Misunderstood (Neighbor from Hell (YA) 1)

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll leave her alone.”

Chapter 38

“I think she stood you up,” Joshua said as he shoved the rest of the hot dog in his mouth.

“She didn’t stand me up, because it’s not a date,” Cole said as he found himself glancing at the trees separating their properties and wondering where she was.

She should have been here an hour ago, he thought, biting back a sigh as he shifted his attention back to his birthday party and–

“She can do better,” Joshua said, looking thoughtful as he focused his attention on his burger.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Elizabeth said, nodding in agreement while Cole stood there, glaring down at his siblings.

“She didn’t stand me up,” he found himself saying, again, when it should have been more than obvious that Chloe enjoyed spending time with him. Granted, she never invited him over to her house, but then again, she didn’t need to since he invited himself over to save her the trouble of doing it.

“Really?” his cousin Mathew said, blinking innocently up at him. “Then where is she?”

Narrowing his eyes, Cole said, “I hate you all,” as he decided to find someone more worthy of his company. With that, he headed toward the food only to end up biting back a groan when he saw his mother’s family standing off to the side, taking turns watching Grandma. He didn’t like the way they looked at her.

He wished his mother hadn’t invited them, but she was determined to give them a second chance and for her, he was willing to keep his mouth shut and smile politely when they reluctantly acknowledged his existence, but other than that…

He didn’t trust them.

He looked away only to find himself watching his cousin Sebastian. He’d never seen him like that before. He looked…

Destroyed.

Sighing, Cole looked over to where he’d spotted Mikey earlier only to find her sitting in the same spot, sitting off by herself, staring down at the ball in her hands. She looked so lost. He moved to go see if she was okay when he spotted Chloe standing on the other side of the trees. She started to head to the party only to stop, shake her head, and turn around only to reluctantly stop when he called her name.

“Where are you going? The party’s this way,” Cole said, catching up with her.

“I was just coming to tell you that I can’t make it, but I wanted to give you your present,” Chloe said, shifting nervously as she held out a small box wrapped in green wrapping paper with a silver bow perfectly centered in the middle.

“What is it?” he asked, moving to open it only to have her stop him by laying her hand over his.

“You don’t have to open it now. It’s not really anything special. I just wanted to get you something for your birthday,” Chloe said, shrugging it off.

“Thank you,” Cole said only to frown when he said, “Are you sure you can’t come over?”

“I’m sorry. I have something planned with my family and this is the only day that Uncle Nick could get off so…” she said, letting her words trail off with a helpless shrug.

“I understand,” Cole said, biting back a sigh, surprised at how disappointed he was that she couldn’t make it.

Over the past month, they’d become good friends. He’d stopped stalking her and started spending time with her. Every day they walked to school together, sat together in class, they ate lunch together, walked home together and most days, they did their homework together. Most nights he snuck over to her house to binge-watch TV with her and let her sister torment him just so he could see her smile and…

He liked her, he realized.

“Happy birthday, Cole,” Chloe said, giving him a warm smile before she turned around and left.

Deciding that he’d save her a slice of cake and bring it over later, Cole headed back to the party. He went to put her gift on the table with the others, but curiosity had him turning it over in his hands as he glanced back at her house. With a sigh, he walked over to the chairs lining the patio and dropped down on one.

With a last look toward Chloe’s house, he tore the wrapping paper off and opened the thin white box only to frown when he pulled back the green tissue paper layered over what appeared to be a very old book. The leather was aged and worn, he noted as he carefully opened the cover only to feel the air in his lungs leave him in a rush when he saw the words Emily Bradford written with Manchester, England 1850 written beneath it.

This was his great-grandmother’s journal, Cole realized as he closed the book so he could run his fingertips reverently down the soft cover. He glanced over at her house as he carefully placed the cover back on the box and quickly made his way next door, deciding that this couldn’t wait. He made his way up the porch, raised his hand to knock and–

“How come we’re not doing anything for your birthday?” he heard Katie ask, drawing his attention to the open window next to him.

“We are doing something for my birthday,” Chloe said as Cole found himself moving closer to the window.