The Boy Next Door

Your Past Makes You Who You Are Today

I stare into the icy blue gaze that I've come to know so well. The voice is completely gone. No mean comments on how disappointing I am. There's just a warm, comforting feeling rising in my chest. Jared did this. He stopped the voice.

"Malia..?" Jared whispers again, a little more smoothly this time. He reaches out with his hand and softly wipes my tears. After a moment, he stands up and holds out his hand to me.

I reach up and he pulls me to my feet. Not letting go of my hand, he leads me over to my bed. He pulls me down with him and I rest my head on his chest. My head lifts ever so slightly because of Jared's breathing, causing me to calm down.

"I know what you're going through," Jared said softly." I was always thinking I wasn't good enough for anyone. that I was just some big let down or dead weight. Eventually I started not caring what people though and the voice left. I can help you, Malia."

"You already have," I whisper. Even though I can't see his face, I can tell he's confused.

"When I saw you, crouching, down in front of me a few moments ago, the voice stopped. Completely vanished," I say quietly. We sit in silence for a few moments before I feel his lips press to the top of my head, gently kissing me.

"Why does Emma hate you so much?" Jared asks after a few minutes. I take a deep sigh.

"It's a long story," I say.

"I've got all night," he argues. "Plus, your past makes you who you are today and I really like who you are today." I take a minute to think it over.

"Fine," I give in. "But only because you practically begged me to tell you." I take a deep breath.

"It was about 4 years ago, when I still lived in my old town. Emma and I were best friends and told each other everything. Especially everything about our parents. My dad was a drunk who never ever seemed to be sober and her mom was a drug addict. Her dad left while Emma was really young and later her mom started blaming Emma for him being gone. My dad had always blamed me for himself being drunk."

"We stuck together like glue through everything until the fateful day when my mom told us I was moving here. After that, Emma started to hang with the wrong people. People who did drugs and had alcohol. I begged her to stay away from them, but she told me it was my fault that she was doing that stuff. I knew it wasn't my fault, but it still got to me. Then my dad just up and left one day and never came back. I went to tell my best friend hoping to get comforting words, but got bitterness and cold instead."

"She told me it was my fault he left. That I was just a pain that ended up driving her own father away. After that it just got worse. She became my regular bully. That's when I started to get a voice in my head telling me I wasn't good enough." I pause, realizing that tears were streaming down my face.

"Then my mom and me moved here. And with no Emma to bully me, the voice went away. I tried so hard to forget everything. But now with Emma being here, it's all coming back."

I lift my head up to see Jared, worried he must have fallen asleep cause he hasn't said anything for the past few minutes. But I'm surprised to find tears rolling down his face. His eyes are burning with anger and pain.

"Jared.....?" I whisper.

"It kills me to think someone could be so awful to a beautiful person like you. Malia, you're not worthless in any way. I care about you more than you'll ever know."

My heart is soaring and re butterflies in my stomachs seem to be having a party. Without even thinking, I lean forward, connecting our lips together.

I stay right there for a few moments. Then Jared moves his hand to my cheek, gently brushing my shoulder on the way there. Shivers crawl up my spine and I break away to get closer to him.

He kisses me again, softly. Our lips move in sync like a beautiful dance. Jared then breaks away and I lay my head down on his chest.

The last thing I remember was Jared softly kissing my forehead.

*************************************

Ring!

The first bell for school beaks the silent morning as Jared drives me into the parking lot.

"I'll just drop you off here and go park. I'll catch you in a little bit, okay?" Jared says, pulling up into front of school.

"Yep," I smile. I hop out his car with my school bag and head towards the front door. I'm pretty used to the looks I get now, because Jared's been driving me to school for a while now.

But something's different today. They aren't shocked expressions, they're more of confused and sympathetic. Some people are whispering to each other. A queasy feeling starts in the pit of my stomach.

I walk through the front doors and down the hall to my locker. As I get there I hear the last voice on Earth I would want hear.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you. I have something to show you," Emma squeals in my ear.