The Neighbor #4 (The Neighbor Romance Series - Book #4)

THE
NEIGHBOR #4

Book
4

By
Claire Adams

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright
© 2014 Claire Adams

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Chapter
One

All I heard were the words
kissing
and
Ryder Curran
.
It was surreal, the dean stood before me, speaking. I could see his mouth
moving but there were no words. A tingle ran down my spine, but it was unlike
the feeling I had when Ryder touched me. That had been an otherworldly
experience of a different kind. I was worried that I might collapse on the
floor in front of Dean Meadows.

“Can you please repeat what you’re saying Dean
Meadows? Am I being accused of something?” I asked as beads of sweat began to
form.
My
workout clothing was meant to wick moisture.
I suppose they didn’t test the garment in such extreme conditions.

“Jenna, this is a serious matter. I would like to
meet you in my office at 2 PM. I will give you the opportunity to give me
details about why you were seen kissing your professor.
I
don’t wish to continue this conversation with without witnesses or in a lecture
hall. Can I expect to see you in Pratt Hall later today?”

“I will be there, sir. Do I need some sort of
representation?”
I
felt as though I was being
arrested. On television, the accused
were advised
to
consult an attorney. I expected the characters from
Law & Order
to come barging through the doors.

“I would suggest you follow your normal class
schedule for the day. Further instruction
will be given
to you at our meeting. I will let you get back to your day, Ms. Walsh.”

Dean Meadows left me standing alone in the lecture
hall. There was no mirror in the musty old room. If there were, I would expect
to see all color drained from my face. I fumbled through my bag for an energy
bar. I felt faint and panicked. I craved my phone. I had to speak to Ryder
before my 2 PM meeting.

I walked down the front steps of Tobin hall and
grabbed the steal handrail. I needed the assistance to steady myself. Then
I
saw Max standing at the foot of the concrete stairs.

“Max. I really wish you had not stuck around.” There
were small pods of other students gathering as if they expected me to make some
sort of announcement.

“Where else would I be, Jenna? Something went down
in there. I heard you were behind closed doors with
The Mean Dean
. Are you okay? You look like shit.”

“Thanks for pointing that out, Max.
I
’m going to skip the rest of my morning classes. I’m not a
super religious person, but since you occupy an occasional pew, put in a good
word for me with the man upstairs.”

He snickered slightly. “I’ll call you later,” Max
called out as I walked away. Hundreds of eyes were upon me as I walked straight
towards Leach Hall.

****

I walked into my room, which was vacant. I was glad
because I had no desire to get Kelly Womack involved in my melodrama. I
gathered my things for a shower and grabbed Kelly’s robe.
I
usually threw on an oversized t-shirt, but I wanted to be covered up. I wished
I were in a cocoon.

I reached in the robe’s pocket and there was a note.

See
you at theater at 6pm.
Avoir
mon
amie

Kelly must have a man—sweet. I crumbled up the note
and placed it back in the pocket.

The deluge of warm water was helpful. The morning
made me hurt all over, both physically and mentally. My skin was sore to the
touch.

“Hey, neighbor.” Eric’s hairy arm reached beneath
the divider.

Shit.
 
I
wasn’t up for a conversation.

“Hey.” I couldn’t manage many words.

“Not very talkative today—something
up?
You are normally quite cheerful,” Eric said.

Diane had not joined him yet. I smelled the vanilla
body wash I had shared with him before.

“Not feeling very cheerful today, Eric. I don’t
suppose you have seen a stray iPhone?” I said.

“As a matter of fact.
Diane found one in the parking lot, which she turned into the RA.”

“Did it have a tacky purple case with rhinestones?”

“Yes, it did. Diane is paranoid about breaking into
someone’s shit, so she didn’t even turn it on. Did you activate the kill
switch?” Eric asked.

“No. I’m not exactly a tech-head. I have no idea
what a fucking kill-switch is. Thanks, Eric. You at least provided me with a
small glimmer of light in an otherwise black day.”

“Ouch and it’s not even noon. What can be so bad? At
least you have a good portion of the day ahead of you. There is time to turn
things around.”

“Thanks.”

I heard his water shut off and then the door swung
open. I was finally alone. At least I knew where my phone was located. I was
certain it was loaded with messages from Ryder. Hearing his voice might have
managed to sooth me.

I toweled off and got dressed. I put on a pair of
beige linen pants and a silk blouse. I was tempted to wear tight jeans and a
fuck-me red tank top. Dean Meadows already considered me a tart, why not
dress the part
. Instead, I decided to look like a virginal
undergrad. I viewed my reflection in the mirror and then raced to the RA’s
room.

“Hello, I’m Jenna Walsh from down the hall,” I said.

“I know who you are, Jenna,” Ruby, my RA said. It
seemed as though she knew that I was fucking my professor. Maybe she had
browsed through my phone. Thank god Ryder and I had not been sharing nude
photos. Refusing to do so was the only sane decision I had made in the past
months.

“I think Diane dropped my lost iPhone off with you.”

“Yes, Diane dropped off a phone. Can you identify
it? I know that sounds absurd but I try my best to protect everyone’s privacy.”

“It is in a purple case that’s decorated with
rhinestones.”

“That is the one. I will grab it for you.”

I tried to be cool but I pulled the thing out of her
hands. It felt good to have the device. Shit—I discovered the battery had died,
of course. I raced back to my room and connected it to my charger. It
was hooked up
behind my pink golf bag. I resisted the
temptation to fling my clubs across the room. Kelly would consider having me
committed if I was to pull that shit again.

Five new texts were from Ryder. I opened the
messages.

Drive
safe

Call
me when you get home

See
you in class.
Gd
nght
.

No
sleep. Miss U

MissU

The last message had come in on Sunday night. He had
not attempted to reach me on Monday. There were no call attempts before or
after class. What the fuck.
I
dialed his number—I was
sent directly to voicemail.

“It’s me. Something is going on. I’m desperate here
Ryder. I will have my ringer on.
I
’m meeting with Dean
Meadows at 2 PM. Pratt Hall. Call me ASAP. I can’t go through this without
speaking to you first.”

I left the message and called Ryder several times
more. I left no more messages, but with 10 extra phone calls on his phone, he
would get the hint.

I had hours until my meeting with the dean. Having
taken a shower, a run wasn’t an option. I needed something to relax. Ryder was
something that made
me
relax, but that was also off
the table since he was nowhere to be found. I did the only thing I had left. I
pulled a can of frosting from Kelly’s stash.
Ew
—
butterscotch. It was
better than nothing, so I dove in.

With my mouth full, Kelly walked in the room.

“Hello. At least you didn’t hurl your golf clubs
around this time. What’s up? You are eating butterscotch frosting, so I know
you must be desperate.”

“My life is crumbling down around me. You may end up
with a single room if things go as I predict. I don’t need to tell you that
this involves my golf instructor slash professor.”

She rolled her eyes. “We have been sharing this
shoebox for almost an entire semester. I may be from Kansas but I’m not stupid.
There is something going on between you and Ryder. Whatever is going on has
dictated your moods in recent months. I can tell by your demeanor that this
thing has hit rock bottom.
I
have offered my
assistance and I don’t mind being left out but this time, I’m worried. You look
like a goddamn school teacher—what is up with that?”

With Kelly standing before me with her arms akimbo,
I lost it. The damn broke and I shared everything with my roommate, who had
known all along. While sobbing, I recounted everything from the night we were
first together to the night we first made love. Nothing seemed to surprise
Kelly.

“This may come as a shock to you but I went through
something similar back home. Why the fuck do you think I chose to attend school
2,000 miles away? “

My eyes popped.

“Oh, I would not have guessed.”

“I’m not going to fill you in on the details. It was
my piano teacher. It was particularly sticky because I was 16-years-old. I made
it through and my parents stuck by me. You have supporters even when you don’t
think there is anyone on your side. I thought I was in love. He did not do
anything lascivious and I didn’t have sex with the guy in his office. You have
certainly taken it a step beyond what happened with me, but I get it.”

“I have been walking around thinking that I was the
only one who ever fell in love with an older guy…teacher. It’s damn tiring,
living a double life.”

She grinned weakly. “Can’t help but notice, you
mentioned you love the man. That sets it apart from anything I experienced.”

“Did I say love?” I said. Even saying the word aloud
scared me.

“Yeah, but I think you’re saying it to the wrong
person,” Kelly said.

My conversation with Kelly took time and it was
approaching 2 PM; Ryder had not called. Kelly left for class and I took a deep
breath and departed for my meeting with the Dean.

****

I walked up the marble steps of the stately
administration building. I had never expected that I would enter under such
circumstances. In my fantasies, I expected I might be there to receive an
academic honor. An ample woman seated behind a desk greeted me when I walked in.

“You must be Jenna Walsh. The dean is expecting you
and he’ll be with you in a few moments. You can take a seat to the left. I have
this for you to read before you meet with the dean. I know you have seen it
before since it was one of the many things you signed at registration.”

I sat on the green leather couches. They were unlike
the vinyl seats I had seen before.
I
wondered if they
were meant to intimidate. If so, it worked.

I opened the booklet.

University
Code of Conduct

I
knew I was screwed without even reading further. I rolled up the pamphlet and
used it to tap the armrest as I waited. The fat chick at the desk was staring
daggers at me. She knew exactly why I was there and seemed to enjoy my
predicament. I wished I had gone with the tight jeans. They thought I was a
slut anyways and I was fooling myself trying to look sophisticated.

“Hello, Jenna. Come into my office,” Dean Meadows
said as he gestured for me to enter. “Please sit down and make yourself
comfortable.”