My brother's best friend

Hello, my name is Scarlet Johnson. When I was 10 years old, I met Joe Anderson, who moved next door to my house. Joe went to the same school as my brother, Dan Johnson, and me. They started getting along so well that they became best friends. Since I met Joe, I didn’t like him very much, even though I hardly interacted with him because I spent hours locked in my room. The truth is, I didn't like him because of his personality changes. I almost thought he was bipolar, as he was a mix of a cool and sweet guy, but at the same time, rough. However, he had his nice side and he is the most confident person I’ve ever met. But sometimes I saw him shy because of comments from girls, and how could he not be, since he was one of the boys that everyone wanted, but not me, because to me he was the most annoying and hateful person I had ever encountered. Years went by... Now I'm 17 years old; I'm no longer a little girl. I started interacting a bit more with Joe, even though he was still the person I hated. When I was younger, my brother, who I trusted, told me that Joe had said he was adopted and had watched his real dad die. At first, I didn't believe it, but now I realize why he is the way he is. I'm lying on my bed listening to music, I closed my eyes, and my mind recalled a moment that I never told anyone but that I experienced with Joe. **Flashback** When I was 12 years old, Joe loved to annoy me by calling me "little girl" because he was older than my brother and me. I never liked him saying "little girl." One afternoon we were at his house watching a movie when suddenly my brother came out and just said, "I'll be back, I’m going home." I only heard the door slam, and Joe and I just looked at each other. Then, he leaned in close to my ear and said: — I like you. Upon hearing those words, I looked at him and took in what he had just said. Suddenly, there was complete silence in the room; at that moment, Joe moved closer to me and kissed me. After he finished kissing me, he repeated: — I like you. I was in shock and just ran out of there... **End of Flashback** I opened my eyes and couldn’t stop remembering that moment, but I didn't know whether to believe him or not. After it happened, I acted as if nothing had changed since Joe, two days later, was dating a girl, and I assumed he was just playing with me. I ended up hating him more, but that moment kept replaying in my mind, and I've kept it to myself; I haven't even told my best friend about this situation because I don’t want anyone to find out, even though that doesn’t change what I felt back then. Damn it! I’ll never be able to get you out of my head, Joe! — I say out loud. — You’re so crazy about me. Hearing him say that, I stood up, but I didn’t even notice when he entered the room since the music was pretty loud. I was just in shock seeing him so sexy leaning against the door, right in front of me. The moment I reacted, I shouted, "Get out of here!" and pushed him while I closed the door in his face. I leaned against the door in shock and only heard him leave while laughing. I stayed in my room for a while without going out because I was dying of embarrassment; he shouldn’t have heard that. When I finally left my room, I went downstairs and passed through the kitchen, where I saw my mom. Then I passed to the living room and saw my brother Dan playing video games alone. I headed straight for the door because I just wanted to get out and think about what had happened. But when I stepped outside, my instinct made me look towards Joe’s house and I saw him sitting at his front door. I sighed and walked quickly to my car. Just as I was about to get in, I heard someone shout: — My little girl! A chill ran down my body upon hearing those words. I opened the car door as fast as I could, but just as I was about to get in, someone held the door to prevent me from opening it. I turned and looked at him. — Where are you going, little girl? — he asked, smiling in a way that made me uncomfortable. — Does it matter to you? — I replied, trying to hide my irritation. — You’re rude for kicking me out of your room so harshly — he said, still smiling. — You had no right to enter my room without knocking. At that moment, my brother came out of the house, and Joe walked over to him. I took advantage of the distraction to get in the car and escape from there. As I drove, my mind was flooded with questions: Why did he behave this way towards me? Why did he kiss me? Why didn’t he say anything afterward? Was he just mocking me? I tried not to think too much, but it was inevitable that so many questions arose. I felt stupid for thinking about him, which only fueled my animosity towards Joe. After a good while of driving, I headed to the beach, which was about 30 minutes from my house. That place was my favorite refuge; there I could think clearly. However, today I decided to let the sea breeze carry away my questions and just enjoy the views and the approaching sunset. The combination of the sound of the waves and the fresh breeze helped calm my mind. After spending some time at the beach, I decided to return because night was beginning to fall. When I got home, my mother asked where I had been. — I just went to the beach — I replied, avoiding giving more details, and quickly went upstairs. Once in my room, I locked myself in to have some peace. I lay in my bed and, in an instant, fell deeply asleep. I was exhausted from thinking about Joe and the confusion all that had created between us.