The Girl Next Door

Part Two

A shuddering deep chill runs down to her bones as the faint sound of someone calling her name resonates in her mind. She groans and buries her face deeper into her pillow while she cuddles further down hoping to find her blanket and suffocate the chill consuming her body. However, the pillow engulfing her face doesn't smell like hers...it smells like a certain girl next door.

"Emma."

Green eyes pop to life the moment she realizes she fell asleep at Regina's house last night, yet again. Images from the night before begin to replay in her mind like a memory reel in some sappy romantic movie and that's the moment her body fully wakes up. There's a very noticeable ache between her legs that she assumes is from them messing around between the sheets. Dread washes through her body and paints her cheeks a vibrant cherry red because she's very naked from the waist down.

Regina's face slowly glides into view, hovering over her with those raven locks cascading all around Emma's flushed cheeks. The look of concern is evident in her big brown eyes, but something else catches Emma's attention out of her peripheral. Regina's fingers are curled tightly into the sheets, safely wrapping around her waist because she in fact is still just as naked too.

"Emma? I thought I should wake you, our parents should be up soon and I don't want you to get in trouble for sleeping here," she gently explains with a small pout on her lips.

And Emma's not sure if the pout embedded deep into Regina's cheeks is because she doesn't want her to leave? Or maybe she doesn't want her to get into trouble? Or maybe she's embarrassed by what occurred between them last night? Or maybe she's just terrified of her mother?

Either way, Emma is springing forward in the bed and nodding frantically as she climbs across the blankets in disarray. Regina sits back on her ankles and shyly pulls a pillow in front of her chest, but Emma doesn't notice because she forces her eyes to remained locked onto the floor below as she slides her underwear and pants back on. Her hands tremble slightly, slipping into her Nike's, but she ignores all that and quickly pulls her zip-up on and yanks the hood over her head.

She glances back at Regina and for the first time ever, she cannot read her best friend's expression, causing panic to settle into her bones as she wonders if what transpired between them has inevitably changed them for the worse.

Except, a warm smile slowly spreads across those plump lips as Regina extends her arm, holding out Emma's glasses that she left behind. Emma offers a weak, crooked grin in return and quickly yanks them back before turning back toward the window. Careful not to make a sound, she slowly lifts the glass up and slips out onto the roof without a word spoken. She quickly closes the window and follows her routine path back home.

She cringes immediately when she notices how everything this morning is decorated in thick frost from the fall morning air. She reminds herself to take her time climbing on everything, so she doesn't slip and fall and rat herself out. Luckily, she is able to sneak back into her room without any problems. The second she closes her window shut, she kicks off her shoes and climbs into her cold bed. A heavy sigh slips passed her lips because all her mind can think about is being back in Regina's warm bed.

The sun hasn't come up just yet, but the sky is definitely brightening up for the morning birds to chirp. She lazily sets her alarm for one hour just before she instantly falls back to sleep.

~~~~~~~

The alarm blares obnoxiously through her room and the moment her heavy eyelids peel apart, she begins to panic once more. With a bitter taste burning her tongue she turns off her alarm and realizes it's Friday, so Regina won't be walking to school with her. Every Friday morning Regina arrives at school forty-five minutes early as a student aid for the counselor's office. Another stupid activity her mother ordered.