Nobody Compares

Chapter 1

"Cody!" I yell as I spot his blonde hair in the crowd of teenagers. Before he can turn around, I run and jump onto his back. He momentarily buckles underneath me in surprise before grabbing onto my legs with a chuckle.

"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere," he smiles as I smoothly slide off of his back. Turning to face me, he says, "Are you ready to go home?"

"It's the last day of school, of course I'm ready to go home," I reply with a wink, causing him to laugh again as we begin to walk towards the school's main gates. A warm summer breeze blows through the air, causing the leaves on the ground to stir. I catch the fresh scent of his cologne, and I can't help but sigh to myself. He always smells so heavenly.

Since he had placed his earbuds in, listening to music, all I could do on our walk home was space out and really think about our relationship. We've been extremely close since the first grade, starting when I moved into his neighborhood from Ireland—my dad's job required us to pack up and move to Colorado, and we've been here ever since. I met Cody on about the fifth day of living here. Him and his parents came over with a plate of cookies, and at the time, I was more excited about the cookies than anything. Looking back on it now, though, meeting Cody was definitely the best part. He came in with an adorable little smile and simply said, "Hi, wanna be friends?" Naturally, I said yes, and we've been best friends ever since...

...Well, sort of.

Back when we were in seventh grade, I noticed my feelings towards him were beginning to change. I wasn't sure why at the time, but his hugs gave me goosebumps, his jokes made me laugh more than usual, and the mere sight of his smile made my heart beat a little faster. Of course it's obvious now that he's a total catch, but I just wish that I only saw him as a friend, nothing more. It would all be so much easier that way.

"Hey, Zoey, looks like we've got new neighbors in town," he says, cutting off my thoughts. Coming back to reality, I hadn't noticed that we were already in the neighborhood by now, and I followed Cody's gaze to the house next to mine. The "for sale" sign on it has now changed to "sold", and there's a moving truck parked in the driveway. That house has been for sale for a few months now, and it's surprising that it finally got sold. The town we live in isn't very popular, so the new people must've been desperate for a home.

"I wonder if they're aliens like you," he says with a smirk. Rolling my eyes, I roughly nudge him with my elbow, making him laugh at my displeasure. He knows that I hate it when he calls me an alien. He's been calling me that since he learned the word, and he says it's because I have an accent, even though he has one, too.

"Oh, piss off," I mutter, but I can't help the smile that creeps up on my face. He's lucky I'm in a good mood today. "Shall we go and introduce ourselves to the potential aliens?"

"No, not yet. Let them get settled in," he replies.

"You're just being a chicken. Are you scared they'll probe you or something?" I tease as I lift an eyebrow. He playfully shoves me away.

"Alright, I see how it is," he says before confidently walking towards the newly occupied house. The furniture movers eye us wearily, and I decide that maybe we should leave them alone for now. Considering this, I shuffle to catch up with him, grabbing his arm from behind to stop him while muttering for him to wait. He turns to me with a cocky smile; he totally knew I'd change my mind.

"You're such an ass, Wegman," I joke.

"Whatever, alien," he smiles before continuing down the sidewalk and turning to walk up the brick path leading to the steps under my red front door. I quickly follow, maneuvering around him so that I can unlock it. Upon entering, the smell of cleaning products hits me, and I hear the sound of my mom washing dishes in the kitchen.