Last One Standing (wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Girl Next Door

"I have to go to work," I whispered without glancing back over my shoulder, "Toby will be here any minute to pick me up."

*

I expected to find Tobias sprawled out on the sofa in the living room when I came down from my room. My best friend was nowhere to be seen; Griffin had decided to steal his usual spot and kick at Jace repeatedly. My brother only gave his best friend a dark, sideways look and went back to watching TV.

"Aye! Alex is wearing a bikini." Griffin tilted his head back with a grin, "You look great."

"Thanks." I blushed a little as I dropped my head.

"Try not to get turned on by my sister in a bikini man. We all know how you get with those magazines." Jace joked, kicking his feet on to the table. For the first time in my life, I saw blush tint Griffin Young's cheeks.

"You guys are disgusting." I shuddered, heading for the front door.

"Love you too, sis!" Jason called after me. I gave him my favorite finger before shutting the front door behind me.

I was shocked to find Toby sitting on the curb beside out new neighbor, her mess of dark curls brushing against his bare shoulder. They were both laughing, face flushed to a point where they looked as red as the beach towel wrapped around me. Something fluttered in my chest at the sight, but I pushed even further down and jogged down the driveway to Toby. I sighed when I saw that he was sharing one of his rats with the new girl.

"Toby, you can't just shove rats into girls hands. You do things like this then wonder why you don't have a girlfriend!" I teased, pushing at his shoulder. He jumped up with a lopsided grin, leaving the rat in the girl's hands.

"I thought I told you Manny got someone to cover for us, we've got the day off." he stretched his arms behind his head, "I hope you don't mind, but I asked Rowan to join us. You know, so we can show her around town."

His smile was so sweet and genuine that I could feel myself cracking under his warm eyes.

"You know what? Why don't you take Rowan to the fair? Griffin already offered to take me and I'm sure it would be a great welcoming for her." I suggested, smiling back and forth between the two of them.

"Alex, we-" Toby started.

"No, I mean. If you and your boyfriend were supposed to-" I cut Rowan off before she could get any further.

"Oh, no. Toby isn't my boyfriend. He's my best friend and in desperate need of more friends. Mickey seems to like you too." I gestured toward the rat in her hands, "Always a good sign for Toby. He only befriends and dates people his rats like."

She threw her head back and laughed while Toby shot me a dark we-will-talk-about-this later look.

"You sure you don't want to join us, Alex?" Tobias shifted on his feet, a pleading look in his eyes. I waved my hand in the air as if I were swatting at a pesky fly.

"Go ahead and show her a few places before heading down there. I'll meet you there." I replied, starting to back away. Once they both started to coo at the rat in Rowan's hands again, I turned my back on them entirely and made my way back toward my front door.

*

I laid in one of the hot lawn chairs out back for hours, skipping through the letters my father had shoved into my arms last night. Each one was addressed to him, each and every one pleading for him to send money or help her out.

Throughout the years, it seemed the more she asked for money, the less she asked how I was dong. Eventually she stopped asking about me entirely, I was nothing compared to the paragraphs on end explaining why she needed cash.