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“The winner of what exactly?” Payton slants forward in the back seat to get a better look. “The shittiest house in the neighborhood?”
“Actually, I was going to go with the shittiest house we’ve ever lived in,” Bailey clarifies. “The house next door is much shittier.”
Payton’s gaze drifts to the two-story home beside ours. It shares similarities to ours, only with more boarded up windows and a shit ton of rusted cars decorating the backyard. Some of the cars don’t look half bad, if they had some work done to them.
“Doesn’t really matter how shitty it is anyway,” Bailey adds as she gathers her guitar and bag. “We’ll probably live here for like, what? Maybe six months tops?”
“How did Dad even find this town?” Payton leans back and scribbles something in a notebook. “It’s out in the middle of freakin’ nowhere. Seriously, did you guys see the population sign?”
“We’ve lived in small towns before,” I remind them as I check my phone for missed messages.
Crap.He hasn’t replied to my texts yet.
Frustrated, I send him another, asking how I’m supposed to get into this place and if he needs to be here to sign a lease. After a couple minutes tick by and he doesn’t reply, I shove open the door.
“I’m going to take a look around,” I tell my sisters as I hop out of the car.
I hike up the gravel driveway, hoping I can find either a letter from the landlord or an old rental sign that hopefully has a phone number.
The more I walk around, the more my face throbs. I took some painkillers earlier and pressed a cold bottle of soda to my cheek for a while, but it still hurts and looks just as bad. In a couple days, I’ll probably have a bruise.
“Goddamn, stupid, dickless asshole,” I chew my dad out as I trot up the steps to the side door.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
The voice comes from out of nowhere and startles the crap out of me. I spin around and nearly trip over my untied laces. I grab the wooden railing for support and end up getting slivers in my palms, but at least I manage to stop myself from falling on my ass.
Sweeping my hair out of my face, I glance around to see who the culprit is who almost made me fall on my face. The instant I spot him, I know I’m about to have trouble on my hands.
He’s standing on the other side of the fence that divides the yard between the house next door and ours. He looks around my age, is tall, lean, with blond hair, and one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever seen. Which yes, is cliché and makes me sound stupidly girlie, but it’s the truth. He’s also sporting an I-think-I’m-the-shit smirk, or a smirk I like to refer to as “a douchebag stamp.”
He rests his arms on top of the fence. “Are you lost, baby?”
My jaw ticks. God, I hate it when guys call me baby.
I cock a brow. “Are you talking to me?”
“Yeah, I am, baby.” He deliberately lets his gaze scroll over me before something flashes in his eyes. Perplexity? “Wait. Do I know you?”
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “No. And that line doesn’t work on me, dude.”
He assesses me with confused interest then plasters on a smirk, cockiness oozing from him once more. “You know what? Forget the baby remark. I’m thinking you’re more of a sweetheart sort of girl.”
“Oh, my God.” I hold up my hands.I can’t even right now.“Does that shit seriously ever work for you?”
His smile fumbles for the briefest of seconds before he plasters the smirk right back on. “Don’t worry; it’s okay to be flattered.”
“I’m not flattered.” I trot down the steps and stop a short distance from him. “But don’t worry,sweetheart; I’m sure there’s some girl somewhere stupid enough to find your disgusting little obsession with vomit-inducing nicknames swoon-worthy. You should probably go find her,baby. And I’m thinking the best place to start is on go-screw-yourself lane. And don’t ever call me sweetheart or baby again or I’ll kick you in the dick drive.” Then I flip him the middle finger and turn away, heading back down the driveway.
My sisters have gotten out of the car, and Londyn is digging through the trunk while Payton texts on her phone and Bailey watches me with an amused grin.
“Way to make friends with the new neighbors.” She gives me a thumbs-up.
“That guy was an ass.” I stop in front of her, casting a quick glance back at the guy.
I half expect him to be standing near the fence, glaring at me, but he’s walking back to the house. When he reaches the door, he throws a look in my direction, his expression laced with irritation.
“A hot ass,” Payton remarks without glancing up from her phone.
