The Next Door Neighbour

Chapter 1//The Attic

Brayden's POV

     BRAYDEN FERGUSON FIELDS was tired of babysitting. With a younger sister, Skye, everyday of his life since her birth had felt like babysitting — only without the pay. To make matters worse, he was often forced to babysit with his neighbour, Shailene Avery, and her younger sisters. On top of that, their families had been friends since even before Brayden's and Shailene's births, so aside from babysitting, he was also forced to endure dinners and get-togethers with the Avery's.

     It's not that he had something against Shailene or her family. Her parents were nice and friendly neighbours who brought the trash bins up from the curb when Brayden forgot. But Shailene was just...loud. She was energetic, slightly annoying and she always tried to rope Brayden into playing games with their siblings when they babysat together. He should have been used to it, having dealt with it for years, but he wasn't. Shailene was just too different from sarcastic Brayden for them to get along.

     This was why Brayden sighed upon hearing the news that he would be babysitting with Shailene later that night. He was in the kitchen with his mom, a lean woman with shoulder length auburn hair and strikingly blue eyes identical to his. She was grading tests at the kitchen table.

     "Tonight? Fantastic," Brayden drawled sarcastically.

     "Honey, she's not that bad, is she? She's so good with the girls." Much to his dismay, Brayden's mother was a fan of Shailene. It was a disappointment, really.

     "I've noticed. It's quite easy to see when you're forced into hide and seek and tag and plenty of other things that you don't want to do."

     "Like what?" she asked as she penned a bright red check mark next to a multiple choice question.

     "Like playing My Little Pony board games and fairytale dress up." His mother laughed and he ran a hand through his hair, picking himself up off the barstool with a sigh and walking lazily to his room.

     Brayden's room was actually clean, a rare state for it to have been in. His bed was made, his desk free of clutter, and there wasn't so much as a sock on the floor. Miraculous. Brayden thought he ought to get an award for this.

     He opened his window and peered into the street below. The sun was shining and the road was clear. It was a good day to go skateboarding. But just as he was reaching for his board, a knock sounded on his bedroom door. Skye entered the room, and Brayden wrinkled his nose.

     "What do you want?"

     "That's not a very nice thing to say to your sister—"

     He cut her off with a flat look, and she rolled her blue-brown eyes, a sign of codominance between their parents' genes.

     "I was wondering if you were going to be antisocial tonight at Shailene's house — like you always are," she explained sassily. "She's really nice you know, I don't see what you—"

     "She's annoying."

     "She is not."

     He looked at her like, really?

     Skye sighed. "Just try to be less boring, okay?"

     "I promise to be as boring as possible."

     She rolled her eyes again and left the room in a huff. He intended to keep his promise.

• • •

     Not even a second after his fist hit the front door, it burst open. Shailene stood inside, hazel — more green than brown — eyes locked on his. She smiled sweetly.