Being the Gir Next Door

Evie Olivia Niven

Chapter 1: Three’s a Crowd

Summer at last. Kaia Smith dropped her English lit textbook into her bag with a heavy sigh. One exam down, she thought, one more to go. She winced as she stood up; the heat had made her thighs stick to the lacquered seat of her chair. It was only the very beginning of May, and already the heat was spiking up into the late eighties. Kaia settled her bag on her shoulder and headed out of the classroom, following a line of her classmates. She reached back, wiping sweat from the back of her neck, suddenly glad she’d continued to keep her hair relatively short all these years.

“Kaia! Kaia!”

Here we go, Kaia thought, sighing heavily. Not that she didn’t adore Parker; she did. It was just that sometimes his enthusiasm and cheerfulness was a bit too much. Like now, when she had to haul herself through another final in one short hour. When what I really want to do, she thought, is go home, strip down, and skinny dip! Her parents had just opened the pool, though, and it wouldn’t be warm enough. Maybe I’ll get Jodie, and we’ll sneak into the hotel pool, Kaia thought. That put a smile on her face, so she was smiling when Parker approached.

He was one of those guys girls just went nuts over; bright blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and a boyish smile that made dimples stand out on her cheeks. Parker was the boy next door. Kaia had known him since they were both three, when his family had moved into the neighborhood. Tan, muscular, and he liked to surf ... Yep, every woman’s wet dream, she thought. And for some reason, even though he could probably have any girl he wanted, Parker wanted her.

“How was the exam?” he asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

“Long and dull,” Kaia answered, letting out a heavy breath. “Parker ... please, it’s way too hot for you to hang on me.”

“Aww,” Parker pouted, giving her his “puppy dog” eyes. He did drop his arm, though. “Want me to carry your bag, Kaia?”

She considered that. Her books were heavy. She probably should have left them at home, but she’d figured even a few snatched moments of studying were worth it. Kaia handed her bag over to Parker and groaned in relief, rubbing her shoulder. It was both cute and annoying, the way he was. She’d told him a million times to stop, but eventually had given up on that. It was when Kaia had realized that, although he might have treated her a little more special than anyone else, Parker carried bags, opened doors, and pulled out chairs for any and every woman.

“So you’ve only got Spanish left?” Parker asked, reaching out to push the button for the elevator before she got the chance.

“Sí,” Kaia answered, grinning. “And if I remember more than that by the end of the summer, I’ll be lucky.”

Parker laughed. The elevator doors opened and he motioned for her to step inside. “Well, if all else fails, carry around a dictionary or something.”

“Heeeeey! Hold that elevator!”

Kaia grinned; she knew that voice. Her best friend, Jodie Hansen, came dashing into the elevator. Her auburn hair was in a high ponytail that bobbed as enthusiastically as she usually did. It was unfortunate that Parker didn’t seem to notice that Jodie was a girl, because they would have made a cute couple. But whenever Kaia was around, Parker seemed to think of Jodie as a buddy and nothing more. It just seemed to complicate things further.

“How was the teacher from hell?” Kaia asked, jabbing at the button for the second floor.

Jodie wrinkled her nose. “One-hundred questions, Kaia! One-hundred!”

“He gives multiple-choice tests,” Kaia said, grinning. “Right?”

Jodie sighed dramatically. Kaia stifled her laughter as they all got off the elevator and headed down towards the cafeteria. She wondered if she had time to eat a little lunch before she had to get back upstairs for her Spanish exam. I’m gonna scrape through this by the skin of my teeth, she thought, scowling. Jodie had to be thinking something along the same lines about her next exam, because she was more fidgety than usual. Parker seemed unconcerned; his exams were finished.

“I can’t wait to get out to the shore,” Parker said, setting Kaia’s bag down on the nearest table and plopping gracelessly into a chair. “I’ve been dying to go surfing again ... damn winter!”

Kaia laughed and dropped into the chair opposite him. “You won’t be saying that when it’s nearly a hundred degrees!”

Parker laughed with her for a moment, but his smile faded suddenly. Jodie, who had sat down next to him, looked up and winced. Great, Kaia thought, turning slowly in her chair. Just great. She looked up into the dark brown eyes of Carlos Vincent, her other next-door neighbor. And her other would-be suitor, although admittedly, she couldn’t quite fathom why.

Carlos was good-looking, for one. He had light-brown hair cut in a typical short style that made it spike at the top, and he wore glasses, which made him look sophisticated rather than geeky. His family was rich, the richest in their neighborhood, and he had a four-point-oh grade point average. Not the kind of guy she would think would go for simple little her. What is he doing here? Kaia wondered, frowning. Carlos didn’t go to the community college with her, Jodie, and Parker.

“Hello, Kaia,” Carlos said. He smiled at her, but scowled at Parker.

Kaia sighed. “Hello, Carlos,” she said, feeling exasperated. “Carlos ... what are you doing here?”

“I came to drive you home when your exams are finished,” Carlos explained, smiling at her once more.

“Well, that’s sweet, Carlos,” Kaia began, “but-”

“I’m driving her home,” Parker interrupted, standing up.

Oh, for crying out loud, Kaia thought, standing as well. How on earth can any woman actually desire to have two men fighting over her!? She’d been dealing with it for the last few years, although it had been pretty mild when it began. For some reason, when they had graduated from high school, her friends had suddenly realized that she was a girl. Sometimes I really wish they hadn’t, Kaia thought, grabbing her bag off the table. I miss the days when I played in the mud like I was one of the guys.

“Neither of you is driving me home,” Kaia called over her shoulder as she stomped away. “I’m taking the bus!”

---

Kaia swore under her breath as she stepped off the bus. She rubbed the back of her stinging thighs and began to wish she’d taken either Carlos or Parker up on their offers of a ride home. Her Spanish exam had been pretty miserable, and then she’d argued with the two of them for nearly half an hour afterwards. And the heat was driving her crazy. Air conditioning, Kaia thought, as she made her way down the sidewalk. I am going inside and sitting in front of the A.C. until I turn into a Popsicle!

She neared her house quickly. Kaia was about to cross the street when she noticed a figure sprawled on the lawn, next to a lawnmower, in the front yard of the house across from hers. Xadrian, she thought, creeping up to him. Xadrian Lawrence was the boy across the street. He’d moved into the neighborhood a few years later than the rest of them, and was also a couple of years older. Xadrian had been something of a bully much of the time when they were growing up; he’d pulled her pigtails all the time when they were little. Kaia still found him somewhat irritating, but he’d stuck around to take care of his mother when his father walked out, so she didn’t mind him as much.

For some reason, he was wearing a black T-shirt in this heat. Xadrian’s long, dark hair was loose as well, fanned out around his face in dark contrast to the emerald-green grass. He said he kept it long to be like Jim Morrison, but she wasn’t quite buying that; Xadrian’s hair was straight as a board. Kaia knew that every extra dollar he and his mother had-which wasn’t too many-went to his mother’s addictions: cigarettes, alcohol, and junk food. Haircuts that weren’t a friend or family member spawned train wreck costs money. It will be good for both of them to get out to the coast, she thought, leaning over him.

“What happened to you?” Kaia asked.

Xadrian opened his eyes. “I fought the lawn,” he panted, “and the lawn won.”

“Ugggghh,” Kaia groaned, rolling her eyes. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you win the prize for worst joke ever. How long have you been waiting to use that line?”

“All damn day,” Xadrian said, grinning.

Despite the fact that she found him irritating, Kaia loved it when he smiled. His eyes were absolutely unbelievable; a clear, crystalline blue, swirling with green, and framed by a lacy fringe of long, dark lashes. Xadrian sat up, running his fingers back through his hair. Some pieces of grass were still stuck in it. For some reason, Kaia had the urge to reach out and pull them free. Stop that, she told herself, straightening. Xadrian would make fun of you for the rest of your life.

“So, where are your two beaus?” Xadrian asked, rising to his feet and dusting grass from the back of his shorts. They were actually the leftovers of a pair of army pants, so the bottoms were badly frayed.

Kaia rolled her eyes. “Probably squabbling over me,” she said. “And here I am, still wondering what either of them really likes about me.”

“Me too,” Xadrian agreed, still grinning.

“Thanks a lot,” Kaia said, glowering at him.

She turned on her heel and stomped across the street. “I don’t have to take that kind of abuse from him,” she thought, as she stepped into her house. Cool air washed over her, making her sigh. Kaia went up to her room, dropping her backpack near the door. She came up to the full-length mirror on her wall and paused, scowling at her reflection. “I wouldn’t mind them fighting over me,” she thought, if it weren’t only because I’m the girl next door.” The girl next door was near the top of the male fantasy list, along with girls in school uniforms and cute little Asian girls.