She Fell For The Boy Next Door

Alice watched Cale’s bedroom window from her own room. Cale was sitting on his bed, his guitar resting on his lap, but he wasn’t playing it. He was staring off into space, repeatedly shaking his head. Alice sighed and faced away from her window.
“He doesn’t like me, does he?” Abbey asked, frowning.
Alice looked at her and shrugged helplessly.
“I don’t think he does” she said quietly.
“Does he love you?”
Alice raised her eyebrows and stared over the top of her glasses.
“I think so” she said, a smile lighting her eyes. “He’s my best friend and I’ve known him since I was five” she added, looking out the window again.
“I thought I was your best friend” Abbey said sharply.
Alice stared at her, her gaze turned calculating and harsh.
“I met you seven years ago. I met Cale eleven years ago and he’s been there for me ever since then. You come and go whenever you want, picking the times when I’m happy and it’s safe to be around me. Cale’s there when I’m angry or upset. Cale was there when I got my first period; he freaked out, by the way. He was there with me on my first day of high school; he was there when I was depressed. He’s there when I’m crying and can’t stop and he always helps when I’m getting harassed at school. When are you there?” she asked, her voice cold.
“I live miles and miles away from here” Abbey replied, haughty.
“There is such a thing as a phone” Alice said sarkily.
“Well I can’t read minds! How am I supposed to know when you’ve gone all loopy?” Abbey snapped back.
Alice narrowed her eyes, for a split second looking exactly like her mother.
“I ain’t loopy. I can’t help what I feel” she said darkly.
Abbey sneered.
“So you decide to fall in love with that emo freak next door?” she said, contempt fair dripping from her words.
Alice stood up in front of Abbey, her eyes flashing.
“Out. Now” she said between clenched teeth.
Abbey stared at her, shocked.
“What?” she said in disbelief.
“Get out of my room and get out of my house” Alice told her, making her words slow and deliberate.
“Where do you expect me to go?” Abbey questioned.
“Home. To L.A.” Alice told her.
“Wha- Fine.”
Abbey got up off the bed and started throwing her stuff into her suitcase. Alice stood over her, watching stonily. Once Abbey had finished, she straightened up, lifted her suitcase, cast a venomous look at Alice, and walked downstairs.
Alice could hear her coolly asking Jared if he could drive her to the airport for an earlier flight back home. Alice could tell that her dad was confused, but he agreed to take Abbey to the nearest airport.
Meanwhile, Alice crept silently down the stairs, along the hallway, and out the back door. She ran through the small expanse of forest between her home and Cale’s and then up the stone steps to his front door. Without knocking, Alice sped inside, shouted a loud greeting to Emily, and then rushed upstairs to Cale’s bedroom.
Cale glanced up as soon as Alice came in. She stopped at the look in his eyes. They were filled with questions and sadness.
Alice sat by him and brushed his fringe away from his face.
“What’s wrong, Cale?” she asked, concerned.
“Are you just going to completely ignore me for the next five days and hang out with your friend?” Cale replied, obviously upset.
Alice’s shoulders slumped, but a small smile crept onto her face.
“Why would I ignore you?” she wondered aloud.
Cale looked at her and shrugged dejectedly.
“I dunno. ‘Cause you prefer to spend time with a girl than with me?” he suggested.
Alice couldn’t help laughing then.
“Not even close! Abbey’s gone home” she told Cale, ruffling his hair.
“Why, what happened?” Cale asked, finally turning to face Alice.
“We had a fight and I told her to leave” Alice said simply.
“But you don’t seem upset or annoyed. What was the fight about?” Cale said curiously.
“You” Alice replied.
Cale looked taken aback.
“Me? Why??” he asked, confused.
“Abbey was wondering why I decided to love “that emo freak next door”” Alice told him, forming quotation marks in the air with her fingers.
Cale snorted.
“Gee, thanks” he scoffed, shaking his head.
Alice lay her head on his shoulder.
“I know. It made me angry. And she was going on about how she was supposed to be my best friend. When that happens, it always annoys me” she said, yawning.
Cale heard it and rolled his eyes.
“See? I told you to stay in bed, but nooo, you wouldn’t listen to me!” he complained.
Alice reached down to her feet and unlaced her black Converse high-tops. She pulled them off her feet and threw them on the floor. Cale watched, intrigued, as Alice clambered over his bed, yanked down the covers and slid beneath them.
“What are you doing?” Cale asked.
“You want me to stay in bed, I’m staying in bed. Does it matter that it’s your bed?” Alice responded.
“I guess not” Cale said, smiling slightly.
“Good” Alice said, snuggling deeper into the bed.

Five hours later, unable to find their daughter, Jared and Annabelle brought Cassi round to Emily and William’s house to look for her there. Emily smiled knowingly at her friends and beckoned them to follow her upstairs. They did so while William took Cassi and hefted her up onto his shoulders; she giggled and pulled his hair.
Up in the doorway of Cale’s bedroom, the other three adults looked on as Alice slept in Cale’s bed, her head turned away from everyone. Cale was curled around her, his dark head resting on her stomach.
As they watched, Cale shifted and rubbed his knuckles against his eyes. He sat up and ran his hand through his hair, at last becoming aware of his audience.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice groggy and thick.
Emily shook her head and smiled at him.
“No, honey. Go back to sleep” she said, nodding her head in Alice’s direction.
Cale slipped an arm over Alice’s waist and lay back down. His eyes gradually fluttered shut and his muscles relaxed.
Annabelle looked up to her husband and saw Jared’s dark grey eyes filling with translucent tears. He sniffed and she nudged his arm.
“Don’t be such a wuss” she whispered.
Emily grinned and led them all out of the room, leaving her son and his best friend to sleep.