Misunderstood: Inspired by the Neighbor from Hell Series (A Neighbor from Hell YA Book 1)

by R. L. Mathewson

  “You scared the hell out of me!” Sebastian snapped at her, still trying to will his racing heart to slow down.

  Nodding, Mikey bit out coldly, “Revenge,” as she descended on him.

  “You’re not even supposed to be here,” Sebastian snapped as he found himself backing away from her for some reason. It probably had something to do with that murderous glint in her eye, Sebastian realized as he continued backing up and she kept coming for him.

  “Did you really think that I would forget what you did?” the crazed teenage girl said coldly as she came closer.

  “Go home, Mikey,” he said only to swallow hard when she kept coming for him.

  “I told you that she was going to kill you one day, but you never listen,” Jonathan said with a heartfelt sigh as he closed their bedroom window, not really sounding all that concerned that Mikey was about to kill him.

  “Why don’t you tell me to my face, huh?” Mikey said, reaching up to push him, which had him dropping down on his bed.

  Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she was reaching for his pillow.

  Oh, hell…

  “You do not get to ditch me after three years of friendship because you feel like acting like an idiot!” Mikey said, well, shouted really, as the beating commenced.

  Not that it actually hurt, because it didn’t. What it did was make it difficult for him to do anything more than cover his head with his arms while she slapped him with his pillow. It also alerted his parents to the fact that something was going on in his bedroom.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” his father asked, making Sebastian sigh in relief.

  That is, until Mikey decided to explain things.

  “Your son is an idiot!” she snapped as she continued to slap him with his pillow.

  “He has his moments,” his father murmured in agreement instead of putting a stop to this.

  “Is someone going to get her off me?” Sebastian snapped.

  “I just feel like you brought this on yourself,” Jonathan said from the safety of the other side of the room and Sebastian would have glared at the bastard if he wasn’t busy cowering at the moment.

  “He really did,” his father said, sounding bored.

  “This is the last time that you get to hurt me, Sebastian Bradford!” Mikey snapped, pissing him off.

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt you, you little brat! I was trying to save you!” he yelled as he grabbed the pillow and tore it out of her hands.

  “You know what? I’m done. Consider your message received,” Mikey said, shaking her head in disgust as she climbed off the bed and turned to walk away only to stop with a snort of disgust and reached back into her bag to grab something. With a coldly muttered, “Here,” she dropped a giftwrapped box on the bed and stormed out of his room, leaving him lying there, trying to catch his breath as he watched her go.

  “What did she get you?” Jonathan asked as he quickly made his way across the room and jumped on the bed next to him.

  “I don’t care,” Sebastian said, rubbing his hands roughly down his face as he tried to forget the look on Mikey’s face when she’d told him that she was done out of his head.

  “Then I’ll open if for you,” Jonathan murmured thoughtfully as he grabbed the present off the bed with a satisfied sigh and took his time opening it.

  “Are you sure that this is what you want?” their father asked, sending Sebastian a questioning look.

  “She deserves better,” Sebastian said, forcing himself to grab the book that he had absolutely no interest in and–

  “Dibs!” Jonathan said on an excited gasp, drawing his attention to find him holding an–

  iPad.

  Damn it.

  “She’s been saving up to buy you a new iPad since she found out that your old one ran out of memory,” his father said as Sebastian reached over and took the box out of his brother’s hand.

  “She shouldn’t have done this,” Sebastian said softly as he ran his fingers over the cellophane wrapping, absently noting that she got the one with the highest memory capacity.

  “No, she shouldn’t have. Braxton should have replaced the one that he broke, but his father is furious that you haven’t apologized yet,” his father said as he sat down on the end of Sebastian’s bed.

  “I’m not apologizing,” Sebastian bit out because as far as he was concerned, Braxton had it coming.

  “No, you’re not,” his father agreed, taking him by surprise. “I don’t know what’s going on with that kid, but he shouldn’t have touched your iPad.”

  Jonathan snorted at that. “He shouldn’t have touched Mikey.”

  “True,” their father murmured in agreement.

  Speaking of Mikey…

  “I can’t accept this,” Sebastian said as he reluctantly went to hand the iPad to his father.

  “That’s your decision but I think you’re making a mistake,” his father said as he considered Sebastian.

  “I only make things worse for her,” Sebastian said, placing the iPad on the bed.

  “Not according to her mother,” his father said, making him frown.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You make her happy, Sebastian,” his father said, sighing heavily as he stood up, “but then again, the same could be said about her.”

  Chapter 43

  “Stupid Sebastian,” Mikey mumbled sadly as she sat there, staring out the window while her math teacher tried to explain…well, she wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to explain since she’d stopped listening when he decided to add the alphabet to today’s lesson.

  It had been a week since she told Sebastian that she was done and…nothing.

  He hadn’t called her, emailed her, or even asked his brother or sister to pass on a message to her and that was it, she guessed. He didn’t want to be friends anymore. That was fine with her. More than fine. In fact, she was glad that he wasn’t talking to her anymore since it now freed her to find a new best friend.

  A better best friend.

  She’d find someone that loved baseball almost as much as her, who liked watching movies, and who wasn’t so damn serious all the time. The more she thought about it, the more she liked this idea. She’d find someone who didn’t hog the bed, not that she would let anyone else sleep in her bed. He also wouldn’t steal her food or drive her crazy, and he…

  Wouldn’t be Sebastian, Mikey thought miserably. She missed the big jerk. She considered sneaking into his room as soon as she got home so that she could talk to him, but her pride wouldn’t let her. To be honest, she really wasn’t sure that she could handle hearing him tell her that they shouldn’t be friends again.

  God, she hated this.

  She–

  “Mr. Vargas, please send Mikey Campbell to the office.”

  –was in so much trouble, Mikey thought, biting back a wince when every set of eyes in the room turned her way. Really hoping that this wasn’t going to end with another phone call to her parents, she cleared her throat as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and after noting all the sympathetic winces aimed her way, Mikey headed for the door.

  It was probably nothing, Mikey told herself as she headed for the office, but…

  She was definitely in trouble.

  Over the past two weeks, Mr. Jenkins had been watching her every more, waiting for a chance to make that expulsion dream a reality. Not that she could blame him, especially since the entire school heard about the meeting that ended with the Superintendent screaming at him. Besides the fact that the Superintendent had been furious to find out that they’d intentionally put students at risk by leaving the gym door propped open to catch Sebastian, there were also several videos going around on the internet of their arrest and of her being carried out to an ambulance.

  That hadn’t ended well…

  At least, not for Vice Principal Jenkins and if he had his way, and she was really hoping that he wasn’t going to have his way, Mikey would end up paying the price to
o. He’d tried to argue for suspension, detention, probation, and finally when none of that worked, he’d settled for glaring. Thankfully, she only had another month of school left before she could move onto high school where she could be miserable all over again, Mikey reminded herself as she turned left and found herself wondering why Mrs. Blaine was here.

  Before Mikey had a chance to ask her what was going on, Mrs. Blaine said, “You’re late,” and with that, she gestured for her helper to push her toward the front doors.

  Not really sure what she should do, Mikey glanced at the front office and when she saw Mr. Jenkins standing there, glaring at her, she decided that it would be in her best interest to see what Mrs. Blaine was kidnapping her for. Decision made, she quickly headed after Mrs. Blaine and–

  Found herself staring at Sebastian, who was standing across the street, looking absolutely miserable. Good. He should be miserable, Mikey thought as she followed Mrs. Blaine across the street and when they reached Sebastian, she kept going because he could rot in hell for all she cared. There was a heavy sigh, and then she found herself picked up and thrown over the big jerk’s shoulder. She didn’t bother asking him where they were going because, quite frankly, she wasn’t talking to him at the moment.

  “Are you still mad at me?” came the hesitant question that had her glaring at his back.

  When she didn’t say anything, he said, “Would it help if I told you that I missed you?”

  “No, no, it would not,” Mikey said, deciding that it would be better for everyone concerned if she cleared that up now.

  “How about, I’m an idiot and you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me?” he said, making her sigh, because that all really went without saying.

  When she still didn’t say anything, mostly because she was trying to figure out where he was taking her, he said, “I’m sorry, Mikey.”

  Feeling her bottom lip tremble, she said, “I’d really like to go back to class now.”

  “We could do that…” Sebastian said, letting his words trail off as he leaned over and carefully placed her on her feet so that she could see where he’d taken her, and once he did…

  “I don’t think we’re supposed to be here,” Mikey said, swallowing hard as she glanced from the baseball fields to the parking lot, looking for Coach Dilmore’s black SUV and damn near sighing when she didn’t see it parked in its usual spot.

  “We really don’t have a choice,” Sebastian said, drawing her attention back to find three large men, all of them wearing white polo shirts with Latin Scribe High School embroidered on the left side of their chests, walking toward them.

  “What’s going on?” Mikey asked, unable to help but frown as she glanced back at Sebastian.

  “My apology,” he said, gesturing back to the three men headed their way.

  “What?” Mikey asked in a daze, trying to make sense out of what was happening.

  “You must be Mikey. My name is Coach Jackson,” the larger of the three men said with a warm smile as he offered his hand.

  Nodding, Mikey shook his hand as she said, “And I have absolutely no idea what’s going on here.”

  Chuckling, Coach Jackson gestured to Sebastian. “Your friend told us that we should come down here and see what you can do.”

  “He did?” Mikey asked, frowning as she glanced at Sebastian to find him smiling as he–

  Did he just push her? Mikey wondered only to narrow her eyes when what felt suspiciously like the tip of a cane gave her another push.

  “Let’s see what you’ve got, Mikey,” Coach Jackson said as one of the men tossed her a baseball glove and she found herself smiling for the first time in weeks when Sebastian pulled a baseball out of his sweatshirt pocket and tossed it to her.

  “Go show them what you’ve got, Mikey.”

  Chapter 44

  “Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?” Sebastian asked as he sat down on the bench next to Mrs. Blaine.

  “What makes you think that I’m up to something?” Mrs. Blaine asked as she laid her cane across her lap.

  “Because you have the same devious glint in your eye that Aunt Haley gets when she’s screwing with Uncle Jason’s head for her own amusement,” Sebastian pointed out as they watched Mikey step onto the field.

  “Well, I may have made a few phone calls,” she said, making his lips twitch.

  “And those phone calls led to what exactly?” he asked, settling back against the bench.

  “Making sure that Mikey gets a fair chance,” she said with a pleased smile.

  “Thank you, Grandma,” Sebastian said, sighing with relief, praying like crazy that this worked.

  For the next hour, they watched as Coach Jackson had Mikey run drills, run the bases, and bat. When that was done, he had Mikey step onto the pitcher’s mound. Sebastian watched as a calmness that he hadn’t seen in months took over Mikey. They had Mikey throw over and over again, asking her to change it up from fastball to curveball and everything in between.

  They were still working with Mikey when Coach Dilmore pulled into the parking lot an hour later. When he saw them, his expression went from confused to pissed in record time. Sebastian watched as Coach Dilmore shoved his bag back in his car and slammed the door shut before he headed for the field and straight for Mikey.

  Sebastian stood up and moved to head to the field only to bite back a sigh when Mrs. Blaine gestured for him to take her with him. Deciding that her cane might come in handy, he pushed Mrs. Blaine onto the field just as Coach Jackson signaled for Mikey to stop.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing on my field?” Coach Dilmore demanded as his attention shifted from Mikey to Coach Jackson.

  “It’s good to see you again, Jeff,” Coach Jackson said, reaching over to shake Coach Dilmore’s hand.

  “What are you doing here?” Coach Dilmore demanded, ignoring the gesture.

  “Came to meet Mikey, what else?” Coach Jackson answered, looking pleased as Sebastian came to a stop next to Mikey and took her trembling hand in his.

  Swallowing nervously, Coach Dilmore’s gaze flickered to Mikey. “She’s not supposed to be here. She was kicked off the team.”

  “So, I’ve heard,” Coach Jackson said, not really sounding all that concerned as he gestured for the man that had been holding the clipboard to hand it over to him. “What position did you have her playing?”

  “I didn’t,” Coach Dilmore said evenly. “She couldn’t keep up with the rest of the team.”

  “You’re telling me that a fourteen-year-old girl who can throw a hundred and one mile an hour fastball couldn’t keep up with your team, which hasn’t won a single game all season?” Coach Jackson asked, shaking his head in disbelief as he glanced back down at the clipboard in his hand.

  “A hundred and one?” Coach Dilmore asked hollowly, looking like he was going to be sick.

  “Mmmmhmm, although I believe with a little practice that she’ll be able to throw faster in time, and we’re more than happy to help her achieve that at Latin Scribe High School next year.”

  “Now, wait a minute,” Coach Dilmore said, holding up his hand to argue with him, but Coach Jackson had already focused his attention back on Mikey.

  “What do you say, Mikey? Come play for me next year as my starting pitcher?” Coach Jackson asked with a hopeful smile.

  Mikey’s lips pulled up into a beautiful smile only to slip away seconds later with a softly whispered, “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t think my parents can afford the tuition,” she admitted, looking absolutely crushed.

  “Which is why it’s probably a good thing that Latin Scribe is offering you a full athletic scholarship,” Coach Jackson said, shooting her a wink.

  “Really?” Mikey asked, looking like she was about to burst with joy.

  “Really,” Coach Jackson reassured her with a firm nod.

  She opened her mouth only to close it as she looked at Sebastian and–

&
nbsp; “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just say yes,” Sebastian promised her as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “But–”

  “Please don’t make me kill you,” Sebastian said, sighing heavily as though the idea pained him.

  Lips twitching, she turned to Coach Jackson and said, “Yes.”

  Smiling hugely, Coach Jackson looked at Coach Dilmore, who looked like he was going to be sick and said, “I guess we’ll see you next year.”

  At that, Mrs. Blaine looked up at Sebastian and said, “I guess it’s your turn now,” making him frown.

  “My turn for what?”

  *-*-*-*

  “This was a bad idea,” Sebastian said only to follow that up with a nod as he sat there, watching numbly as Mrs. Blaine told the receptionist that he was there to speak with the Dean.

  “I told you that everything would work out for the best,” Mikey said as she rolled the baseball that he gave her between her hands as she looked around the large office, taking in all the old portraits hanging on the wall.

  “You told me nothing, you little pain in the ass,” he whispered softly as he sat there trying not to panic.

  Blindly reaching over, Mikey patted him on the head with an absently mumbled, “I’m going to need you to man up here.”

  “You’re evil. Did you know that?” Sebastian asked as he gently swatted her hand away.

  “Yes,” she said only to ask, “Do you think we could check out the baseball fields after your meeting?”

  “I’m sure that could be arranged,” Mrs. Blaine said as Steven rolled her over to join them.

  “I can’t do this,” Sebastian found himself admitting with a shake of his head only to end up biting back a gasp of pain when Mrs. Blaine’s cane landed on his foot.

  Looking innocent, she said, “You’ve come too far to give up now.”

  Making a mental note to steal her cane and hide it, Sebastian glanced around the office, looking for an exit only to forget how to breathe when someone called his name. He looked up to find the receptionist gesturing for him to follow her.

  “They’re ready to see you now,” she said with a polite smile as she waited.