Georgia||h.s.

+2+

Ellie

"Daaaddd, that's not the right way to treat someone..." I whined while playing with the collard greens on my plate.

I was currently arguing with my father about why I'm not allowed to give Harry a ride to school. Or anywhere for that matter. His remarks by calling him 'no good' were very prejudiced as well. My mother remained quiet about the situation, eating her fried pork chop in silence.

"I said no, Ellieseona May, and what I say is final," he laid down his foot, and I shut up.

My head began to pound with things I could only dream about saying out loud but held in for my own sake. My father had never been the lenient type, and I knew this house had zero tolerance for disrespect. He wasn't allowing boyfriends until after college, and my curfew was 8 pm sharp on any given weekday. I don't go out and have never even been to a party, so trying drugs or alcohol has always been out of the question. He laid the rules down, and I had no choice but to abide.

"I'm gonna go shower and study," I muffled, then quickly got up, not even finishing my greens, or touching my pork chop.

"Now Will, that wasn't very nice. How are you gonna judge someone you don't know? All the boy needs is a ride!" My mom whisper-yelled to my dad.

I quickly padded up the stairs as their conversation started to fade.

"I don't care what he needs! That boy isn't about to be around my daughter!" I heard the loud scrape of a chair against the floor.

"So you don't trust her..." and that's the last I heard before closing my room door behind me.

Sunday's were supposed to be for relaxing when in reality they were anything but that for me. Church always wore me out, and I usually always had homework waiting for me when I arrive home.

This time, I sat at my desk studying for an hour for a quiz tomorrow in my calculus class, and finished an essay for literature.

Once finished, I let relaxation slip in so I could carry out my nightly routine and somewhat enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

With a towel secured around my petite frame, I exited my bathroom, releasing all of the steam into my bedroom. I started to unwrap my towel when I noticed my curtains were wide open.

I re-secured the cloth before walking over to the window, but once there, I noticed our new neighbor's house lit up across the street.

A couple of meters away sat a bedroom window perfectly aligned with mine. The light was on in the room, exposing the deep blue walls. Just when I finally convinced myself to look away, Harry's still shirtless body appeared, but this time he was fresh out of the shower as well.

I took in the way his body glistened as the towel struggled to cling on to his narrow hips. When he faced the window, my eyes glued to the outline of something in the front of his towel. The icing on the cake was the carving of his v line. I sat in a frozen drool, eyeballing my extremely hot new neighbor.

Since we were both fresh out of the shower, he was about to close his blinds as well until he noticed me staring like a creep.

I gasped, and my mind froze. The only thing I could think to do was drop straight onto the ground, causing a loud thud to echo below me.

"Honey?! Are you okay?!" I could hear my mother's voice yell from downstairs.

I cringed and banged my forehead with my palm.

"Yes ma'am!" I yelled back, and then silence fell again.

I slowly picked myself up from the ground to barely bring my eyes above the windowsill. Harry was still staring with a broad smile on his face as he laughed, abs flexing teasingly slow.

My cheeks had to be a significant shade of red by now. I was hot from the showers steam and now boiling with embarrassment. I decided I couldn't handle anymore of his attractiveness and finally got up. With a big sigh, I caught one last glimpse of him and pulled my curtains shut.

"Ugh!" I huffed as I plopped down onto my bed. I shook my head with my hands over my flustered face for a solid minute, then finally finished getting ready for bed.

-

The following day I woke up to the usual empty house. I didn't start school until 9:20 every day and lived 5 minutes from campus. Before I got my license, that 5-minute drive was a 30-minute walk, but my parents gratefully bought me a Jeep for my birthday.

I knew I was blessed to live in a more than comfortable household. My dad had a monthly income from the church, and his actual job as a Lieutenant at the police station paid well. Meanwhile, my mother owned her own spa in town.

They both had a '9-5' job, so everyone was usually out of the house before me.

After another tiring Sunday, I took it upon myself to sleep in until 9. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and grabbed a comfortable outfit for the day. I peeked out of the window when I woke up to see it was overcast , and knew some showers would be in store later on.

I grabbed my backpack and sat and ate a bagel and some juice for breakfast. It was now 9:15 exact, so I tossed my trash and grabbed my keys. I was never late to school because that, of course, wasn't an option. My parents would have my head if I were late, so I've never experienced ditching class or skipping school all together.

Not without their consent, at least..

I turned on the house alarm and locked the front door behind me. While fumbling my car keys for the unlock button in a rushing manner, I heard the pitter-patter of feet running across the street.

"Ellie! Wait!" I heard a familiar deep accent yell.

My heart fell to my behind as I stood still with the driver's side door ajar. When I locked eyes with Harry, he slowed down in front of me and smiled.

"So, how about that ride?"

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