paper into her jean pocket.  She stood up and brushed off the dirt on her pants.  "But really, what brings you to a graveyard?"

Seth ignored her and asked his own questions.  "What are you doing in a graveyard?"

Dannie's teeth ground in frustration.  He was so elementary, throwing back her own question.  "I got lost," she said sarcastically as she pushed past Seth and towards the exit gate.

A strong arm shot out to block her path and Dannie paused momentarily.  A silence dragged on where the only thing that could be heard was the annoying chirping of a bird.  After a few moments, Seth spoke up.

"I followed you here."

"What?"  Dannie whirled around to face him.  Though she had suspected this, she hadn't expected him to admit it to her.  

Seth rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and offered her a weak grin.  "I saw you come out of your house so I decided to tag along.  Without you knowing though."

"Well don't do it again," Dannie snapped back, her annoyance with him flaring.  She didn't want him knowing of what happened all those weeks and months ago.  It was something that she never wanted to relive or retell.  But most of all, she didn't want Seth to turn into another one of those pitying faces.  The ones that offered their apologies and condolences when they really didn't mean anything at all.

"Hey," Seth said grabbing onto her arm lightly, "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to offend you."  He didn't know what exactly he had said that had offended her or ticked her off but the curiosity was burning him alive.  "Who are you visiting?" the question came out of Seth's mouth without permission and he cringed as Dannie's eyes widened at him.

"Who are you to ask me that question, when we met not more than a week ago?"  Dannie fumed at him, her hands clutching into fists at her sides to keep them from landing blows on Seth.  The nerve of this boy!  She was also perturbed at him and now he was just adding fuel to the fire inside her.

However, Seth had a temper of his own.  Though he knew she had every right to be mad at him, he just couldn't help himself.  "We might have just met, but you're the one who tossed a fish into my shirt and also the one who almost got me killed last night!  I think that entitles me to something."  Seth was only blowing off steam now.  He knew that the last sentence he had said was a lie, because he didn't have a right to pry into her life like that.  But his pride wouldn't allow him to admit that.

Dannie nearly screamed in frustration.  It was like he had missed the lessons on manners.  "You are nothing but a conceited baboon!  You are not entitled to anything that belongs to me!  Because what's mine is mine.  I will never tell you anything!"  And with that, Dannie stormed off towards the steel gate that marked the exit.  Just before she could cross the threshold, Seth's voice rang out.

"You don't need to tell me!  This town is plenty small and I can find out on my own!" he retorted haughtily.

Dannie paused mid-step but didn't turn around.  "I didn't expect you to be a gossip hen who listened to the words whispered on the grape vine.  But go ahead.  I don't care anymore.  I don't care about you anymore."  With those parting words, she left the graveyard on her skateboard and didn't turn back until she was home.

That night, Dannie tossed and turned on her bed.  With one leg sticking out from under the covers, she stared at the ceiling.  It was too hot to sleep and even if it were below freezing, she wouldn't be able to sleep a wink.