My Neighbor (House/OC)

[house_crazy]

Hi all! Lemur and I are writing this together, so sometimes chapters will come from her and sometimes they will come from me. This might seem kind of like Gorblimey's fic, Back Door Man, but I promise it's not. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Greg House. I lived next door to him when I was ten. And when I was thirteen. And fifteen and eighteen. Our fathers were sometimes stationed in the same places, they were both fighter pilots. It was certainly an experience, if nothing else. Why I decided to come back I have no idea.

I wanted to come back to see him. After almost ten years, I wanted to come back. Why? He was stubborn, abrasive, and cruel. I’m sure he tried to make it very clear that he didn’t want me around. After I….did something stupid, he wanted nothing to do with me.

And I came back.

[house_crazy]

Chapter 2

I remember, when I was ten, I first met Greg. He was one year older than me and definitely one year smarter. I was smarter than your average ten year old, but Greg House was out of the ordinary.

“Hi! I’m Claire. Who are you?”

“Greg House. My dad’s a fighter pilot.”

“Neat. My dad’s a fighter pilot too! Where is your house?”

“Next to yours.” He looked annoyed at me.

“Oh, good. Then we can play together when our dads are away.” I was so excited. My first friend who could possibly stay my friend, since his dad could be transferred with mine.

He looked away and put his hands in his pockets. “Yeah,” he said. He walked towards his house. I just watched him walk away.

I wondered why he didn’t seem so excited to see me. I mean, I assumed that he was a boy, and that he didn’t want to be seen with a girl. But I thought he would be excited to meet a kid who could possibly be a friend for longer than one station transfer for his dad. Maybe Greg House just wasn’t like that.

[house_crazy]

Chapter 3

The weather got really, really hot. And Greg had a pool. So he didn’t really want anyone there, but the children flocked and his mother encouraged it.

It rained exactly one day that summer. I remember it clearly.

I felt my stomach jump when I woke up. Even before I opened my eyes, I knew it was raining. The air was heavy and sticky. An ear-bursting thunderclap confirmed it.

The phone rang. Groggily, I opened my eyes. My clock read nine o’clock. I never slept that late. I answered the phone on the third ring.

“It’s the jerk next door. Mom made cookies.” I smiled.

“I’m there.” We hung up and I nearly bounced out of bed. I threw my pink pajamas off my body and in a pile on my lavender carpet. Greg said my bedroom looked like a unicorn threw up in it. I told him I’d clean it up if one did. He laughed. It’s fun to watch him laugh. I always get the sense he knows something the rest of us don’t.