My Bad Boy Neighbor (Now on Radish)

Episode 2

What I knew had happened next was by the account of my brother, who had come to class late and just in time to see what was happening. I had been sitting on the floor, surrounded by two teachers, trying to calm me down as people filmed on their phones. Diana and Addie, my two friends were nowhere to be seen.

I was struggling to breathe, hyperventilating as if my life depended on it and couldn't even come to terms that I had been an existing entity in the universe. I didn't understand what was happening and nobody else did either. They laughed and accused me of trying to get out of a presentation. My teacher luckily didn't believe them. I was escorted to the nurse's office where the nurse and our school counselor informed me I had suffered an anxiety attack.

They called my parents but only my mom showed up, telling me that we had a doctor's appointment who would later recommend me to a psychiatrist.

I hadn't gone to school for the rest of that week, my anxiety through the roof. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. For a while, I stopped functioning like a normal human being. Instead, I was trapped in a state of being where only my truest, darkest fears.

I didn't want to go to school anymore. I replayed the images in my mind and dreamed about people laughing at me, throwing bits of food and dropping notes on my desk. That was my everyday life.

I hadn't told anyone at home. I figured Connor already knew about it and if he hadn't said anything, I must've been exaggerating.

In the next few months, I had come to the resolution that I was not of sound mind which is why everything bad that happened to me hadn't truly been as bad. I was in denial, telling myself that my emotions and mental instability fuel my sensitivity to outside events.

Nobody in my family talked freely about their feelings and still don't. There is so much mental health stigma going around that I, in later years, had managed to dispel in my mind. I hadn't done my research to prove to others that I was okay. No, I did it to prove to myself that having anxiety didn't invalidate your feelings.

That being vulnerable to panic attacks didn't make you too sensitive.

The outside world didn't know. But I did. And that meant everything.

Connor went back to school only for football practice because the coach had personally called him, telling him to get his ass to the field before he benched him.

The coach had been putting extra pressure on the team because they came in third last season which was far from ideal. It was mostly because Kai Asher has been absent during a lot of games for which the reason had never been explained.

I went to my room, distracted for the time being by the thought of destroying my honor roll due to a stupid mistake.

I resolved to studying and texting my friends to keep me updated on what we were taking today. The texts came frequently so I was able to pretend I was at school by going through the modules and coursework on my own.

Once I was done with schoolwork, I came downstairs to grab something to eat and got caught off-guard by the sound of the doorbell. I had cautiously walked up and peered through the tiny window, only to see a face I had already seen once before today.

I opened the door, eyebrow raised and crossed my arms as if to protect myself. What was he doing here?

Kai Asher stared at me, a head taller than I was although my own height had been something I could on most days boast about. He was wearing sneakers, jeans and a white shirt. In all honesty, he looked almost angelic.

In his hands, he held a packet of Oreos which made my mouth water.

I stared at him in silence, waiting for him to open his mouth and start speaking. What was he doing here? Why wasn't he at the football practice like my brother?

"Hey," he began. "I know it wasn't my fault but I wanted to give you this 'cause I feel bad."

It wasn't his fault? If he had been paying attention to the road and drove by the speed limit, he'd be able to stop before he hit my side of the car.

He handed me the Oreos that I eyed, still quiet and wary. By this time, I fully expected for this box to be filled with poop or the cookies to be contaminated with laxatives. Kids could be mean with their pranks. I knew better than most.

And yet I took the box from his hand and looked up at him. A small part of me knew I had been rude for not talking to him and it wasn't due to being scared. There was nothing I wanted to say to him.

"Connor says they're your favorite," Kai added hesitantly. I nodded, looking from the box and to him. "Again, I'm really sorry for what happened."

I had never seen him so uncomfortable and tense before. Kai Asher was the poster boy for his boyish, easy-going nature. He was always laughing or smiling. He had been one of the people I was always sure hadn't had a care in the world.

"Thanks," I replied, finding my voice. He was probably itching to leave and stop talking to me before one of his friends saw us. Or it could be possible his parents put him up to this. Whatever it was, it had been abundantly clear that neither of us wanted to be here.

There was a commotion behind him and one short glance in its way, I noticed that the movers were unloading our new neighbor's furniture.

"Kai!" A woman came out of the neighbor's house and called the boy in front of me. "I need you to get a few things from IKEA when you have the chance. The list will be stuck to the front door."

Kai gave the woman a big thumbs up before turning to me. "Looks like I have to go but I hope we can forget what happened and start off on the right foot. I don't want to have a bad relationship with our closest neighbor."

"What?" My mouth dropped. I really was slow today, wasn't I?

"My family just moved next door. If you hear loud noises for the next few weeks, my mom said I needed to apologize in advance. We're going to be renovating the entire house since the last person who lived there had no taste. My words, not hers," Kai grinned, once again carefree.But I couldn't understand what he was saying. His parents were rich. They had been living in a three million dollar home on the other side of the town where all the wealthy, upper-class kids had their residences.

My grandfather sold them their house when they first moved there and would sometimes still talk about the lavish decor, luxurious couches, the beautiful fireplace and the staircase with a railing made of pure gold.

My own father said he had never seen a house more beautiful than the Asher's family estate.So why would they downgrade, and to a house with absolutely no taste?I could only wonder.

"Oh," I said shortly after his revelation. I wouldn't know what Mrs. Engerine's house looked like. I had never been there before.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Kai asked, surprisingly not in a mocking tone.

"It's been a long day," I responded. It was honest and to the point. I felt exhausted both physically and emotionally.

"I get it. Anyway, I'll see you around," he said and despite knowing he'd soon go back to pretending I didn't exist, nodded.

Then I closed the door and eyed the box of Oreos in my hands.