Trouble with the boy next door

Chapter 2: Kids aren't any better here

I walked down to the beach with a blanket, a water bottle, and my book. I placed my Airpods in my ears and listened to my music. 

I had been sitting there reading my music and just enjoying time to myself. When these guys came down, they all looked hot. They had tattoos and were muscular. They were laughing and throwing a football.

I watched them as I read my book. One of the guys tapped the other one and pointed at me. I didn't figure they could see me watching them because of my book and sunglasses. 

I paused my music so I could hear what they were saying. "I caught her staring at me last night with Stephanie." The blond guy said.

"Can we say creeper? You have a stalker, Brennen." The dark-headed guy said as he laughed.

"Um, no, look, she's got her nose stuck in that book. You know I like my girls easy on the eyes and hard on my cock. She is neither of those." The blonde-headed guy said as he laughed.

"She's not ugly, per se; she's just plain." The other dark-headed guy said with longer hair. 

"She's at the beach with a book and fully dressed. I mean, who comes to the beach fully dressed? One-piece suits are even too much. I enjoy the ones who wear teeny tiny bikinis. So, I can see the merchandise before I take her home," the blonde-haired guy said.

She had heard enough, so she turned her music back on and tried to ignore them. The blonde-haired guy lives next door, and his name is Brennen. They are such jerks. 

They kept watching her, and she tried to ignore them. Then, three girls came down, laughing and pointing at me. I just kept my attention on my book. I wished they would leave so I could go back to my house. 

Finally, they all left with the girls wrapped around a guy. She packed up her stuff and went back to her house. She took a shower and sat in her room. She already hated it here. 

She hoped they didn't attend school with her. Maybe they went to one of the other schools. She could never look them in the eye with the way they talked about her.

She restlessly fell asleep that night, tossing and turning all night. Once again, she dreamed of the blonde-haired guy next door named Brennen. 

He looked at her with his colored contacts, and she was frozen; she couldn't move. He walked over to her and told her she should dress better. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. His friends stood there and laughed at her.

He took his finger and rubbed it against her body, and everywhere he touched her, it burned her skin. Leaving behind a mark of blood. 

He was enjoying as she withered in pain from his touch, and his friends were laughing at her so hard they could barely breathe. 

Suddenly, it wasn't just them. It was the whole school laughing at her as she was frozen, and his touch was burning her skin. 

Tears were streaming out of her eyes, and the Blonde-haired guy made a crying face as he taunted her. She was embarrassed and humiliated.  

She jerked awake, and tears were coming out of her eyes. She sniffled as she hugged up to her pillow. She looked at her skin, and it was fine. Yet, she could still feel the burn on her skin from his touch as if it really happened.

She lay there trying to fall back asleep, but she was afraid he would invade her dreams again. She hated this town and its people. 

She felt as if someone was possessing her dreams and her thoughts. She wanted to run away so she wouldn't have to live here. 

The rest of the week went the same; she dreamed of the blonde-haired guy every night torturing her in different ways. Humiliating her in front of his friends and the school. 

She barely slept at night, and during the day, she was so tired. She tried to sleep during the day, but her mother was always making noises or trying to get her to do stuff.  

She, Kasey, and JoJo were Facetiming, and she stepped out to the lower side deck off her bedroom. She panned the camera to see the views. 

"Girl, I want to come live with you. Do you think your parents will let me?" Kasey asked.

"I wished. I miss you guys so much, and the kids here are rude."

"Rude, you mean like picking on you?" Kasey asked.

"Well, there's this guy who lives next to me. He and his friends were at the beach saying mean things the other day because I had on shorts and a sweater."

"Were they hot?" JoJo asked. 

"Yes, but total assholes. I just hate it here so much, and school hasn't even started yet."

"You gotta take a picture of them and send it to us. We need to see these California hotties," JoJo said.

Kasey and Harper both said, "JoJo."

"Our friend is struggling, and she's so far away from us. She is dealing with a major dilemma. It doesn't matter if these assholes are hot or not, but they better leave you alone." Kasey said.

"Thanks, Kase."

Little did she know, but Brennen was outside listening to her entire conversation. So, she thinks he's an asshole but hot. He laughed as he thought about it. 

He sat quietly outside and listened to her conversation, laughing at parts. He heard her talking about her ex and asking how he was doing. 

"Yeah, so how is Lewis doing?"

"He's doing okay. Talking to Samantha Carter, and you know how big of bitch she is. Did you and Lewis ever do anything besides kiss?"

"No, he tried, and I think he was getting upset because I wouldn't go further. I told him I wasn't ready; I am fifteen. He kept saying, but we have been dating for over a year now."

"Girl, you should have given it up. What are you going to do? You are going to be a sophomore, and you're still a virgin."

"Yep, and I am going to stay that way until I am ready to lose it. I don't like feeling pressured, so it was easier to just end it with Lewis rather than try this whole long-distance thing and get my heart broken. We made a clean break as friends."

"So, I have been having these dreams about the douche next door. What could they mean?"

"Oh, what kind of dreams? Sexy dreams?"

"No weird dreams, more like nightmares. Every night, I wake up pouring sweat and then have trouble falling asleep again."

Brennen listened intently to her dreams about him. He didn't like the fact that she was dreaming about him and then making him out to be evil. He finished his cigarette and made sure to blow the smoke where she would see it. 

Harper was talking to them, and she froze. "Harper, what's wrong?"

"Guys, I think he was listening to our conversation. I just saw a puff of smoke from his deck which is right above mine by my room. Oh god, this is just going to make living here even worse."

"Can you see him? If so, point the camera at him so we can see him," Kasey said.

"No, I can't see him but he was listening to us. I'm going back inside. I miss my old house where our neighbors weren't so close. We are all shoved in on this hill. I swear he could jump from his deck to mine."

She went inside and locked her door. He stood there just far enough back she couldn't see him, but he could see her.