chapter 5: The boy next door

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I was bursting to share my exciting news with Mira, so as soon as I sat down with her at school, I blurted out the details about my handsome new neighbors.

- "Wait, Anthony is here? Which class does he have?" Mira asked, her eyes widening with interest."I think he is," I whispered to Mira, just as Miss Lola walked into the classroom with Anthony, and I quickly tapped Mira's arm to get her attention.

Mira's mouth dropped open, and she breathed, 'He's so hot!' We exchanged a knowing smile, our eyes fixed on Anthony, until Miss Lola directed him to his seat.Mira and I couldn't help but sneak glances at Anthony throughout the entire class period, our eyes drawn to him like magnets, until the lunch bell finally rang.

Mira whispered to me as we packed up our bags, 'Hey, I'm so sorry but I won't be able to hang out with you on break, I have to swing by music class to pick up my sheet music and you know today am doing my live video' she said with a smile and walked out of the class.

My disappointment quickly faded when I saw Anthony sitting by himself, and I made my way over to him. 'Hey Emily,' he said, flashing me a warm smile, and I felt my knees weaken. Anthony's smile always leaves me breathless.I was tongue-tied, but I managed to stammer out a 'hi' and asked him if he'd like to join me for lunch, my heart racing with excitement.

We were enjoying our lunch and conversation in the cafeteria, discussing school stuff and laughing together, when suddenly Andrew appeared out of nowhere and ruined the moment.As Andrew and Anthony exchanged greetings like old friends, I was shocked to hear Andrew say, 'Hey, I'd love to catch up with you after lunch, Emily'.

My heart skipped a beat as Anthony revealed that Andrew was his cousin, and I couldn't help but ask follow-up questions, learning that they were close due to Andrew's mom working in the states.As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, I caught Mira gazing at me with a knowing smile that sent a shiver down my spine.

Mira nudged me with a sly grin, saying, 'I saw you and your prince charming exchanging sweet smiles - spill the beans, what's the scoop?.All I could manage to say was that Andrew and Anthony are cousins, and then it hit me, Andrew wanted to talk to me? What could he possibly want?

I doubled over, my stomach cramping sharply, and managed to hiss, 'Mira, I need to get to the toilet,' but her only response was a gentle nod, her eyes filled with understanding.As I entered the bathroom, I was startled to see Andrew standing there, and my body began to shiver involuntarily, memories of our last encounter flooding back, when he tried to kiss me.

Andrew drew closer, his voice low and menacing, 'Hey, strawberry, are you scared?' he taunted, and my mind raced with thoughts of his questionable intentions, recalling Mira's warnings about his perversion.Andrew attempted to kiss me again, his hands grasping my waist and pulling my hair, causing me pain and distress. I was paralyzed with fear, unable to resist as he bit my lip, and I burst into tears, overwhelmed by the violation.