The Promise (Neighbor from Hell 10)

“Nothing,” he said, unable to help but frown when he heard what sounded suspiciously like, “Stupid boobs,” mumbled beneath him.

“We could take her to the mall?” Matt suggested with a shrug as he shoved more cereal in his mouth.

“I don’t really think the mall’s going to do it for her,” he said, wondering how she managed to get under the bed that fast, especially with the board that cut across the-

“Ow, my poor boob,” came the sad little mumble that had Reed glancing to his left to find Matt lost in thought as he shoved his hand back in the cereal box.

“It’s just a thought,” Matt said around a mouthful of cereal before asking, “Are you planning on getting up today or are you planning on avoiding Joey while she’s here?”

“I’m not avoiding her,” he said, wondering how she’d managed to get under there so fast. Then again, she had years of practice, he thought.

“Really? Then what would you call hiding in your room all weekend?”

“I’m not hiding.”

“You really are.”

“Get out,” he said, shoving the little bastard off his bed when he took too long.

“Mean bastard,” Matt said, sighing heavily as he grabbed the gallon of chocolate milk and headed back toward the bedroom door that needed a new lock.

Shoving the comforter off, Reed threw his legs over the side of the bed and-

“That’s definitely going to leave a mark,” the reason that he was debating spending the rest of the weekend in bed said as she managed to pull herself free from beneath the bed, causing her large breasts to bounce enticingly and-

He decided that spending the rest of the weekend in bed sounded like a great idea.

Chapter 29

“Are you okay, Dr. Lawson?”

“I’m fine, Kevin,” Joey said, although something, mostly the fact that she was resting her forehead against her desk because she felt like she was dying, told her that might not be true.

“Do you want me to go get the nurse?” a quiet voice from her right asked.

Rolling her head to the side, she looked at the teenage boy sitting next to her and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you finish building my castle?” because she felt that two weeks was more than enough time to build her kingdom.

“You keep adding things,” Shawn said with a heavy sigh as he shifted his attention back down to the iPad where he would hopefully build that second moat that she’d requested, because the first one just wasn’t doing it for her.

“Since you brought it up, I’m going to be needing another tower overlooking that second moat,” she mumbled.

“How were you planning on getting over the second moat?” Shawn asked, making her frown.

“Did we not discuss the second drawbridge?”

“No, no, we did not,” he said, sighing heavily as he returned his attention back to building her kingdom.

“I’ll need alligators as well,” she told him, with a little sniffle as she reluctantly sat up and faced the class that apparently had nothing better to do than stare at her.

“You’re done with your essays already?” she asked, hoping that would be enough to distract them from the fact that she was most likely dying.

“Why doesn’t he have to do it?” Derick asked, gesturing to Shawn.

“Because I play favorites?” she asked, even as she resigned herself to making a trip to the store after school.

“I already finished writing it,” Shawn said, gesturing to the essay that he’d finished early so that he could get back to work on her kingdom.

“Well, that and I play favorites,” Joey mumbled pathetically, nodding only to decide that it was time to lay her head back on the desk when her world started to spin again.

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to go get the nurse?”

“I’m sure,” she mumbled, although to be fair, she really wasn’t really sure of a hell of a lot at the moment.

Right now, the only thing she wanted was for Reed to put his arms around her and make everything better, but that wasn’t an option. Not with Reed. It didn’t matter how amazing the past month had been, because it wasn’t going to last. This thing between them was just a distraction, something they both needed, but that was it. It was what she wanted and as long as she remembered that this wasn’t going anywhere, she would never have to worry about getting her heart broken.

“I think Principal Bradford would want us to call him,” came from her left, making her sigh as she turned her head to find her stalker sitting next to her, looking thoughtful as she sipped from a bottle of water with “Eastman” written in black marker across the label.

“Is that Mr. Eastman’s water?” Joey asked.

“Yes,” Jen said, holding up a brown paper bag with a much larger “Eastman” written across it, “and I believe this is his lunch.”

“Of course, it is,” Joey mumbled.

“You really don’t look so good,” Jen said, sounding thoughtful as she helped herself to a sandwich from the bag.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Joey asked, sighing heavily as she reached over and plucked the sandwich out of Jen’s hand along with the bag and tossed it on her desk.

“Probably,” Jen said, shrugging it off while Joey sat there counting the minutes until she could go home and be miserable alone.

*-*-*-*

He should have spanked her ass when he had the chance, he decided as he laid there, glaring at the ceiling, because five minutes ago he’d decided that glaring at his bedroom door made him pathetic. Then again, the same could be said for the fact that he was in bed at nine o’clock on a Friday night hoping that the woman who’d ignored him all day came walking through his door. God, he was fucking pathetic, he thought even as he shifted his glare back to his bathroom door.

This morning when he woke up alone, he hadn’t been happy about it, but he’d shrugged it off deciding that it was probably for the best. He changed his mind after he went downstairs and found her sitting alone at the table curled up with another book in her lap, looking so fucking adorable th

at he hadn’t been able to resist giving her a good morning kiss. Before he could give into that impulse, Matt was walking into the kitchen, bitching about all the noise he’d made last night and Joey was walking out the door, barely acknowledging his existence. That didn’t change when he saw her during the morning meeting.

While he’d been going over new early dismissal procedures and reminding teachers that they still needed chaperones for several upcoming field trips and the spring dance, Joey sat at the back table, absently nodding at something that John was saying to her. By the time the morning meeting was over, one thing had become painfully clear. He was going to spank her ass. She’d ignored him for the rest of the day, didn’t have lunch with him, and barely glancing at him when he walked past her in the hallway and left for the day.

By the time he came home she’d already made dinner, selected a new assortment of books from his library, and shut herself in her room. Deciding that he’d had enough for one day, he went upstairs to his office for the night. That’s where he spent the past three hours staring at his watch and counting down the minutes until he could call it a night. About an hour ago, he gave up pretending that he wasn’t thinking about her and went to bed with the hopes that she would be there waiting for him.

She wasn’t.

Vowing to spank her ass if she didn’t come see him, he waited…and waited until finally he’d decided that he’d waited long enough. Shoving the covers aside, he climbed out of bed, headed to the bathroom where he found her curled up on the floor and-

Was she hugging a towel?

Yes, yes, she was.

“What the hell are you doing?” he couldn’t help but wonder as he reached down and pulled the kitten off his leg and set him aside.

There was a slight pause and then, “Running to the store.”

“I see,” he murmured as he took in the small woman curled up on his bathroom floor. “And that involves lying on the bathroom floor?”

“It’s how I mentally prepare myself for a trip to Walmart,” Joey explained as the furry little bastard settled down on the floor next to her and closed his eyes.