Brien threw his door shut and sprinted to the neighbor’s front door.
He pounded furiously with the edge of his fist until he heard the alarmed cry from within “Coming! I’m coming!” A second later. “Who is it?”
“It’s Brien from next door,” he said. “Your parents asked me to watch the house while they were away, and I’ve got to talk to you about something important.”
He heard a chain removed, and the door opened a sliver. Julia peeked out through the gap. Her long, brown hair was wet, and she was clutching a wet robe closed at her neck. Her eyes were wide and brown and bright. “Can this wait? I’m in the shower.”
“No,” he pushed the door open and walked past her. “This has to happen right now.” She was off-balance, and he had to keep pressing if he was going through with this.
“Okay, what?” Julia asked, puzzled, and clutching the thin robe to her wet form. “What’s wrong?”