Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs) Read Online Free Page A

particular that was a sledgehammer to my gut. His arms were tight around her shoulders and his lips were pressed to her temple. Her heavy makeup made her eyes smolder as she stuck out her pierced tongue and held up her middle finger to the camera. That photo devastated me because it confirmed beyond a doubt that Keeland hadn’t spent his years sitting around thinking about me the way that I’d been thinking about him. He’d found happiness with a girl who was my polar opposite.
     
    The photos of him with RhysTheBadAss and the increasingly-romantic captions that accompanied them just kept coming. And like a fiend, I couldn’t stay away.
     
    But then one day, the pictures just stopped. And so did the nauseatingly-sweet status updates.
     
    For over three years, there has been radio silence from Keeland's Facebook page. I eventually came to the bitter conclusion that I'd never see his face again. Not on social media. Not in real life.
     
    But now he's right here, standing in front of me. Tall and shirtless and dripping testosterone. And by the way, fuck him for looking so good. Especially when I look like a sweaty, unkempt mess.
     
    Keeland’s expression hardens. “Is my staying here gonna be a problem?” he asks, one eyebrow inching up on his forehead.
     
    I grumble, shifting all my weight to one foot and stubbornly folding my arms across my chest. I want to say ‘yes’. I want to tell him to get the hell out of here and to never come back. But in my head, I hear echoes of the tiny, insecure teenager that I used to be. For some reason, I don’t want him to think that I’m an absolute bitch. Even after the way he treated me. I kind of still want him to like me.
     
    “Your motorcycle,” I say nodding towards the bike sprawled off in the driveway. “ Really loud.”
     
    He looks over at it. “Ah — sorry about that. I was just doing some repairs. But you’re right. This is a quiet neighborhood. I should have been more considerate. Tell you what? I’m gonna just have it towed to the garage and let the professionals deal with it.” He winks at me.
     
    I think he expects me to smile.
     
    I don’t.
     
    “Yes, please keep it down,” I say sourly. “I was in the middle of my meditation.” I don’t wait for him to respond, I just turn on my heels and trudge down the stairs.
     
    “Hey Sam,” he calls after me as I stomp away.
     
    I spin around and glare at him.
     
    He smiles anyway. “You forgot something,” he says, waving my rake around in the air.
     
    Well, there goes my dramatic exit. I grunt angrily as I march back up the stairs and snatch the stupid rake out of his stupid hand.
     
    He grabs me by the wrist and I feel fire crawl across my flesh. “Daniel and some other guys are taking me to grab a drink later,” he tells me. “You should come.”
     
    I shrug out of his grasp and continue to give him the stink eye. “Sorry, I can’t make it.” I hurry down the stairs before he tries to change my mind.
     
    Nancy and Delores amble gingerly up the walkway, freshly-baked cranberry muffins and oatmeal cookies in hand.
     
    The neighborhood welcome committee has arrived.
     
    “Well hello, there, Samantha,” Nancy says cheekily. “I see that you’ve already taken the opportunity to grace the newcomer with your lovely, affable personality.”
     
    Delores peeks over my shoulder right at him. “Darling, please don’t scare the nice young man away with your silly pout-face.” She wrinkles up her nose at me.
     
    “Keeland Masters is anything but nice, Delores,” I say as I breeze past them.
     
    Nancy lifts an eyebrow. “Keeland Masters? Jane’s son?”
     
    I nod. “Yup, he’s back in town.” My frowning expression clearly broadcasts my displeasure at that fact.
     
    Delores sighs dreamily. “Well, he may not be nice, but he certainly looks …virile. ”
     
    I stop in my tracks and spin around to face her.
     
    Did she really just say that?
     
    From the way she’s clutching