《It Happened Last Year》


 Chapter 1

    It happenedst year. No one saw iting, it hit our town like a meteor, something foreign, something both frightening and enticing. This scandal made everyone shake their heads, but they loved it, they love drama simply because they hardly get a taste of it. Sadly, their entertainment came with a cost, and I got shoved the bill. Really, the entire scandal was put into motion by me, but it wasn¡¯t my fault. They say I lied. That I made it up. They pinned me with a dire need of attention. Attention was thest thing I wanted, especially from someone like him.


    Don¡¯t cause problems, my mother said to me, in this town, nothing stays a secret for long.


    It¡¯s not a secret, I told her, I want people to know what he did to me. And I¡¯m not causing problems, it¡¯s the truth!


    I told my mother everything after the incident happened. She listened, and I thought she supported me-her nods were terribly convincing-but when I finished she told me to stop creating such stories. Attention, attention, attention, that¡¯s all she wants, they said, after it spread around the school. I told my best friend at the time, Daphne, and Daphne decided to take on the role of head-gossiper. She started the spread, like an STD during spring break, like in the movies. Everyone at school knew. Everyone at school thought I made it up, for guess what, attention.


    She made it up because her Daddy ran away with that slut, some girls said in the locker room, just a week after school started.


    The incident happened at a beginning of the school year party, thrown by the bastard himself. I attended with Daphne and our mutual friend Jana. Daphne was on the dance team and needed to soar this school year, as Junior year meant rising and senior year meant thriving. She needed to set herself up for greatness. Daphne, Jana, and I were nowhere near popr, but we weren¡¯t considered losers either, we were just there. I was okay with it, just being there. She needed more.


    Once she made the dance team over the summer, Daphne knew she had a shot at actual poprity.


    Jana, on the other hand, was like me, she was satisfied with her notch on the scale of social status. She was focused more on school than friends, then again, now, who knows what she¡¯s like.


    To make this all clear, after the start of the year party and after the first semester of my Junior year, I left.


    After my fake incident spread, everyone turned against me. How could they turn against their leader, Harrison Keller?


    Harrison Keller was the host of the party a year ago, and my leading man in the production that is the scandal. Like I said before, I did not want attention from him, unlike everyone else. Everyone else happened to love him, he was the star of our small town football team, a golden boy, wealthy, and charismatic to all hell. Girls swooned, boys were jealous, h, h, h.


    I know what you all are wondering, what was this incident?


    A sudden bell causes me to jump, my heart skipping an extra beat. I nearly hit my car horn. I scan the cluttered parking lot around me, filled with student cars, and thest few freshman rush past the main doors.


    I wish I was a child, I wish I could fall to the floor and cry, I don¡¯t wanna!


    Groaning, I grab my backpack and climb out of my car, shutting the door dramatically behind me. I swing the bag onto my back and grasp my phone tightly in my hand, ready with 911 already dialed, as if I¡¯ll need it, and I start my death march up to the doors.


    As I said, I left after the first semester of my Junior year, here at Coldgrove High School. I spent winter break packing up my things, leaving my mother, and moving to Florida with my Dad. How could I stay at a school where everyone hated me? Hell, the entire town hated me. So, I left. I started my second semester at a High School in Florida and lived with my Father and his girlfriend, yes, the one he ran away with. My parents are divorced now, but they were together at the time.


    My mother was devastated.


    I didn¡¯t want to move in with him, but if I wanted to leave Coldgrove, he was my only option.


    The main hallway of the building is empty, students are already shuffled into their sses, eager to discover who they¡¯ll be sat beside. It is nice to have the hallway to myself, as no one has noticed me, meaning I will not be pummeled with paper snowballs¡­ yet.


    Part of me wants to believe that they won¡¯t recognize me. I dyed my hair for it, and hopefully, I actually look rather different. How much can a person change in half a year?


    I printed my schedule outst night, at home. I scramble for it in my backpack, unfold it, and look at the first slot, reminding myself. It reads, Economics, 1242, Freeman. Room 1242, I can barely remember where that¡¯d be.


    A year agost week, at the party where it all happened, I had my first drink. It was a vodka sprite, and I didn¡¯t like the taste, it reminded me of the dentist.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a lightweight, Daphneughed at me.


    I shot back, I¡¯m not.


    We had just arrived and we were already drinking. As soon as we walked through the door Jana went off with some guy from her Spanish ss, leaving me with Daphne. Daphne wanted to impress her new teammates, so drinking professionally was a task. All of the dance team was there, including the captain at the time, ra. Daphne was obsessed with impressing ra.


    Daphne rolled her eyes at my baby-sips and left me all alone in the kitchen, abandoning me for ra.


    I stood in Harrison Keller¡¯s kitchen, alone, at a party full of upperssmen, and I was scared shitless. My two best friends left me, and in the moment I hated them for it. It was then that he came in with a few football yers, nced at me, and asked me my name.


    I wander the halls and count each room I pass until I reach 1242. There is a small, ck que beside the door. The number 1242-numerals and in brail-with ¡®Freeman¡¯ underneath it. Mr. Freeman, I¡¯ve heard about him. Eight months ago, the first semester of Junior year, the senior students would talk on and on about him, how hot he is for a teacher. It¡¯s funny how I remember only that. I would remember that.


    I take a deep breath and hesitantly reach for the handle. I hear them talking inside, probably going around the room, sharing, ying ice-breakers. I want to turn around, run, head straight for the hills, but I know I can¡¯t.


    I don¡¯t wanna!


    I roll my eyes and hype myself up as if I am about to lift three hundred pounds.


    Then I do it, I grip the handle a little too hard, push the door open and step in. Everyone stops talking, the room falls silent.


    I know what they¡¯re all thinking: holy crap, Hailey Fonte is back.

 Chapter 2

    I feel suffocated like all their harsh eyes are focusing in on my throat, mentally choking me. I swallow, step further in, let the door shut behind me. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hailey. I¡¯m new,¡± I say and turn to the teacher, they were right, he is good looking, but a little too short for my taste.


    Mr. Freeman¡¯s face is nk, surprised maybe, then hees back to life. ¡°Oh, o-of course. Take a seat, it¡¯s an open seating chart.¡±


    I smile, painfully, and turn back to the crowd. They are staring or whispering to each other, it¡¯s one or the other. There is a seat right in front and I make my way over until a girl suddenly ces her bag on the chair. I look at her and she res.


    With a sigh, I find another seat in the middle of the ssroom. I step over bags and move to sit down. Once I am sat, I ce my bag by my feet and look up. The girl that was sitting in the desk beside this one has now moved across the room. Everyone is watching me. I want to cry.


    ¡°Alright everyone,¡± Mr. Freeman slices through the silence, not knowing what to do, ¡°let¡¯s continue. We were taking turns saying our names, something we like, our favorite ss, and what we did over the summer.¡±


    I am thankful that he updated me, though I knew, already, what they were up to.


    A guy a few seats behind me starts up again. ¡°My names Bradley. I like to y football, my favorite ss is lunch, and over the summer I yed football, hung out, you know.¡± I remember him. He was a friend of Harrison¡¯s, he was with him when he walked into the kitchen.


    ¡°My names Jacob, I like to hang out with friends, my favorite ss is Spanish, and over the summer I went on a cruise.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°My names Daphne,¡± oh no, ¡°I like to dance, my favorite ss is anything without liars in it, and over the summer I didn¡¯t run away like a little b-¡±


    ¡°Daphne,¡± Mr. Freeman cuts her off, giving her a warning.


    Once it is my turn to share, I say whatever, doubting that anyone actually cares. I like to write, my favorite ss is English, over the summer I went to the beach, nothing noteworthy. Thest thing I need is more attention.


    Once the ss is over, I rush into the hallway with my head down. This is what I was scared of,rge crowds. My next ss is across campus, Earth Science with Mr. Long, and I pray to God that Daphne doesn¡¯t join me again.


    I got a glimpse of her as I left the ss. Her hair is longer, lighter in color, she has a beautiful face, perfect body, and a dance team shirt on, everything she strived for. There was a look in her eye almost telling me to get out. It is hard to believe that we were once friends.


    Something stops me in my mission to safety, something hard. I stumbled back with a red face and look up at my victim, the person who I had stupidly run into. Are they going to yell at me? Laugh at me?


    I meet his dark, unfamiliar eyes, and before I realize what a catch he is, ¡°sorry¡± is spilling from my lips. ¡°I¡¯m such a klutz.¡±


    My heart seems to pause a moment when I study his face, the stranger¡¯s jawline is enough to have any girl at this school blushing. Howe I don¡¯t know him?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the tall, muscr, mysterious, swoon-worthy, shall I go on-says to me, then moves past.


    My eyes follow him until he disappears into the crowd. A few people around are watching, but they don¡¯t seem interested in me, rather the fact that I bumped into him.


    Who was that?


    Like I have anyone to ask.


    Just on cue, it happens, like an angel sent from God, I hear her beautiful voice. ¡°Holy shit, Hailey!¡±


    At first, I thought it was another student, ready to cuss me out or fight with me about Harrison, and how what I did was wrong. But no, it is something much better.


    When I turn to the side, Jana, my once best friend grabs my arm and yanks me into the flow of walking students, the one I was in before running into Mr. Mystery.


    I don¡¯t know what to say to her.


    Jana was my one good thing before I left, she was the only person who didn¡¯t shun me. I couldn¡¯t tell if she believed me or not, but Jana never fought with me about it. She listened and we moved on, even if everyone around us was turning against me. She was my one reason to stay. The Cons outweighed the Pros.


    ¡°What on earth are you doing back here?¡± She asks rapidly. ¡°I thought I would never see you again.¡±


    Her blue eyes are alive, full of excitement and happiness. Her cheeks are pink, her hair is chestnut and full, Jana is the spokesperson for life, if there ever was one. ¡°I-I lost your number when I got a new phone. I wanted to tell you that I wasing back, but I didn¡¯t know how to reach you. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know if you wanted to talk to me.¡±


    She res at me jokingly. ¡°Not want to talk to you? How? You¡¯re my best friend, stupid. Even though I should hate you because you left me, I¡¯m going to move on and try not to have a heart attack because you¡¯re actually right in front of me. This is insane. What made youe back?¡±


    A smile lights up my face and I thank God for this gift. ¡°My Dad and his wife moved to Canada. She¡¯s Canadian. I couldn¡¯t go so I moved back in with my mom.¡±


    ¡°They got married?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Just a few months ago. What have you been up to? We have so much to catch up on.¡±


    Jana groans. ¡°Oh God, I know. Let¡¯s meet after school at Knocks, we can talk over milkshakes, okay?¡±


    I hesitate.


    Knocks, the number one hangout for the students of Coldgrove High School. Daphne used to drag us there over the summer before Junior year so she could talk to ra about trying out for the dance team. She knew ra always hung out there on Fridays.


    It is a small, fifties style diner that has been here for years. It¡¯s a town favorite.


    Not wanting to risk my chance at rekindling my friendship with Jana, I agree and we go our separate ways.

 Chapter 3

    I remember it all so clearly. Harrison asked me my name.


    Hailey, I mumbled softly, not sure why he was talking to me. I knew who he was.


    Harrison, but I¡¯m sure you already knew that since you are at my house, he said with a charming smile. All of the girls in my grade dreamt of that smile. He was a Junior like I was, but he was friends with many seniors because of football. He yed on the varsity team, every game.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say back to him, I hardly ever talked to guys. The only time I was around popr ones like him was when Daphne wanted to go to Knocks.


    I felt his eyes watching me. You want something to drink? He asked, and nervously I said sure.


    I close my car door behind me, leaving my school bag on the passenger seat before heading to the double doors of Knocks. Since school just ended, not many people are here yet, and that gives me room to breathe.


    I push past the doors and a woman greats me as she wipes down a booth table. I smile back and scan the room for Jana. Thankfully, I spot her in the corner booth, on her phone. Once I am close enough for her to notice me, she drops her phone and smiles. ¡°Thanks for showing up.¡±


    ¡°You thought I wouldn¡¯t?¡± I ask and sit down across from her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You seemed a little uneasy about it at school, but I¡¯m d you¡¯re here because we have so much to talk about. Start with Florida, what was it like?¡±


    I¡¯m happy that she¡¯s eager to start things up again. ¡°Florida was¡­¡±


    Florida was amazing. It was sunny, humid, busy, and exciting. The people at my school always hung around at beaches, like in movies. I became friends with this girl who loved to surf-and urged me to learn-her name was L. L and I were stuck together like glue. The guys loved her, and I loved the guys. They all seemed to love their lives, which looked to be an act, but I couldn¡¯t care less. Everyone seemed so alive, and Jana reminds me of them.


    There is one part that I keep from Jana, though. Mr. Russ. Mr. Russ was my English teacher and my favorite teacher at that. When I first moved to Florida I obviously knew no one, but he was nice to me. Soon, we became friends. He was young, it was his first year teaching and he had just moved to Florida from Seattle. We were both new, in a way. We became close, a little too close. Close enough to the point where I would visit him after school ended, with the ssroom door closed. We never had sex. After what I went through in Coldgrove, I didn¡¯t want to, but if I didn¡¯t have these issues, I¡¯m sure it would have happened. I¡¯m ashamed of myself for it.


    It started off with harmless flirting, extra attention in ss, asking me to stay after. I thought he was handsome, I thought what we were doing was wrong, so I lost myself in it. It was wrong. That¡¯s why I was so I love with the idea of it.


    I was damaged.


    We kissed a few times, hardly. Whenever things became too heavy I would freak out and have a panic attack.


    ¡°Wow, Florida sounds wonderful,¡± Jana smiles and takes a sip of her pink milkshake. ¡°Beaches every day, warm weather, hot guys, sounds like paradise. Darn, and I was stuck here.¡±


    Iugh lightly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been busy here.¡±


    ¡°You know, same old Coldgrove. The most exciting thing here is the high school football games, and that says something.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Well, are there any guys in your life?¡±


    Jana blushes, giving herself away. ¡°Well, possibly. There¡¯s this guy in my English who is super sweet, and he¡¯s a total catch. We¡¯ve been talking for a bit, I gave him my numberst week. He asked me to the movies and he paid for everything.¡±


    ¡°What a gentleman,¡± Iment, ¡°what¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Tyler Bradshaw.¡±


    Just then the door opens and I nce in that direction. A few students have wandered in, none of them noticing me, but I have a habit of looking every time just in case.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    This time, it was worth it.


    I hold my breath as Harrison Keller himself casually walks in along with a few others. I feel a pain in my lungs, as I am forgetting to breathe. I shoot back to Jana and she notices my difort. The space under the table seems very inviting right about now.


    ¡°Do you want to go?¡± She asks and I shake my head, no. I can¡¯t risk ruining my newly mended friendship. Maybe he won¡¯t notice me because of my dark hair, maybe-


    ¡°Hailey Fonte, right?¡±


    I freeze in my spot. My eyes plead with Jana for help, but she seems struck also. She is staring up at him.


    Tears well in my eyes.


    The walls close in on me and I find it hard to focus, to breathe even. I know this feeling, a panic attack.


    Jana suddenly stands up and grabs her bag before grabbing my arms and yanking me from the booth. With my head down, together we push past Harrison and head straight for the door. Jana drops cash on the counter before escaping.


    ¡°No hello?¡± Harrison calls, but we¡¯re already gone.


    Outside Knocks, I cling to my car and Jana gets in before I do the same. Knowing Jana, she doesn¡¯t have a car, she most likely walked here from school.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to your house,¡± Jana suggests and I nod. ¡°Do you want me to drive?¡± I nod again.


    I knew I would see him. Harrison tormented me sparsely throughout the first semester, but when he did, I couldn¡¯t take it. He too would pretend that I made it all up.


    So you¡¯re going to be a Junior? He asked a year ago, in his kitchen. His friends had moved on with the party while Harrison stayed with me, and I didn¡¯t know why. What was so interesting about me?


    Yeah, I mumbled back.


    Did youe with anyone?


    I thought of Jana and Daphne then, and how they had left me. I did, I said, but they¡¯re off somewhere.


    He flirted, I have you all to myself then.


    I blushed. I didn¡¯t know how to answer. I had never flirted with a guy before, only Daphne did. Don¡¯t you want to go with your friends? I asked.


    He shrugged, they aren¡¯t as interesting as you are, Hailey. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯d never noticed you before.


    I felt special. No guy had ever given me so much attention. Harrison chatted me up, asked me about school, about my friends, about myself. He asked, do you have a boyfriend?


    I shook my head and took a small sip of whatever he gave me, I wasn¡¯t sure what it was. I thought it might be beer, it felt like beer.


    Really? I thought you would have. You¡¯re so beautiful, I thought for sure some other guy would have swept you up by now, he smiled charmingly, again.


    I blushed, again.

 Chapter 4

    I lead Jana up to my room, though I¡¯m sure she remembers where it is. It is the same as it wasst year, white walls and carpeting, white furniture, and white bedding with delicate purple flowers on it.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a thing,¡± she murmurs and wanders inside, looking up my bookcase.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t feel like it,¡± I tell her while sitting down on my bed.


    ¡°Sorry about what happened at Knocks, Harrison usually doesn¡¯t go there so I thought it would be okay.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. How would you have known? Stuff just happens.¡±


    The house is quiet, as my mother is at work. She has a job at the local police station, obviously enough she is a police officer. It is silly, actually. Since she is a police officer, I expected her out of everyone to believe me. I was drunk, though, that didn¡¯t help.


    Jana sits down on my grey bean bag chair, the one I used to sit on every night and cry. I suppose the color suits it. Though, seeing someone as bright as Jana on it makes the bad memories fade. ¡°You know, Hailey, I didn¡¯t believe you at first, and I¡¯m sorry for that. I didn¡¯t understand back then.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you believed me at all.¡±


    ¡°I do know, after seeing him, how he just came up to you, how he called out as we were leaving. I don¡¯t know, it seemed off. I believe you, Hailey. I think I have for a while. I should have shown you my supportst year. When you told me about it, it frightened me, I didn¡¯t think someone like that could go to my high school, you know?¡±


    I nod. ¡°I understand. If I were you I would have acted the same. How could that happen to our town, right? Everything here is supposed to be perfect.¡±


    Jana smiles. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something happy. You need cheering up. How was your first day back?¡±


    ¡°Besides Daphne giving me a hard time and a few other students, it was okay. I actually bumped into this guy before you grabbed me, but I didn¡¯t recognize him. He was tall, built like a football yer but he doesn¡¯t seem like one, ridiculously good looking-¡±


    Jana¡¯s face changes, as if she knows something I don¡¯t know. ¡°Oh, I know who you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Who is it then?¡±


    ¡°That tall drink of water would be Daniel Todd, he moved herest year, after you left oddly enough. All of the girls have crushes on him, it¡¯s pretty funny to watch them watch him. You can see the daydreaming in their eyes,¡± she exins. ¡°You know what! Daphne totally went after him, but he showed no interest in her, it was great entertainment to watch her try so hard.¡±


    I furrow my brows. ¡°You¡¯re no longer close with Daphne?¡±


    ¡°Heck no. After you left we stopped talking as much, and our friendship eventually died. I don¡¯t miss her though. She¡¯s turned into a sourpuss.¡± Janabs through her hair with her fingers, brushing it from her face. ¡°She¡¯s with some football dumbbell right now. Though I think she¡¯s chasing Harrison, since Daniel won¡¯t even smile at her she must have moved on. I¡¯m a people watcher.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± I joke and fall back onto my bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to survive this year.¡±


    Jana scoffs. ¡°Um, you have me?¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Like you never left.¡±


    The next day I battle through Economics with Daphne, though she doesn¡¯t say much. Ourmunication consists of her giving me dirty looks. Mr. Freeman constantly reminds me of Mr. Russ, which is another problem, and I begin to consider dropping the ss.


    When I make it to lunch I find Jana, which is much better than yesterday since I spend all of lunch sitting in the library reading a random book on adaptation. I spot her at a table off to the right, and I hurry over. There are two other people sitting down with her, and I grow nervous to approach them.


    ¡°Hey, Hailey, this is Taylor and Jordan,¡± Jana introduces me and I smile kindly.


    Taylor is incredibly pretty and she is dressed very crisp, her cream sweaterpliments her dark skin tone beautifully, and each of her curls are neat and tame. I begin to feel like a slobpared to her.


    Jordan sits fairly close to her, and by their bodynguage, I can tell they¡¯re a couple. Jordan has a track shirt on, telling me he is on the high school track team.


    I sit down beside Jana. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    Jana tells me more, ¡°Jordan is a senior and Taylor is a junior. I met Taylor through Jordan. They¡¯ve been together since the summer.¡±


    ¡°Well, you too look lovely together,¡± I smile again, wondering if I should stop or not. Maybe I look creepy, maybe I look sweet.


    ¡°Hailey here just moved back from Florida, and she has already discovered Daniel.¡±


    My cheeks flush and I stare at Jana, wondering why on earth she just told them that.


    Janaughs. ¡°Jordan is friends with him.¡±


    ¡°Our moms worked together,¡± Jordan exins, ¡°he¡¯s a pretty cool dude, but he steals all the girls.¡±


    Taylor nudges him.


    ¡°Not that I care,¡± he adds. ¡°He¡¯s kinda private, that¡¯s why no girl gets far with him. They all want a rtionship, but he doesn¡¯t share. You know, I would really appreciate if you would stop pulling me in on your girly conversations.¡±


    Jana¡¯s face lights up. ¡°Speaking of the devil.¡±


    I follow her eyes and find myself looking at Daniel as he walks coolly into the cafeteria. There is something so effortless about his movements, but he never stumbles or runs into anyone. He heads our way and my heart begins to race.


    I turn back around and wait for him to reach us, my leg bouncing up and down.


    It is weird to act like this again. Ever since Harrison, ever since Mr. Russ, I¡¯ve been turned off by most guys, having no interest at all. I know it is because my incident with Harrison was traumatizing, and my situation with Mr. Russ was wrong on so many levels. After Harrison, I had nned on staying away from boys all together, heck, if they came near me I would freak out. In Florida, I felt like someone else, lying to myself, convincing myself that the guys were cute-something teen-like.


    Mr. Russ-well, I don¡¯t like talking about it, nor Harrison, but Mr. Russ was an adult. They aren¡¯t equal, but they both left a major dent on me.


    The crushing thing is, I had no one to talk to. With Harrison, no one believed me. With Mr. Russ, well, I was a minor, and he wasn¡¯t. Why did I choose to protect Mr. Russ? Perhaps because our feelings for each other were mutual most of the time. He was rather gentle and soft-spoken, it helped a bit, but not enough.


    Like I said before, I¡¯m ashamed of it.


    Daniel reaches us and I nce up casually. His eyes pour down to me, he studies me, then he turns to Jordan. ¡°Are you going to Watts¡¯ tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, why?¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°People keep asking me about it.¡±


    Jordan turns to Taylor. ¡°You down to go to Watts¡¯?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    She nods. ¡°Sure, how many people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a small thing,¡± Daniel tells her, and I watch the conversation with extreme interest. What is Watts¡¯? And why do I suddenly want to be there if Daniel is going to be there?


    Taylor looks to Jana. ¡°You wanna go?¡±


    Jana looks to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I have no one to look to, and I struggle. ¡°Uh, I-sure?¡±


    Daniel looks to me again, and I don¡¯t know why, but I enjoy it. Stupidly, a blush seeps to my cheeks and I turn away before I embarrass myself.


    Once Daniel is gone I nce at Jana. ¡°What is Watts¡¯?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a guy on the football team. He throws these reallyid back pool parties.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a party.¡±


    Jana assures me, ¡°it¡¯s really not a party, more of a small kickback.¡±


    Lovely.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Do I have to wear a swimsuit?¡± I ask Jana as I sit on her bed, waiting for her toe out of the bathroom.


    ¡°It is a pool party,¡± she calls, ¡°I mean kickback, a pool kickback.¡±


    I grab one of her pillows and set it on myp. Jana¡¯s room is colorful and cozy, and being in here makes me feel happy. She has plenty of pictures, school merchandise, decorations, things that truly make this room that of high school girls. Thest time I saw it, she had a mirror hanging on her door where we used to write in lipstick, only because we thought it made us edgy. Now thinking about it, Iugh a little.


    Janaes out in a white bikini, showing plenty. She looks amazing in it, incredibly confident. ¡°Perfect,¡± I call and she waves me off.


    ¡°Borrow something,¡± she orders more then suggests and rummages through the same drawer that her bikini came from. ¡°How about a ck bottom with a red top?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Really, I don¡¯t do bikinis.¡±


    ¡°You wore them over the summer before-¡± she stops herself. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I look down to myp for a moment, not wanting to be a downer. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just dip my feet in, it will be nice.¡±


    Jana lets a small smile appear. ¡°At least borrow a dress?¡±


    ¡°Sure, and you can pick it out.¡±


    Jana scavenges through her closet, shuffling through all of her dresses until shees out with a cute, white sundress. ¡°It seems like you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll change and then we¡¯ll go.¡±


    I drive us to the pool-kickback and find myself worrying the entire way there while listening to Jana¡¯s directions at the same time. We have to recalcte a few times.


    I can¡¯t help but think back.


    I want to give you a tour of the house, Harrison said as we walked away from the kitchen.


    I agreed, I just wanted to impress him, Okay.


    He avoided the downstairs, as that is where a party was taking ce. Harrison led me up the stairs, and I thought nothing of it. I remember looking up at him and he climbs the stairs before me, watching his back. Daphne is going to be so jealous, I thought. I was with the most popr guy in school.


    He wanted to show me his bedroom, which excited me.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Jana says, which is odd because I am the one driving. ¡°You ready to get out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Together we walk towards the house, but instead of going to the front door, we make our way through the side gate and down a pathway along the side of the house. I can hear music, not too loud, and voices talking normally, not shouting, which is different from Harrison¡¯s party.


    I follow Jana into the backyard. It opens up nicely, revealing arge, curving pool and many people. Some are in the glowing water while others lounge around at a table or on a lounge chair.


    I recognize many people from school, from before I left. Taylor and Jordan are swimming, theyugh as someone jumps in, shing them.


    Some people stare at me then turn to whisper, saying something like: that¡¯s her, the girl who started the rumors about Harrison. She said that he¡­ well, you know.


    I take a step closer to Jana. ¡°They¡¯re talking about me.¡±


    Jana scans the area for said gossipers. ¡°Ignore them, but if they bother you anymore, I¡¯ll hurt them.¡±


    I smile and jokinglytch onto her arm. ¡°My protector,¡± I coo.


    She rolls her eyes and brings us over to the couple. After setting her things down on a lounge chair, Jana peels off her dress and tosses it to the side. ¡°Move over or I¡¯m jumping on you!¡±


    She throws herself in and when she surfaces Taylor sends a ssh her way. I smile and sit on the lounge chair.


    ¡°Noting in?¡± Taylor questions and I shake my head, no. ¡°Can¡¯t swim?¡±


    ¡°I can, I just feel like staying dry for now.¡±


    She climbs out of the water and sits on the edge, her feet swimming. ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    I stand up and sit down, Jana¡¯s white dress pools around my thighs as I dip my toes in first. The water is warm, the pool must be heated. ¡°You and Jordan make a great couple.¡±


    She gazes over at him as he sits on the pool stairs with some other guys. ¡°Yeah, I love him so I guess that means something. We¡¯ve known each other for a while, just never thought about being something more than friends since this year. Do you have a special someone?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me.¡±


    ¡°I thought Jana said you were interested in Daniel?¡± She questions and I can tell she¡¯s messing with me.


    I roll my eyes and lean back, using my arms to keep myself up. ¡°I ran into him in the hallway, that¡¯s all. Jordan said he doesn¡¯t go for any Coldgrove girls anyways, so I guess if I had a crush, it wouldn¡¯t matter much.¡±


    Taylor shrugs. ¡°You never know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. My sweatpants and knotted hair are just too much to resist,¡± Iugh and she joins in. ¡°Maybe if I dressed like you, boys would pay attention to me.¡±


    ¡°Like me?¡±


    I nod. ¡°You¡¯re a good dresser, and hey, you got Jordan.¡±


    It¡¯s nice to talk to someone and not have to worry if they hate you or not. I know talking about boys is weird, especially since their touch makes me shudder, but I feel like a teenage girl finally being a teenage girl again. I only have two more years of it after all.


    With Mr. Russ, touch was a struggle. He wanted to kiss me, but I wouldn¡¯t let him. We tried once a while after, and I started to cry, and I don¡¯t know why. It was only a kiss.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to dress better to be beautiful, heck, if you did you¡¯d knock us all out of the ballpark.¡±


    Iugh. ¡°You¡¯re too generous.¡±


    Taylor shakes her head. ¡°You know, it¡¯s the really beautiful ones that don¡¯t see it.¡±


    I watch my feet swirl around until shouting catches my attention. Two guys wrestle by the edge, each trying to push the other into the water. Finally, one falls and sshes my dress, nearly soaking it. I stand up and pull the wet fabric from my skin. I wonder if people can see my underwear.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Walking to the chair, I grab my phone and secretly take a picture of my behind. Studying the screen, I realize the outline is visible, but not the pastel pink color.


    My eyes drift up when I notice Daniel walking by the other side of the pool. I can¡¯t help but peek at his body, his arms, his back, his everything. Even through the shirt, an admirer can admire. He doesn¡¯t like Coldgrove girls. You don¡¯t like boys anymore, so I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. I guess I never thought it through, that I¡¯ll be romantically alone from now on.


    This is my bedroom, Harrison said and I walked in. My eyes were busy as he closed the door behind him, busy as he locked it also.

 Chapter 6

    The night carries on and the kickback moves inside. Those who swam now have towels wrapped around them, and Trent Watts, the host, is now visible. I didn¡¯t recognize his name, but I remember him from just one nce. He was not popr, nor unpopr, sort of like me. I suppose he now has these pool parties going for him, it must have put him on the map.


    Music ys softly in the background as I curl up next to Taylor and Jana. Trent has the firece going, and I wonder where his parents are. We are in the living room, and soon enough Jordanes in with Trent himself and Daniel. My posture lifts up a bid at the sight of him.


    ¡°What you up to?¡± Jordan asks Taylor and she shrugs, almost falling asleep against my arm.


    ¡°She¡¯s worn out,¡± Jana murmurs and throws her head back against the couch. ¡°Swimming is tiring, especially when you idiots are always trying to kill each other.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    My eyes swing to Daniel every now and then. He looks calm, rxed,id back. He was the entire time. There is something intriguing about him, and it¡¯s not only his appearance. His hair looks soft, dark and smooth. It looks good without even trying, I bet.


    Jana nudges me, giving me a look. She probably notices me eyeing Daniel. ¡°I left my things outside,¡± I mumble and head out to the backyard.


    I pass through the kitchen where people have started drinking, and I refused an offered cup. The interaction effects me in a way that it usually doesn¡¯t, it makes me sad. In Florida, I was offered alcohol constantly at gatherings. Maybe it is just the location, maybe it is just Coldgrove.


    There are a few lights left on outside, along with the pool light. The area is vacant and I finally feel like I can breathe. I sit down on the lounge chair and stare at the glowing water with longing. I want to submerge myself, to float, to feel the water on every inch of my skin. I bite my lip, the water feels so nice, so refreshing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t swim?¡±


    I jump a little and look to the back door. It¡¯s Daniel, surprisingly. Alone.


    ¡°I do,¡± I say back, trying to keep my voice smooth. ¡°Just not right now.¡±


    He eyes me then walks towards me, making my heart race. I even panic a little, not knowing what to expect. Then he passes me and heads for the back gate, to leave. Disappointment seeps in. Part of me wanted something to happen, and the other part doesn¡¯t know why.


    I was angry after it happened, mostly because I wanted to be heard, yet no one was listening. I read online that some victims don¡¯t tell anyone about it, which caused me to think.


    Sometimes I felt guilty. I shouldn¡¯t have gone to the party. I shouldn¡¯t have taken the drink. I shouldn¡¯t have gone upstairs. I shouldn¡¯t have let him close the door. I shouldn¡¯t have given up, I should have kept fighting. When I think of thest one, I usually cry.


    I also read that sometimes the other person doesn¡¯t realize they¡¯re doing something wrong, which caused me to think even more.


    Harrison knew he could get away with it, he knew he was doing something wrong.


    After he locked the door, I turned around.


    Aren¡¯t you going to show me more rooms? I asked, feeling tipsy.


    Harrison neared me, caressed my arms, and brought me down to the bed. We sat the on edge beside each other. Without another word he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, surprising me, making my stomach summersault. I could hear the ring music from downstairs as he moved his lips against mine. There was something muffling about it.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡±


    I nce up and see Jana standing before me, looking exhausted. I nod and gather our things before heading back to the car. She nearly falls asleep in the passenger seat and I tap her gently on the arm when I get to her house. Jana walks slowly to the front door and waves back at me before going in. Iugh a little and drive off.


    The rest of the weekend passes by quickly, and I spend most of it in bed. Jana calls, we talk only because I wasn¡¯t answering any text messages. She asks if I¡¯m okay, if I need her to bring me anything, but I say no, along with a thank you.


    Hailey, do you mind staying after ss, I need to talk with you, Mr. Russ would call to me and I would nod. It was never really a question, as I never said no. Once all the students were emptied from the room, I would near his desk, lean up against it.


    You need something? I would ask, suggestively.


    What happened yesterday-are you alright? He asked, referring to his grabbing of my legs when I was sat on his desk. He ran his hands up them and I jerked away, panicked, then left.


    I shrugged it off. Oh, I¡¯m fine.


    He looked at me, uneasy, then asked, What happened to you, Hailey?


    I pretended to not know what he was talking about. Then he did it, touched my leg again, and I jumped.


    He questioned me, Did someone hurt you?


    Hurt me? I would act as if he was the crazy one. Who would have hurt me, Mr. Russ?


    You don¡¯t let me touch you, he said, you don¡¯t let anyone touch you.


    I roll over in my bed and stare out the window. What a terrible memory to keep.


    Mr. Russ and I lost contact after school ended. Part of me was upset, part of me was relieved. I couldn¡¯t help the guilty feelings I hadte at night,ying alone, wondering if I am making a mistake.


    When I was with him, I was fueled, but without him, I only wished to be as far away from him as possible. Sometimes he scared me, sometimes he made me hot, sometimes I would ignore his request and leave the ssroom anyways.


    I was damaged, confused, clingy, abandoned, and so much more, and I didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.

 Chapter 7

    I walk into the cafeteria with my backpack hanging from one shoulder, ready to fall off. I catch a glimpse of Jana, Taylor, Jordan, surprisingly Trent, and even Daniel sitting at the lunch table today. In my head, I thank God for it. I like to look at him, which seems stalkerish, but I can¡¯t help it. They are schoolgirl thoughts, it¡¯s a schoolgirl crush, and it will never happen.


    ¡°Hailey Fonte, you just won¡¯t give up, will you?¡±


    My eyes freeze at a spot on the floor, it is tiled, white with ck speckles. I know that high voice all too well, and I know better than to flee. The cafeteria is silenced by her.


    ncing up, slowly, I see her long tinum hair. Her hand is on her hip and her white t-shirt glows with the words: Coldgrove Dance Team.


    Daphne.


    ¡°What? Have you gone mute too? Have your lies gone to your head? You know, you have real nerveing back here.¡±


    I knew this would happen eventually. ¡°Look, Daphne-¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re air. An attention whore-¡±


    Suddenly, Jana shoots up from her seat. ¡°Hailey,¡± she calls me over, waving. The entire table is looking at me, watching me struggle, not sure what to do. This doesn¡¯t happen here, not in dear Coldgrove. Daniel doesn¡¯t look strained, though, he looks calm, as he usually does.


    I step to the side, ready to walk around her and join Jana, but Daphne steps in my way, swiftly. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere but out the door.¡±


    My heart squeezes in my chest. Why did you do this Hailey? Why did youe back to this school? Why did youe back to Coldgrove? They hate you. They¡¯ll always hate you.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes are on me. They¡¯re waiting, waiting for something. Will I leave? Will I push past her? Will I fall to my knees and cry?


    The worst of the worst happens then.


    Harrison Keller stands up from a table and walks over, as he does so, he calls out, ¡°Leave her alone, Daphne.¡±


    I can feel myself starting to hyperventte.


    Daphne peers at him, who is now standing beside her. She scowls at me then drifts back to her lunch table, the one filled with other dance team members.


    Like an arrow shot from a bow, Harrison¡¯s hand reaches out to me, maybe to my shoulder, maybe to somewhere else. Immediately, I flinch back. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    Maybe it was the words I said or the sound of actual fear in my voice, but the crowd seems taken back.


    Jana runs towards me and ps his arm away, shoving herself in between us. She shelters me before leading me out of the cafeteria, through the main doors. I don¡¯t dare look back at all their faces, their beady eyes.


    The doors close behind us and we turn into the nearest bathroom. Jana shoo¡¯s out one girl who is standing in front of the mirror, fixing her hair. She shuts the bathroom door, kicking out the wedge, and she locks it.


    The mirror taunts me, daring me to take a look at the mess standing before me. I grab theminate counters and squeeze before tumbling to the ground. Ind on my butt. Jana watches me. ¡°Do you want to be alone?¡± She asks. I nod. She leaves. I cry.


    I assume she¡¯s blocking off the door to any students, and I love her for that.


    Mr. Russ closed the ssroom door, then turned to me. I want to kiss you, Hailey, he said.


    I stood against his desk, watching him near me like a starving lion, hunting in the Savannah. I was the zebra, waiting to be in. I didn¡¯t move, I fought myself to stay.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    He grabbed my hand, a baby step, then reached out to my face, caressing my cheek. I wanted to run, to cry, but I held it all back. He leaned in as he had done before, then brought our lips together, touching softly. My knees buckled. He moved his lips, I tried to, he touched my back, I squeeze my eyes shut. It was like dancing with a shattered leg.


    He wanted more from me, I could feel it.


    Tears slipped from my eyes, and he pushed me against his body, closing the space between us. The drops rolled down my cheek, joining the kiss, and Mr. Russ stopped. He pulled away, stared at me as I frantically pushed myself from him.


    The bathroom floor is cold, dirty, no ce for a person, yet I continue to sit here, leaning against the wall.


    ¡°You can¡¯t block off the bathroom!¡± I hear someone yell from outside.


    ¡°There¡¯s another one down the hall, now walk away,¡± Jana¡¯s voice fights back, and I smile, almostughing.


    The tears have stopped now, and Jana peeks in for the second time. ¡°You okay?¡± She calls and I nod. She then slips in and locks the door behind her. ¡°Daphne is a bitch, she had no right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I murmur, ¡°I expected this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve this,¡± she says with fire, ¡°what he did to you? You have to fight back! You need justice!¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I tried, a year ago, but no one listened, you know that. No one cares that I got hurt, they only care about Harrison, about his reputation. The only people that know what happened-the truth-is Harrison and me, and I know he is never going toe clean. Who would.¡±


    Jana falls back against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hailey. I wish there was something that I could do, something to help bring him down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. The past is the past, and I suppose the only thing I can do now is to survive this year and move on.¡±


    Jana and I avoid the cafeteria for the rest of lunch, and instead, we walk around the campus. She talks about Tyler Bradshaw, her love interest, taking my mind off of Daphne and Harrison. I enjoy listening o her talk, especially about her date. It is nice to hear about those things, flirtation, handholding, the first kiss, words can¡¯t hurt me like actions would. I live vicariously through her stories.

 Chapter 8

    As Iy on my bed, my phone rings. It¡¯s Jana. I answer and hold the device to my ear. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± she groans, ¡°you should really answer my texts. Talking on the phone freaks me out.¡±


    ¡°It freaks you out?¡±


    She ignores me. ¡°Something happened between Harrison and Daniel-¡±


    ¡°What,¡± I interrupt her and swiftly sit up.


    ¡°Should have answered the texts, you would have known about this much sooner,¡± she scolds me, but I could care less at the moment.


    ¡°Just tell me what happened.¡±


    I hear her take a deep breath. ¡°Jordan heard from Bradley that Daniel confronted Harrison in the locker room, pushed him against a wall and asked him if he abuses girls.¡±


    My eyes widen. ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°No one knows what else was said, but I¡¯m almost positive it¡¯s because of what happened in the cafeteria yesterday. I mean, what else would tell Daniel that Harrison abuses girls, other than a ¡®don¡¯t touch me¡¯ with a flinch?¡±


    I run my hand through my hair. ¡°So what? Daniel thinks Harrison hit me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m guessing.¡±


    I fall back onto my pillows and let out a loud, dramatic groan. ¡°This is terrible.¡±


    There¡¯s a small moment of silence from Jana. ¡°Well, I mean, it is kinda sweet that Daniel pushed him against a wall and stuff-I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t seem like him, to care about other people¡¯s problems and all. I know Harrison hitting you would be a horrific situation, but no one else did anything. It seems like a humane thing to do, but maybe there was more reason behind it.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say? That he likes me? He doesn¡¯t even know me, Jana. He was just trying to stop Harrison, not help me.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°Fine. Whatever. But I¡¯m sticking with my theory.¡±


    For the rest of the night I cannot help but wonder, what did Harrison say back? Did he say that he never abused me? Did he tell Daniel to back off? I can hardly sleep with the question constantly prodding at my mind.


    The next morning, with no sleep at all, I pick up Jana on the way to school and let her drive. I don¡¯t tell her of my n to ask Daniel what happened, she would probably think that I believe her theory. I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t believe that Daniel cares about me, even a bit, but that isn¡¯t going to stop me from digging. How can someone care for a stranger? We hardly know each other. We¡¯ve only spoken once, and that was at Trent¡¯s pool party. Sure, I think he is very attractive, and sure, I think what he did was amazing, but I can¡¯t let that fool me into believing things that simply aren¡¯t true.


    When we arrive, Jana and I go our separate ways for the first period. Daphne isn¡¯t here today, and I am thankful for it. Everyone seems less tense when she is not around.


    I wait until lunch, until we are all sitting down, minus Daniel. It is tricky because some days he doesn¡¯t sit with us, and I don¡¯t know where he goes then. Luckily, I spot him entering through the main door, and before he can reach us, I take a deep breath and approach him.


    Some people around us watch as I do so, maybe they heard what happened. Jana¡¯s eyes are one of the more intense ones. I have an urge to turn back and tell her to knock it off.


    Daniel looks down at me, and I don¡¯t waste another second. ¡°Can I talk to you, in private?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I don¡¯t know what to expect. Will he say yes? Will he keep walking? A moment passes, and I begin to crumble.


    He looks onward to Jordan, then back to me. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    I don¡¯t focus on the fact that his voice was emotionless, or the fact that Jordan probably told him to say yes, I just nod and lead him out of the crowded room. We walk around the corner in the hallway to one empty and quiet, then I look up at him. I have to admit, if I was not determined to get an answer to this question, then I would be trembling right now.


    ¡°I heard you confronted Harrison yesterday, asked him¡­ Well, you know. I was just wondering what he said back, if you could tell me,¡± I say quietly, paranoid that someone might hear. I add on a short, ¡°please.¡±


    His eyes roll to the side, looking at the locker to our right for a brief moment, then he looks back to me. ¡°He said he didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.¡±


    Daniel has the type of voice that one can listen to all day. It doesn¡¯t matter what he¡¯s saying, even this bad new sounds lovely. I snap myself out of the school-girl trance. ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±


    He makes a move, telling me he¡¯s going to walk away, but he stops. ¡°You know, if he¡¯s abusing you, you should get professional help.¡± There is no concern in his tone. It is as if he¡¯s doing me a favor by telling me this.


    Suddenly, I grab his arm, bringing him to a halt. ¡°He¡¯s not abusing me,¡± currently, I say to myself, ¡°we¡¯re not together, we were never together, but thanks for the advice,¡± my tone matches his, but is a tad colder.


    Instead of watching him walk away, I do the honors and slip past him, heading back to the cafeteria.


    If he¡¯s abusing you, you should get professional help, thanks, buddy. For someone who pushed Harrison up against a wall and questioned him in such a way, Daniel can sure sound uninterested. I¡¯m embarrassed that talking to me was such a chore. Never again, that¡¯s for sure.


    Jana¡¯s eyes spring to the door when she sees me entering. I walk back, partly annoyed, and I sit down without saying a word, though everyone is wondering what we talked about. I nce up to find all of their eyes on me.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jana hints, ¡°how was your day? Have any interesting conversations?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Try againter.¡±


    Maybe I am overreacting. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re friends, it¡¯s not like he should care. Maybe I started to believe Jana¡¯s theory, and that was my mistake, thinking that he did it for me.


    The rest of lunch goes by slowly, and Daniel neveres back into the cafeteria. There is a small part of my mind that wonders where he went, that wonders what he thinks, but the bigger part bullies it into quietness.


    Daniel isn¡¯t my friend. I don¡¯t know Daniel.


    The most important thing for me right now is to know who my friends are, to know who cares about me.

 Chapter 9

    The sixth-period bell rings, releasing us from the ssroom. Everyone shuffles out, eager to move onto thest ss of the day. Mrs. Hilliard, my English teacher, says her short goodbyes to the students passing her desk. They chime in my ear as I pack up my things.


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to revise chapter twelve.¡±


    ¡°Quiz on chapter twelve is Friday.¡±


    I sling my backpack over my shoulder and walk past her, but she stops me. ¡°Hailey, you got a great score on your quizst week, best out of all my sses.¡± She ces the perfect score in front of my eyes, sliding the graded quiz across her desk. ¡°Do you have a strong interest in Lord of the Flies?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I like English, I like to read, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m impressed. Keep up the good work,¡± she smiles and I wave as I pass through the door.


    English has always been my favorite ss, and I started trying extra hard after entering Mr. Russ¡¯ ssroom. I strived to impress him.


    I walk along the hallway, it is a little emptier now, as thest bell is about to ring any second. As I pass the locker room doors, I hear quiet voices.


    ¡°I have to get to ss,¡± the female voice says in a light tone.


    I nce at the Male Locker Room sign on the door, then roll my eyes.


    ¡°Harrison, I have to go, really.¡±


    I stop then, my eyes shooting back to the door. I reverse and press my ear to it.


    ¡°Harrison,¡± she says more firmly. ¡°Harrison, stop.¡±


    Harrison, I mumbled as he kissed my neck, maybe we should go back to the party?


    I was feeling the alcohol now, my head spinning as we sat together on his bed. He shushed me quietly then gripped the bottom of my shirt. My face flushed and I quickly held my clothing down, stopping him from pulling it up.


    What¡¯s the matter? He asked.


    I didn¡¯t know what to tell him. I was a virgin, I didn¡¯t know the routine he did. All in one night I had had my first flirtatious conversation, my first kiss, and then make out. He wanted more, and I ran out of ideas. How was I supposed to tell the most popr, most attractive guy in school that I wasn¡¯t ready, even though he wanted to?Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I want to go back to the party, I lied, I need to find my friends. They wanted to meet up-


    My eyes shot to the clock. It read: 10:57.


    They wanted to meet up at eleven, I finished.


    He pulled away. Come on, Hailey, let¡¯s have some fun. You¡¯ll like it, I promise, Harrison said.


    Without thinking, I push the door open and storm into the boy¡¯s locker room. Right in front of me, against the lockers, Harrison stands, almost hiding a girl behind him. He turns at the sound of the door opening, and his eyes are surprised to find me.


    The girl slips out from underneath him, cheeks rosy red, and she scurries past me and into the hallway. I have seen her before, she a junior on the dance team, Holly. She must be embarrassed that I have caught them.


    The door closes behind her, leaving me with my tormentor.


    With all the courage I have, I stand tall and say, ¡°she asked for you to stop.¡±


    He looks utterly annoyed, and he crosses his arms. ¡°You think you can just barge in? You shouldn¡¯t be here, Hailey.¡±


    I swallow. ¡°Holly asked for you to stop. You didn¡¯t stop, did you?¡±


    Harrison stalks towards me, and my back hits the wall. He leans in. ¡°You should have nevere back here. If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll fly back home to your Daddy.¡± With that, he swings the door open and disappears into the hall.


    The bell rings, and I jump, then I start to cry.


    At least he didn¡¯t see me cry.


    At that party, a year ago, he held me down when I tried to leave for the door. He grabbed my thighs and told me to rx. He leaned in, kissed me passionately. Heid me down, my head resting on his pillow. He slid up my shirt. He kissed my neck. He grabbed my ass. He grabbed my chest. He held me down.


    He didn¡¯t listen when I told him to stop.

 Chapter 10

    I rush out of the locker room and head straight for my car. Harrison is right, I should have nevere back. Ditching myst ss, I jog to the driver¡¯s side and fumble with my keys.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    My heart skips a beat and I jump at the sudden, familiar voice. Turning around, I see Daniel standing at the back of a car, shutting the truck after pulling out a duffel bag with his name sewn on it. It¡¯s the track team bag.


    Realizing my red eyes and puffy face, I turn back and unlock my door. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m leaving,¡± I mutter and slide in. I shut the door before he can say anything, though I doubt he would. Like some sort of speed racer, I zip out of the parking spot and bolt down the street. My hand wipes stray tears from my face roughly, and I struggle to keep my hands steady on the wheel. My heart feels like it is beating a million times a minute.


    Noticing the light turning red, I m on the breaks, stopping myself from flying through. My body lifts then falls back against my seat. A car honks at me and I have a need to yell back at them.


    Once I reach my house, I leave my backpack in the car and m the door shut. Trudging up to the front door, I unlock it, walk through, then kick it closed. The house is empty, as usual, so I stomp up the steps like a two-year-old and head straight for my room. I snatch a pillow from my bed, hold it to my face, and I scream. I scream my heart out.


    Afterwards, I drop my phone to the side and crash down with no desire to get up.


    My phone rings.


    Silence.


    My phone rings.


    Silence.


    My phone rings and I clutch at it, pressing ignore thenzily letting it drop.


    My phone rings.


    I groan and lift myself up, hardly off of my pillow. My hand clears the hairs from my face, and I sit up in my bed before grabbing my constantly ringing phone.


    It¡¯s Jana, of course. I press answer and hold the phone to my ear. ¡°Hello?¡± My voice sounds terrible.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering the phone?¡±


    ¡°Uh-I¡¯ve been asleep,¡± I nce at the clock on my bedside table, ¡°for the past five hours.¡±


    Jana sighs. ¡°Why did you leave school?¡±


    ¡°How do you know I left early?¡±


    ¡°Daniel told me that he saw you in the parking lot and that you drove off recklessly,¡± she states.


    I fall back and throw my free hand out. ¡°What is he? My Dad?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Why did you leave early? After he told me that-you could have gotten into an ident, you idiot!¡±


    My bedroom is dark, no longer lit up by sunlight. ¡°I¡¯m fine, okay? Nothing happened, I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Jana groans, most likely annoyed by my attempt to change the conversation topic. She goes with it anyway. ¡°I¡¯m at your house, let me in.¡±


    I hang up, roll off my bed, avoid the mirror on the back of my door, and slowly make my way downstairs. I open the front door and Janaes barging in. ¡°Hello to you too,¡± I mutter.


    She nces back at me. ¡°You look dead.¡±


    I close the front door and let out a shortugh. ¡°Well, I feel dead, so.¡±


    ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    I shake my head, no.


    ¡°Then clean yourself up. We¡¯re going to Watts¡¯,¡± she orders and heads for the stairs, expecting me to follow, and I do, but not for the same reason she¡¯s thinking.


    ¡°We were just at Watts¡¯ not even a week ago? And it¡¯s a school night-¡±


    Jana turns around. ¡°A school night? Do you even hear yourself?¡± Then she continues on, walking into my room and flicking on the lights. She swings open the closet door and ventures inside. I wander to my bed andy back down, in no mood to attend a kickback.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Jana, I don¡¯t want to go. I feel like the world has pped me in the face. Just go without me.¡±


    She peeks out. ¡°Um, no. Plus, Daniel will be there.¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s there or not. He¡¯s the most confusing person ever. First, I think we¡¯re friends, then we¡¯re not, then he tells you that I left school, but he¡¯s not my friend? You know, I asked him what Harrison said back, when he pushed him against the wall. Harrison said he didn¡¯t know what Daniel was talking about.¡±


    Janaes out with a ck, long-sleeved dress. It is short, thin fabric, and clingy. I got it in Florida when L said I should buy it. ¡°Put this on. And that sucks, but did you expect him to fess up?¡±


    ¡°I guess not, but Daniel sounded like he didn¡¯t even want to talk to me.¡±


    Jana crosses her arms and I take the dress. ¡°So he¡¯s difficult then? He¡¯s still a total catch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Daphne, Jana. I care about more than looks.¡±


    I step into the bathroom and swap my school clothes for the dress. I take a brush through my hair and Jana kicks me out so she can use the toilet. Sitting in my bed, I yank through thest knot. ¡°So, what kind of party is it this time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fewer people. Me, you, Trent, Jordan, Taylor, Daniel, and maybe four other people. No swimming, just-¡±


    ¡°Drinking,¡± I mutter and set my hairbrush down.


    Jana walks out and tweaks her top. ¡°I¡¯m sure some people will be drinking, but you don¡¯t have to. I won¡¯t if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to be your party pooper. I¡¯m the designated driver anyways, right?¡±


    She smiles. ¡°We should probably go. Everyone is already there.¡±


    We head downstairs and I lock the door behind us. I leave a note for my mother, telling her I¡¯ll be homete and that I¡¯m with Jana, studying. What she doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt her. And if she does find out, who cares? I have lost most respect for her since she shut me down when telling her about the incident. My father, on the other hand, my father was the one who took me to the doctor, he was the one that threatened Harrison¡¯s life, he was the one who woke me up at night when he found me begging for Harrison to stop.


    My father wanted to press charges, but I told him about the town, I told him there was no point in trying. He was so far away from Coldgrove, and at the time I was too. I told him I felt safe in Florida, and that I just wanted to move on. He paid for the therapy, he paid for vacations, he gave me all he could. He gave me an escape.


    When he told me that he was moving to Canada with Karly, I had to be happy for him, even if that meant me returning to Coldgrove.

 Chapter 11

    Instead of slipping through the side gate, this time, Jana and I walk through the front door of Trent Watts¡¯ house. Jana calls out, ¡°we¡¯re here,¡± and she leads me inside.


    The lights are dim and we join Taylor on the couch. Sitting across from her is a couple I had seen around school before. They seem to be in a deep conversation with each other, looking into one others eyes, holding hands. The girlys with the guys, drawing pictures on his palm.


    Taylor smiles. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here. For a moment I thought you two weren¡¯t going toe.¡±


    ¡°Diddo,¡± I mutter and crash down beside her. She has a ss set on the table in front of her. I can tell it¡¯s hers because her berry lipstick is smeared on the rim. I wonder what it is. I wonder what it tastes like. ¡°How many times a month do you guyse here?¡±


    ¡°Too many,¡± Taylor says, ¡°it¡¯s only because Trent¡¯s parents are never home. They leave him weeks at a time for work.¡±


    Interested, I ask, ¡°what do they do?¡±


    Taylor shrugs.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Jordan walks in with Daniel, holding many drinks. He sets them all on the coffee table. ¡°If you want one, grab one, I¡¯m tired of you two asking me to make them whenever you want,¡± he says to Taylor and Jana, but they simplyugh.


    Jana shrugs and grabs one. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    I lean back against the couch, distancing myself from the alcohol.


    Daniel looks to me. ¡°You don¡¯t swim, you don¡¯t drive carefully, you don¡¯t drink, tell me, what else don¡¯t you do? So far none of it seems to connect together. It¡¯s all very random, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I watch Taylor as she tugs drinking Jana from the couch. ¡°I want to take a picture by the pool,e with me.¡±


    The couple from earlier, the touchy one, has drifted off into the house, and I can only imagine what they¡¯re doing.


    I know what Taylor is doing, though, she¡¯s getting me alone with Daniel, but little do they know that he has no interest in me whatsoever. The only times we talk happens to be at Watts¡¯, which isn¡¯t an achievement. I am simply a person to cure his boredom.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I murmur, ¡°it¡¯s all random.¡±


    Little does he know it is very connected, but I am not about to spill my deepest, darkest secret with Daniel, the guy who doesn¡¯t find me interesting enough to hold a conversation with. I¡¯m sure our current one is about to end now.


    ¡°When you walk in the room,¡± he continues, ¡°everyone stares, they all whisper.¡±


    My eyes find him again. ¡°Do they?¡±


    It is odd how I have known him for hardy two weeks and he is already stumbling around the truth.


    ¡°I know you see it. It bothers you,¡± he states.


    Daniel sits across from me on the other couch, the coffee table full of drinks between us. ¡°Does it? It¡¯s just high school gossip.¡± I can¡¯t tell if he has heard about my rumor spreading. It doesn¡¯t sound like he has. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard the gossip though. You just watch them whisper.¡±


    This feels like a game.


    ¡°Are you sure I haven¡¯t heard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you have heard, then you would know the connection between the swimming, the driving, and especially the drinking. Well, you¡¯d have to pick a side first.¡± I feel mysterious, sneaky, intriguing, things I haven¡¯t felt in a while. ¡°Are you going to go find out what they¡¯re saying now?¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°No, I¡¯d rather hear it from you.¡±


    A small smile shes on my face. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not going to.¡±


    Just before Jana and Taylore skipping back in, Daniel looks directly into my eyes, as if he has already begun tearing down the wall. ¡°I won¡¯t. Not, yet.¡±


    Jana appears suddenly. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s quiet in here. Sounds like you need me!¡± She cheers and tugs me off of the couch.


    Taylorughs. ¡°She is already gone.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s swim, I want to swim.¡± Jana pulls me towards the back door and outside. Daniel follows behind us, and soon enough the four of us are the only ones by the pool. Jana tosses her shoes to the side and turns around, her back to the water. ¡°Swim with me, Hailey.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t swim, and you aren¡¯t going to either.¡±


    She frowns. ¡°Oh,e on, Hailey. You¡¯re not in a bikini, no one can see your body, just-¡±


    Immediately, I push her into the water with red cheeks, shutting her up. Taylor is standing beside me, she doesn¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t even want to think of the ideas floating around in Daniel¡¯s head.


    Taylor touches my arm. ¡°Hailey, are you okay?¡±


    Jana surfaces,ughing. ¡°You pushed me in!¡±


    I ster on a fake smile and turn to Taylor. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Trent and Jordan appear at the back door, seeing Jana in the pool. A devilish smile stretches onto both of them. ¡°Everyone¡¯s going in!¡± They cheer.


    The two charge at us like bulls. Jordan tackles Taylor into the water, and before I can register what is about to happen, Trent¡¯s arms trap me, pulling me in with him.


    All I see is a quick blur then darkness. My eyes have squeezed shut. The pool engulfs us, but I don¡¯t care, I just want Trent to take his hands off of me. Under the water, I wiggle out of his grasp, pulling at the water until I surface. Jana¡¯sughs fill my ears, then everyone else¡¯s but two. Mine and Daniels.


    I trudge out of the water like a drowned dog, my dress sticking to every unttering dip and curve of my body. I don¡¯t like to dress like this, but it makes Jana happy, so I let her choose my outfits. It is about the least unforting thing I can do. I don¡¯t drink with her, I don¡¯t swim with her, so I dress in what she likes.


    Once out, I move my hair back and look for a towel. Painfully enough, Daniel walks up to me and hands me one. I wrap it around myself and grab my phone off the lounge chair. It¡¯s almost midnight.


    ¡°You can go, I¡¯ll take her home,¡± Daniel offers.


    ¡°I can-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already talking Jordan and Taylor home, it¡¯s really no problem.¡±


    I hesitate. ¡°Well, do you know where she lives?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you don¡¯t mind. Thanks,¡± I give him a small smile before grabbing my keys. As I go through the back gate I can¡¯t help but wonder, does Daniel feel bad for me? Is that why he¡¯s now driving Jana home?


    What Jana said about the bikini-that was embarrassing. Walking out of the pool like this was also. Maybe I¡¯m right, Daniel must pity me.


    Poor, weird Hailey, the least I can do is drive Jana home so she can leave, that¡¯s what he¡¯s thinking, I know it.

 Chapter 12

    When I first started therapy in Florida, my therapist gave me the idea of journaling. I started a journal and wrote in it for a few months, but eventually, it died off. Most of my entriescked the topic of the incident-the reason why I was in therapy in the first ce-but were about Mr. Russ and my friends in Florida. Though, I suppose they were an escape for me in themselves.


    With my friends in Florida, I was an actress, pretending that Harrison never did what he had done. With them, I was an entirely different person. With Mr. Russ, I was an entirely different person also. I became so in love with this fake persona that I even created a name for her, well, not created, I stole a name for her. Daphne.


    Yes, Daphne was my best friend before she turned on me, and Daphne, my persona, did the same. Daphne turned on Hailey, picking out everything wrong with her. As long as I was Daphne, I wasn¡¯t Hailey. I didn¡¯t have to be the broken girl, I could be the okay one. It¡¯s confusing, but it helped me in a way that I couldn¡¯t quite grasp. It was a temporary fix. Now, here I am, and the temporary fix is over. Daphne stayed in Florida, and only Hailey came back.


    I stopped therapy when I left Florida, also. My father offered to pay for it here, in Coldgrove, but I told him a didn¡¯t need it anymore. Were eight months enough?


    Your father told me he took you to therapy, my mother said when she picked me up from the airport.


    He did, I confirmed.


    Shame on you. Tricking your own father. Wasting his money on a lie, she muttered.


    Walking into the cafeteria, I make my way to the usual table and sit down. Taylor smiles at me, quickly chewing so she can talk. ¡°Hey, Hailey. Is Jana not here today?¡±


    ¡°No. Afterst night she texted me saying she had a hangover, too bad to ignore I guess,¡± I inform her. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan?¡±


    She looks around the room then points. ¡°Over there.¡±


    I look in that direction and see Jordan standing at another table with Daniel. Jordan is talking with a member of the football team, Bradley if I remember correctly. Daniel is trying to listen to Daphne, but he looks very bored. She smiles at him, touches his arm thenughs. He doesn¡¯tugh though. Oddly enough he looks my way, at our table, probably wanting to escape her.


    Harrison joins the table, sitting next to Bradley. I bite the inside of my cheek at the site of him, almost balling up my fists. Daniel nces at Harrison with an angry look in his eyes, disgust maybe. Daniel then nudges Jordan and the two walk away, heading towards us.


    My eyes shoot to Taylor. ¡°So, how¡¯s your day been?¡±


    She looks amused. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you weren¡¯t just eyeing Daniel. I saw it, and I¡¯m pretty sure that girl saw it too.¡± Taylor gestures to a random girl at the next table. ¡°Do you actually have a crush on him? Does Hailey have a crush on-¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jordan interrupts and sits down beside her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Who does Hailey have a crush on?¡±


    Daniel looks at me and sits down also.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe it if I told you,¡± Taylor jokes, enjoying my red face. ¡°It¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Bradley,¡± I blurt.


    The two guys nce back at Bradley, and while their eyes are distracted, Taylor stares at me with a wide mouth, then she tries to hold backughs.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jordan asks. ¡°Bradley? I didn¡¯t know you knew him.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Taylor covers her mouth with her hand, then her eyes squeeze shut.


    ¡°I know Bradley,¡± I lie. ¡°H-He¡¯s in my Economics ss.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Daniel questions. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You know what, you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t know why. Never mind, I no longer like Bradley,¡± I mutter. The two guys look confused, but Taylor is about to crack. She lets a shortugh slip, then it¡¯s toote, the rest is released. Not knowing what to do, I join in,ughing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it?¡± Jordan says, peering at Daniel. Daniel shrugs.


    Once the two of us calm down, Jordan and Daniel talk about some track meet. ¡°You do track?¡± I ask Daniel.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he says, ¡°but you already knew that.¡±


    ¡°He only does it because he has to,¡± Jordan joins in. ¡°It was that or suspension. If it¡¯s jail ormunity service, you choosemunity service.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but question, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Daniel shakes his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°He punched a football yer, I forgot which one. A staff member had to break it up,¡± Jordan steps over Daniel, then gets a look from him. ¡°What? It was badass. The guy¡¯s nose broke.¡±


    My eyes focus in on Daniel. ¡°What did he do to deserve that?¡±


    ¡°You ask a lot of questions,¡± he mutters.


    ¡°So do you.¡±


    He nces up at me, again looking directly into my eyes, identical to how he didst night. It gives me a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. ¡°He screwed me over, so I punched him. It¡¯s not that interesting.¡±


    Instead of asking how he screwed him over, I nod and ept what I get.


    ¡°I punched a girl once,¡± Taylor says off to the side. ¡°It hurt.¡±


    Jordan looks at her, amused.


    ¡°I wanted to be part of the conversation,¡± she mumbles, and I can¡¯t help but smile. ¡°The first football game of the season is tomorrow, are we going as a group or what?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Daniel says, and I can¡¯t help but be disappointed.


    Taylor turns to me. ¡°How about me, Jordan, you, and Jana, you in?¡±


    Even though I would prefer to be as far away from Harrison as possible, and he happens to be captain, I agree. Taylor sets up a time for us to meet and I text the details to Jana, expecting her toe with no need of an invitation.


    Daniel stands up. ¡°I gotta go,¡± he says to Jordan before walking out the cafeteria doors.


    I can¡¯t help but watch him the entire way.

 Chapter 13

    The four of us attend the football game on Friday, and it is nothing special. Coldgrove High School lost in a close game, but we left happy anyways. Many people gave me dirty looks, some even saying that I shouldn¡¯t be here, which was embarrassing in front of Taylor and Jordan. I¡¯m sure they know what happened, but oddly, they don¡¯t show an opinion like everyone else. Maybe they believe me, maybe they don¡¯t, if they are whiling to be my friends, then who cares. People are free to believe what they want here, in moderation of course.


    Jana and I say our goodbyes to Taylor and Jordan before heading to my car. We leaveter than everyone else, not wanting to sit in parking lot traffic. Once we are in the car, and all the doors are closed, Jana turns to me. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem very into it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t. I hate to admit it, but I was really hoping that Daniel woulde. Something about him intrigues me, I find him very interesting, and I want to discover more about him. These feelings confuse me, but I have grown used to them the past week.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Football games aren¡¯t really my thing. Plus, how fun is it to watch your attacker y sports?¡±


    Jana nods. ¡°That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know-don¡¯t get mad at me-but I think it¡¯s because a certain someone wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    Can nothing be kept from her? Well, she is a people watcher, a thorough one at that. Can she really read me that easily?


    ¡°Let me guess, his name begins with a D, he¡¯s painfully gorgeous, and he happens to take interest in y-¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t take interest in me,¡± I cut her off and start the car. ¡°I¡¯m there to cure boredom.¡±


    Jana dramatically sits forward only to give me an ¡®I can¡¯t believe this¡¯ look. ¡°How can you say that! He practically interrogated you for murder at Watts¡¯.¡±


    I pull out of the parking spot and head in the direction of home. ¡°You¡¯re being dramatic.¡±


    ¡°Dramatic! He probably finds you mysterious and all, with the whispering and the staring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he wants to know what I¡¯m hiding. Little does he know that I¡¯m never going to tell him. He¡¯s probably expecting me to say that I lit a building on fire or something rebellious, not that I was attacked by Harrison,¡± I exin. ¡°Once he finds out, which he will eventually, he¡¯ll be turned off by me right away.¡±


    Jana stops and looks at me, no longer the road. Her voice is soft now. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    I let out a shortugh. ¡°I¡¯m damaged goods, Jana. Who wants to be with the girl that can¡¯t stand to be touched? I¡¯m undesirable.¡±


    ¡°Undesirable? You¡¯re insane. Any guy at our school would be lucky to be with you. You¡¯re a total catch, smart, beautiful, caring, theplete package.¡±


    I nce at her briefly. ¡°Yeah? What happens when he wants to fuck?¡± My choice of words surprises me, and Jana too. It sounds like something my old Florida persona would say.


    ¡°Well, you work things out together, take it step by step-¡±


    ¡°Work things out?¡± Iugh again. ¡°What guy wants to work things out? All they want is to getid. We¡¯re just a piece of meat to them. All they try to do is pick the one with the most bearable personality.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re almost speeding, slow down,¡± she warns me. ¡°We can talk about this at your house, not on the road.¡±


    We finish the drive in silence, and when we arrive at my house, I see my mother¡¯s car is gone again. I sigh. Is she sleeping at the station now?


    ¡°Your moms been gone a lot, Hailey,¡± Jana says as we get out of the car. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    I lend Jana a pair of pajamas and we lounge around in my bedroom, ignoring the clock and enjoying the weekend. She¡¯s painting her nails with an old purple polish that she found in my bathroom.


    ¡°Tyler hasn¡¯t called me,¡± she murmurs, focused on her nails. ¡°I think he¡¯s lost interest.¡±


    ¡°He must be pretty dull then because you¡¯re the most exciting person I know.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°I¡¯m kinda over him. He was pretty boring. I don¡¯t know, Trent seems like a nice guy. You know who else I might go after? Daniel, I mean, since you don¡¯t like him and all.¡±


    I groan and sit up on my bed, giving her a view of my guilty face. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll admit it if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I like Daniel. I think he¡¯s mysterious and he seems to care a bit about me. There, done, rejoice if you must.¡±


    Jana smiles. ¡°Now all you have to do is win him over, but that should be easy. You guys are going to be the cutest coup-¡±


    ¡°No, Jana. We¡¯ve been over this. I can¡¯t do things that couples do.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± she says, ¡°but you¡¯ll heal, Hailey. It takes time. Have some hope in yourself. People don¡¯t get better unless they want to get better.¡±


    There is a moment of silence. ¡°He broke a guy¡¯s nose, you know. All I can think about is Daniel walking up to him and swinging, then the cracking noise.¡±


    Jana looks up at me slowly, almost as if she is about to giggle like a school girl. ¡°What? That turns you on?¡±


    I roll my eyes and throw I pillow at her, almost knocking over the open bottle of nail polish. It is beginning to stink up the room with its chemical-like odor. ¡°Shut up. I just-I don¡¯t know. He asks me these questions, he¡¯s stupidly attractive, and he doesn¡¯t seem to care what other people think. I¡¯m freaking out on the inside, I haven¡¯t felt this way since the incident. It¡¯s weird. Part of me even wants to kiss him, and before, the idea of kissing made me want to vomit.¡±


    Jana¡¯s face is brighter than ever. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you like this again. You¡¯re going to survive. Harrison can¡¯t just take your life from you, steal it back.¡±

 Chapter 14

    I can¡¯t help but watch his lips as he talks. He is like the forbidden fruit, and I just can¡¯t have him. Jana nudges me and I zip back to life. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about fall break if you want to participate in the conversation. I was thinking a road trip, that would be fun.¡±


    Taylor rolls her eyes. ¡°Jana, you keep saying road trip, but a road trip to where?¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°We have time to decide that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know if I can go on a trip. I might go to Canada and visit my Dad,¡± I tell Jana and she frowns.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± Daniel joins in, ¡°because I know a guy who will let us stay at his cabin up north. I¡¯ve been before, he¡¯s friends with my dad. The ce is insane.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jordan asks and Daniel nods. ¡°This is going to be great, we have to go.¡±


    Taylor looks to Jana. ¡°What do you think? A few days up in the dense forest, in an apparently amazing cabin?¡±


    ¡°How could I say no?¡±


    I watch as they talk on and on about the cabin. I sink down in my spot. My phone vibrates in my backpack, and I fish it out. It¡¯s my mother calling. I stand up and rush to the door.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jana calls to me.


    I point to my phone and she nods.


    Slipping through the doors, I wander down the hall and press ¡®ept call¡¯. With my phone to my ear, I answer, ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Hi, Hailey. I¡¯m just calling to say that I¡¯ll be homete again tonight. We¡¯re really cracking down on this case and I just can¡¯t leave until I get a confession.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s food in the fridge for you to heat up, and I left money on the counter if you want to order in or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Oh, is my trip to Canada written in stone?¡±


    There¡¯s a pause, she must be thinking. ¡°No, not yet. Why? Are you having second thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll talk to youter, you¡¯re probably busy.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Have a good day, keep the house clean, please,¡± and with that, she¡¯s gone. Most of our conversationstely have been over the phone. Usually, she gets home when I¡¯m asleep, and when I leave for school, she¡¯s asleep, then, when I get home, she¡¯s at work. I feel as if I¡¯m living by myself.


    Just as I turn to head back to the cafeteria, I panic when I catch Harrison walking down the hallway. He¡¯s talking with Bradley and Daphne, to makes things better. Quickly, I try and walk away from them, in the opposite direction, but it¡¯s toote. They have spotted their target.


    ¡°Hailey,¡± Daphne sings my name. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. I thought maybe you actually left.¡±


    I avoid Harrison¡¯s eyes and look at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m in your Economics? I sit two desks away from you.¡±


    She theatrically thinks, cing her fist under her perfectly sized chin. ¡°Well, maybe you just blend into the background. I suppose that¡¯s what you have to do nowadays to survive in this town, huh?¡±


    I step to the side to walk past her, but she mimics me.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get back-¡±


    ¡°To your friends, right?¡±


    I nod, then they split like the Red Sea. Taking the chance, I walk through them, past Harrison, worried that they might trip me. Once I¡¯m through, I don¡¯t look back.


    ¡°Bye-bye, Hailey,¡± Daphne calls, and I say nothing in return. Laughse from them, mostly her, but they are cut off by the cafeteria doors as I engulf myself in new sounds.


    Every day I wonder if I¡¯ll run into him. I know there is a chance, we attend the same school, we¡¯re in the same grade, and it has happened more than five times now, and all of them were unsettling. Sometimes I wonder how he faces me. Doesn¡¯t he feel guilty? Doesn¡¯t he regret what he did? Maybe acting like the devil is the only way he canmunicate with me.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Jana asks as I sit back down. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    No ghost. Only the devil. Since my run in with Harrison and Holly in the locker room, I¡¯ve been keeping my torments from Jana, and I am not sure why. Maybe I am tired of being the downer.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I mumble.


    ¡°Okay, well, are you sure you have to go to Canada? I mean, I know it¡¯s your Dad and all, but it wouldn¡¯t be the same without you. I¡¯ve grown too used to your weirdness to be without you,¡± she says then turns to the group, ¡°we all want you toe. What I¡¯m saying is, choose me, Hailey, not your Dad-¡±


    ¡°Jana, that just sounds terrible,¡± Taylor interrupts. ¡°But, yeah, choose us.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been carved in stone. But it¡¯s nice to know that you guys want me there. Who else is going?¡±


    ¡°Us, maybe Trent, maybe Bradley-¡±


    I cut Daniel off. ¡°Bradley?¡±


    He nods. ¡°Why? Have your feelings resurfaced?¡±


    Jana turns to me. ¡°Bradley? You like Bradley? Since when? I thought you liked Mr. Mystery?¡±


    Taylor leans in. ¡°Who¡¯s Mr. Mystery?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mystery is no one. And I don¡¯t like Bradley.¡±


    Daniel shrugs. ¡°So it won¡¯t be a problem then.¡±


    When the bell rings, Jana and I walk in the direction of our fifth-period sses, which happens to be opposite of everyone else. When we¡¯re far enough, Jana wonders, ¡°So what¡¯s with the Bradley thing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Taylor almost told Daniel that I like him so I had to cut in and rece Daniel with Bradley.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want himing because of that? I mean, I know he¡¯s friends with Harrison and all-¡±


    I look up at her. ¡°And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t what to be around him. I saw him with Harrison and Daphne in the hall. They messed with me, but he didn¡¯t do anything to stop it, so I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s like them or not. Thest thing I need is for someone like Daphne or Harrison to follow me on Fall break.¡±


    Jana nods. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Daniel about it. I¡¯ll talk in code so he won¡¯t know the actual reasoning.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jana ces her arm on my shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything to make sure this vacation goes perfectly for us, even if that means bumping out someone like Bradley.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hardcore,¡± I jokingly say, ¡°like a bouncer kicking someone to the curb.¡±


    ¡°What can I say, I protect the people I love.¡±


    We continue down the hall, smiling and rambling on about what we¡¯re going to do at the cabin, and for once, I feel perfectly fine.

 Chapter 15

    ¡°I have no idea what to bring,¡± I say to Jana as I stare at my open suitcase. I called her over to my house to help, and she joins me at my side, also staring down.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll need pajamas for sure. Bring cute pajamas, something sweet, maybe a little girly. He¡¯s probably going to see you in them so-¡±


    ¡°Jana, I can¡¯t base this trip around Daniel. I¡¯ll drive myself insane. What is suppose to happen anyway? It¡¯s just a schoolgirl crush.¡±


    Jana rolls her eyes. ¡°That is the understatement of the year.¡± She walks over to my dresser and rummages through my pajamas, pulling out a matching top and shorts set. The top is a blue fitted t-shirt with white polka dots and the shorts are white with blue polka dots. My now stepmother bought them for me when I was in Florida. ¡°These are cute,¡± Jana says before folding them and cing them in the bag. Then she returns to the drawer.


    ¡°My stepmom bought me clothes every now and then. She said mine looked too depressing,¡± I tell Jana. ¡°She thought wearing cute pajamas would make me feel happy before falling asleep, so I hopefully wouldn¡¯t have nightmares about Harrison. You¡¯ll find more sets like that in there.¡±


    Next, she pulls out two more of the same set, but different patterns. ¡°I like them. Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Some nights, along with the soft music, essential oils, forest sounds, waves sounds, journaling, and meditation.¡±


    Jana ces the other pairs in the suitcase. ¡°The nightmares were that bad?¡±


    I nod. ¡°My dad would have to wake me up because I would be begging Harrison to stop in my sleep.¡±


    Jana sits down on my bed, more affected by the story than I thought she would be. ¡°How do you stand to look at him at school? How can you be in the same room as him? That¡¯s not fair, Hailey. He can¡¯t just ruin you and get away with it! W-We have to do something-he traumatized you!¡±


    I ce my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Calm down. I don¡¯t get those kinds of nightmares anymore. I haven¡¯t had one in a while.¡±


    ¡°Still, you shouldn¡¯t have had to go through that in the first ce.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair. Now let¡¯s focus back on this,¡± I motion to the suitcase, ¡°no more sad stuff.¡±


    ¡°I know I just, I hate him,¡± she grumbles and saunters to my closet. ¡°I wanna punch him, hard, over and over.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, karma wille for him one day.¡±


    Jana pulls out clothes from my closet and I watch her as she mentally constructs outfits. I¡¯ll have to ask her what goes with what when we¡¯re at the cabin, but she seems to enjoy packing things up. Everything is neat, organized, and fits together perfectly. I offer to help, but she tells me she has a system going, and it¡¯s better if I step aside.


    I sit back on my bean bag chair and watch her. ¡°We¡¯re up there for four nights, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We drive up tomorrow, have that night to get settled in, then we have three full days, and we leave on Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°Where is the cabin, exactly?¡±


    Jana pauses her packing to think. ¡°I¡¯m sure Daniel said it was up at Hauls Creek. You know, where all the nice cabins are?¡±


    My brows furrow. ¡°Hauls Creek? Like, as in, Lovers Creek?¡±


    Jana¡¯s smile fades. ¡°It¡¯s not called Lovers Creek, that¡¯s a different Creek.¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the same creek.¡±


    ¡°I know why you¡¯re worried, because Daphne¡¯s family has a cabin at Lovers Creek-but I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not the same creek.¡±


    Worried, I snatch my phone off the bed and search it with shaky fingers. Then, I read out loud what the webpage says for Hauls Creek. ¡°This serene spot nestled between two national forests is home to many campsites and cabin rentals. With the nickname Lovers Creek, it is a perfect spot to bring your special someone.¡±


    Jana swallows. ¡°Who said she¡¯s gonna be there?¡±


    I cross my arms. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just forget about the annual vacation her family takes, the one we went on for five years in a row. She¡¯s going to be there, and we better pray she doesn¡¯t see us through the trees.¡±


    ¡°Daniels fathers friends cabin could be on the opposite side of the creek from hers. We don¡¯t know anything until we get there anyway. The probability that Daphne will see us there is very low, very, very low.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    I run a hand through my hair and toss my phone back onto my bed, and it slips between the pillows, hiding itself. ¡°I know, I just really wanted this to go well. I¡¯m finally feeling happy again with you, Taylor, Jordan, and even Daniel. I belong somewhere now, and I don¡¯t want Daphne¡¯s hate for me to ruin the vacation for everyone.¡±


    ¡°I know, but let¡¯s not think ahead. We¡¯re working for no reason right now,¡± Jana says, and she¡¯s right. ¡°On the bright side, I¡¯m done packing for you. All you need now is toiletries and such.¡±


    Together we go to my bathroom and get everything ready to be packed up. Jana is staying the night, then in the afternoon Taylor, Jordan, and Daniel are going to pick us up. Jana¡¯s suitcase is downstairs, ready to go as she is always ready before I am.


    ¡°So is Trenting?¡±


    Jana shrugs. ¡°Don¡¯t know. All I know is that Bradley is definitely not. He said he had other ns anyway so I didn¡¯t even have to kick him out myself.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s just the inner circle then?¡±


    ¡°The inner circle?¡± Jana questions, amused.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching too many T. V. showstely,¡± I mumble. ¡°But I consider you, me, Taylor, Jordan, and Daniel to be the inner circle.¡±


    ¡°Sounds, cute,¡± sheughs and I yfully smack her.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to live my high school dream, Jana. You don¡¯t have to shut me down. Every high school T. V. show has a friend group. Now, we have ours.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± she sets everything down, ¡°Taylor and Jordan are together, you and Daniel are bound to happen, what about me? I¡¯m just the fifth wheel on your double date.¡±


    ¡°When you find someone, he can join the inner circle. And you need to sink your ship of me and Daniel. Don¡¯t get your hopes up, for all I know he has a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°How could he have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say, ¡°we don¡¯t really have anything inmon but secrets, and we don¡¯t even share those with each other. He could have a secret girlfriend, and then suddenly, I turn into the fool who thought she had a chance.¡±


    Jana sighs. ¡°And you call me dramatic?¡±

 Chapter 16

    The next day, at noon exactly, I struggle with my suitcase and backpack as I hold my phone to my ear, all while managing to walk down the stairs. ¡°Yes mom, and I promise to be good.¡±


    ¡°Hailey Fonte you tell me this honestly, are there any adults going with you on this trip?¡±


    One of my eyebrows raises, then I drop my suitcase to the floor. ¡°An adult? Yeah, there is.¡±


    Jana gives me a look.


    Jordan and Daniel are eighteen as they have early birthdays. Technically, I am not lying. My mother sighs. ¡°Alright. Just, please be careful. You¡¯ll be back Wednesday?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Wednesday night, if everything goes smoothly. I¡¯ll call you every day so you know I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny, don¡¯t do anything reckless.¡±


    Jana taps her wrist, telling me that it¡¯s really time to go now.


    ¡°I really have to go. I¡¯ll text you when I get to the cabin, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright. Have a nice time,¡± and with that, I hang up and shove my phone into my pocket, so I can carry my suitcase out to the SUV. Jana grabs my backpack for me and we rush out of the house. Thankfully, I remember to lock the door behind us.


    ¡°So, whose car is this again?¡± I question while heaving my bag into the trunk.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jordan¡¯s grandmas.¡±


    I stop and look to Jana. ¡°Why does Jordan¡¯s grandmother have an SUV?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, don¡¯t question, just be thankful and get in.¡±


    Of course, Jordan and Daniel take the front for themselves, leaving all three of us girls in the back. Luckily, two seats fold up in the very back, and I am happy to take one so Taylor and Jana can sitfortably in the second row. All three of us jammed together? No thank you.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay back there?¡± Jordan calls to me from the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°I¡¯m better than okay. Just drive, I want to get there as soon as possible.¡±


    Daniel nces back at me. ¡°Someone is eager to leave Coldgrove.¡±


    Whenever I talk to Daniel I can¡¯t help but y as the mysterious character he believes me to be. ¡°Oh, no, I love it here. Everyone is just so sweet,¡± my voice drips with sarcasm.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Jana turns around in her spot. ¡°Quickly, pick one. Florida or Coldgrove.¡±


    ¡°Florida.¡±


    She frowns. ¡°You chose Florida over me?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°If it was you or Florida, I would choose you. Happy?¡±


    Jana smiles. ¡°Yes. Now, pick one, Jackie and Kelso or Jackie and Hyde?¡±


    ¡°Jackie and Hyde,¡± I say with passion.


    ¡°Jackie and Kelso, only because they¡¯re married in real life,¡± Taylor says.


    My eyes wander to Daniel. ¡°Jackie and Hyde,¡± he shares, then looks to Jordan.


    ¡°Jackie and who? What are you guys talking about?¡±


    An array of groans fills the car. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Taylor questions, more annoyed than surprised. ¡°It¡¯s That 70¡¯s Show? You¡¯ve never seen it?¡± He shakes his head, no. ¡°How are we together-I honestly don¡¯t know anymore.¡±


    The drive is quiet, besides Taylor and Jordan mumbling things to each other. Her arms rest against the back of his seat, her lips close to his ear. If I wasn¡¯t so far back in the car, maybe I could hear what she¡¯s saying.


    Jana has fallen asleep with her headphones in, and I can¡¯t see what Daniel is doing, and I am curious about it. Is he sleeping? Is he on his phone? Is he simply watching the road?


    Hailey, stay after ss please, Mr. Russ said as thest few students shuffled out. I had wondered if anyone noticed, if anyone cared about the number of times Mr. Russ had asked me to stay after, or the times he called on me, or the extra attention at all.


    Once the ss was empty, he locked the door as usual. What is it, I asked, no longer as curious as I was the first time. It had been four months in his ss already with one more to go. We had kissed, we had talked, he had shared his life with me, telling me about his wife. His wife was always a tricky topic.


    When he had first started flirting with me, I had assumed he was too young to be married, yet Iter discovered he got married right after high school. He said it was a mistake.


    My grandmother died, he said, which caught me off guard. I stood there not knowing what to say.


    I murmured, I¡¯m sorry.


    It¡¯s good news actually, she left me arge sum of money, enough for me to livefortably, Mr. Russ exined, I want to leave my wife, Hailey. I want to leave the school system, leave town, and I want you toe with me.


    I stood like a statue. ¡®What¡¯ was the only thing that could leave my mouth. He had asked me to run away with him.


    He told me to think about it, then let me go. I rushed down the hall and didn¡¯t look back, it was my fault, I had made him fall in love with me. I had stolen a married man¡¯s heart and won myself a seat next to him in his one-way ride to freedom.


    It was a mistake, it was all a mistake, and I knew that then. For the next week, I had either slipped out of ss with arge group of students or muttered that I still didn¡¯t know. Mr. Russ was growing impatient, as he wanted to leave as soon as the school year ended. One month became four weeks, then three, then two, then one, and before I could slip out the door with only five days left, Mr. Russ grabbed my arm, triggering me, then shut the door, blocking my escape.


    You¡¯ve been ignoring me, he said with a firmness in his tone.


    It was then time to bite the bullet.


    I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t go, I confessed, I can¡¯t throw my life away.


    It was harsh, but he got the message. He let me go and for the rest of the week he didn¡¯t see me, I was invisible. To him, Hailey Fonte, and his forbidden fling was over.


    ncing out the car window, staring out at the trees, I can¡¯t help but wonder where he is now. Did he stay with his Wife, or did he really run away from it all? I cannot decide if running away like that is cowardice or brave.

 Chapter 17

    I am shaken awake with my head resting against the car, curled up in the very back, almost a piece of luggage. My eyes flutter open, overwhelmed by Jana¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± she silently cheers. ¡°Oh, Hailey, it so beautiful up here. Look outside.¡±


    After climbing out of the SUV, and almost tripping to the dirt, I peer up at our surroundingspletely mesmerized. A small, dirt road weaves through the trees and we must have followed it up to the cabin, which is set before me. The dark wood blends perfectly with the forest, and stone details y perfectly with the rustic feel. Long story short, the ce is huge and looks quite luxurious from the outside. The trickling sounds of running water tickles my ears, meaning we must be close to the creek.


    ¡°Who is Daniels Father¡¯s friend, again?¡± I question as we make our way up to the front door.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Jana mutters, admiring the scenery, ¡°but he must have a love for the outdoors to buy a ce like this.¡±


    Daniel and Jordan volunteer to bring in the bags while the three of us scout out the cabin. Jordan and Taylor already chose their room, the first door on the right with arge bay window overlooking the forest. Jana picks out the bedroom beside them after making sure that I don¡¯t want it. Daniel is easily given the master bedroom as he is the reason we are here in the first ce. I happily take the room across the hall. Well, I am happy until I peek inside. Then I feel uneasy.


    There is a grey and white idforter on the bed, and if I¡¯m correct, if it¡¯s identical to Harrison¡¯s, then there will be a small tag with the Woolrich logo on it.


    Jordanes in with my bag and sets it down beside the bed. ¡°Thanks,¡± I mutter and remind myself to smile. ¡°What do we have nned for tonight?¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°Probably just hanging around here. There¡¯s a hot tub, hiking trails, huge tscreen. I think Taylor brought some horror movies that specialize in forestry,¡± he chuckles, ¡°nothing like a cabin in the woods horror movie while staying in a cabin in the woods.¡±


    ¡°Very fitting,¡± I nod. ¡°So this friend of Daniels father. . .¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s his Dads work friend. They¡¯re pretty close. Just two divorced guys trying to live the bachelor life once again. I suppose they have the money to splurge on such things,¡± he looks around the room. ¡°I have to go unpack before Taylor does it for me.¡±


    I smile again and nod again, doing anything to seem normal. I close the door behind him and unzip my bag, ready to see what Jana packed for me. Shorts, t-shirts, the pajamas, sweatpants, leggings, long sleeves, my nicer underwear, one matching bra to a pair, and finally, a ck, scrunched up, frightening looking bikini. I don¡¯t dare touch it as if there is some life-threatening disease on it.


    No hot tub for Hailey, not that I would have gone in it anyways. There is a sexual aura that society has given to hot tubs, and I don¡¯t think I could be normal and be in there with another person.


    Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. Without the need of my answering, Jana peeks in. ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°See what?¡± I y along.


    ¡°You know, that thing you left in your suitcase.¡±


    I nce down and dramatically ask, ¡°Oh, you mean the bikini?¡±


    Jana nods. ¡°What do you think about it?¡±


    I motion for her toe in, she does, then closes the door behind her. ¡°Are you Doctor Phil? Are you experimenting with me, seeing how I¡¯ll react? Because it¡¯s not working. Take the bikini. I¡¯m not wearing it.¡±


    Jana sighs. ¡°You don¡¯t have to wear it.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you pack it?¡±


    She leans against the door. ¡°I dunno. I thought maybe you¡¯d want to go in the jacuzzi. You only have bikinis in that one swimsuit drawer at the very bottom of your dresser, like some jail cell.¡±


    ¡°It was at the bottom for a reason. I don¡¯t use them anymore. Thank you for thinking about my social inclusion, but I¡¯ll still do everything else, everything but the hot tub.¡± I reach for the swimsuit and hand it to her. ¡°I¡¯ll even sit beside you while you¡¯re in the hot tub, just no swimsuits, no swimming. The entire tackling-fiasco at Watts¡¯ was bad enough.¡±


    She takes it and drops her hand to her side. ¡°Alright, but what if it¡¯s just us? Everyone doesn¡¯t have to be there. Just you, me, no judgment, no guys, just two best friends chilling in a hot tub on the porch of a luxurious cabin at Hauls Creek. I brought a one piece, you can use it if you want.¡±


    It is a lot to think about. Just us, me and Jana, no Harrison, no Daniel, no Coldgrove townies, no high school students, no flirtatious teachers, no whispering¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± I tell her.


    She takes my answer and leaves, but before the doorpletely closes, I slip out and search down the hall with my eyes. The master bedroom door is wide open, and I catch a glimpse of Daniel walking inside. On a whim I step through the doorway, a foot from the door, catching his attention.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    He stops, giving me a look, mentally asking me what I want.


    ¡°Is there a linen closet?¡±


    Daniels eyebrow slightly rises. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s in here. Is something wrong with the bedding?¡±


    I hesitantly follow him inside, into the master bathroom. He opens a small door, revealing many shelves, then steps to the side to let me rummage. ¡°No, I just get really cold,¡± I fib and grab a spare, white duvet from the top shelf, stepping on my tippy toes.


    I take the bundle back to my room, close the door, tug off the id bedding, then set on the white nket. The id bedding is finally folded and ced on a shelf in the closet, out of sight.

 Chapter 18

    Together, curled up on the couch, all five of us watch one of the many horror movies brought by Taylor. Hush, is the first of many, and I don¡¯t find it frightening at all, but I still enjoy it. The main character gives me some confidence. If she can survive that with her struggles, then I sure as hell can conquer mine.


    Throughout the movie I find myself ncing over at Daniel, who happens to be sat at the opposite end of the couch. Is he trying to avoid me? Did he finally find out what everyone is whispering about? He sat up front, I was in the way back, I sit on one end of the couch, he sits on the other. Maybe I am thinking too far into it. Maybe he is trying to avoid me. Maybe-Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Hailey?¡± Jana pulls me back to reality and my eyes fall upon the rolling credits. ¡°Taylor and Jordan are going on a walk, Daniel is going to bed, so what do you want to do?¡±


    I can hear it in her voice, she wants me to mention the hot tub. ¡°What if Jordan and Taylor-¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. I¡¯m leaving the front door unlocked for them so they won¡¯t see you in the back.¡±


    ¡°What if they want toe out and join us when they get back?¡± I question.


    She smiles. ¡°Oh, trust me, they¡¯ll be doing something else.¡±


    My face scrunched up and I get up from the couch, my mind conjuring terrible images of it. ¡°God, Jana. How the heck do you know-¡±


    ¡°Taylor talked to me about it,¡± she shrugs. ¡°Just girl-talk.¡±


    Girl-talk. I don¡¯t remember it being so sexual, then again thest time I really had honest girl-talk was before the incident. I suppose ites with age. Does Jana want to talk about these things with me? She knows she can¡¯t, she won¡¯t want to upset me. What other friendship things am I withholding?


    ¡°So?¡± She asks, hopeful.


    My fists ball up, urging me to do it. I need Jana¡¯s friendship. ¡°Okay,¡± I breathe out, already regretting it. ¡°You have the one piece?¡±


    Standing in the bathroom, staring into the mirror, I yank the suit on and take deep breaths. This will be good for me, conquering my fear, even if it feels like someone¡¯s hands are wrapped around my neck. Jana is waiting for me in the hall, so I pick up the beach towel and cover myself as if I have just gotten out of the shower. She smiles at the sight of me.


    My eyes wander down the hall to the master bedroom doors, both closed with a dim strip of light at the bottom. I wonder what he is doing.


    ¡°Come on, I got everything ready.¡± Jana leads me to the hot tub which is on arge porch in the backyard area. Outside, the moon is hidden behind the house and there are many more stars to view. The trees seem to blend together, giving our surroundings a creepy look, making me think back to the movie. ¡°Do you want me to turn around?¡±


    I look back to Jana, then to the beach towel around me. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    She nods and simply climbs into the bubbling water. I smile and take a moment to hype myself up.


    It¡¯s just Jana. She¡¯s your friend, she won¡¯t hurt you. Be a normal teenager and gossip in the hot tub with your friend.


    My fingers grip the towel. ¡°Okay. It¡¯sing off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯sing off,¡± she encourages me.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a swimsuit, and it¡¯s just you,¡± I convince myself.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me. Conquer, Hailey. Take your life back,¡± she cheers, making my heart race.


    I count in my head, one, two, three, and before I know it, the towel is pooled at my feet and Jana is happier than ever. She sshes her hands in the water and Iugh as she cheers me on as I get in. The first thing I feel is the warmth, then the bubbles, then the sensation of water overall. I submerge myself in the missed feelings, a desert finally seeing rainfall.


    ¡°Amazing, right?¡± Jana sighs and sinks further down.


    ¡°Yeah, amazing,¡± I murmur. ¡°Thanks for this, for helping me I mean.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what friends are for?¡±


    I roll my eyes at her clich¨¦ment. ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°It feels nice to not be at school, to get away from certain people. Tyler got a girlfriend. He brought her flowers on her birthday and gave her this wrapped up box with a bow on it. She could hardly hold it, it was so big.¡±


    ¡°Forget him,¡± I reach out to her, continuing with the clich¨¦ phrases, ¡°there¡¯s someone out there for you. He¡¯s not that great anyways.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°Thanks. But you don¡¯t even know him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to. If he¡¯s dumb enough to choose another girl over you, then he¡¯s not that great in my book. Besides, it¡¯s best to wait until college to get a boyfriend, they¡¯re much more mature, at least that¡¯s what the girls whine about in the locker room.¡±


    Jana nudges me. ¡°You actually listen to those conversations?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like anyone talks to me.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment of silence, and I know she¡¯s thinking about something. The air around us is cold, but the water keeps me warm. It will be hard to get out when we¡¯re done. I turn back to my friend and begin to say something casual, but she cuts me off. ¡°How can they follow him around like that?¡±


    ¡°Who? Harrison?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I mean, he¡¯s just a guy? Who cares if he¡¯s better looking?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Well, he does have a lot of money, his Dad is the mayor, his mom has started many businesses around town and helps people with theirs. They donate a lot of money to charity and invest in localpanies. Since they took over, Coldgrove has been doing great.¡±


    Jana crosses her arms. ¡°So it¡¯s because of his parents?¡±


    ¡°Well, he is a golden boy. Great grades, great at sports, great looks, super charismatic, and no one knows that he¡¯s a monster on the inside,¡± I exin, taking most of these facts from the locker room, ¡°so what is there to hate about him? Girls want to be with him, guys want to be him, parents adore him, and the town sees his family as their saviors.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bullshit,¡± she mutters. ¡°How will karma get to him if he¡¯s protected by a wall of money and praise? I just-I want to-ugh! If I had a baseball bat and if he was standing right here I would-¡±


    ¡°I get it. I just have to trust that he¡¯ll get what¡¯sin¡¯ to him.¡±


    Jana sinks down further into the water, and something tells me that she has a n of her own.

 Chapter 19

    Rolling over to face away from the sunlight, I yank the covers up over my head. The white duvet glows above me, defusing the brightness, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I was having a nice dream before my excitement woke me. In this dream, I happened to be back in Florida at the beach. It was the beach that all of my school friends went to after school,rge boulders coated in spray paint lead up to a cliff where they would jump off.


    In the dream, I was sitting in the sand beside Jana. She was tanning andughing, a beach goddess draped in sunshine. Iughed with her as the waves reached up to tickle my toes. About a second before I woke up, Jana pointed to the cliff and said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Daniel. Watch.¡±


    I stared as he dove off like the reckless do, not even shouting on the way down, but enjoying the sensations. My eyes shot open when he hit the water, and I cursed at nothing.


    Now here I am, curled up in bed, trying to return to my dreand. It is not working.


    I groan and kick the covers off of me before sitting up. My phone appears from underneath me, so I grab it to check the time. It is nine o¡¯clock. On the screen, I also see a message from my mother. It reads: Stay safe, have fun, and remember I¡¯m a cop. Turning off the screen, I get up and head for the bathroom. There are three bathrooms, the master for Daniel, the upstairs hallway one for Taylor and Jordan, then the downstairs one for Jana and I.


    Swaying into the bathroom, I find Jana scrubbing her face. ¡°Why did we give Taylor and Jordan the upstairs one? I¡¯m already tired ofing down here every time,¡± she groans.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. This one is bigger.¡±


    She dips down into the sink, cupping water then sshing it to her bubbly skin. ¡°Hardly.¡±


    I reach over her, grabbing my toothbrush and paste. ¡°So what are we doing today?¡±


    ¡°We were all going to head down to theke.¡±


    With my toothbrush in my mouth, I mumble, ¡°Okay, should we pack lunch and bring it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be cute. You can make Daniel a heart-shaped sandwich and sprinkle it with pink glitter,¡± she amuses herself. I roll my eyes. ¡°Hey, at least you have someone to daydream about. I¡¯m just happy I don¡¯t have to see Tyler and his girlfriend every day as they hold hands and make out in the hall. Have some respect, we don¡¯t want to see that you pigs.¡±


    Iugh a little. ¡°And I don¡¯t have to see Harrison or Daphne-well, hopefully.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t see her. We¡¯re at the other end of the creek.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What if she¡¯s going to theke too?¡±


    Jana finally dries her face, but the dripping water has already wet her shirt. ¡°I highly doubt that. She didn¡¯t want to go a few years back because the water is dirty. It¡¯ll ruin her perfect skin, remember?¡±


    I smile and shake my head. ¡°That was ridiculous.¡±


    Together, Jana and I start to put together lunch so we can bring it with us. Jordan joins in and snacks on the food while we smack him. To pay for his disturbance, he sets everything into Tupperware containers before putting into the fridge.


    Iy on Jana¡¯s bed as she packs a beach bag for theke, bringing sunscreen and towels. ¡°We¡¯re just in time, huh?¡±


    She nces back at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Before it gets too cold to swim.¡±


    I stare out the window, out at the trees. Everything is upside down as my head leans off the bed, my hair nearly touching the floor. Everyone is busy getting ready beside me. I do not have to bring anything but myself and my phone. Jana picked a pair of shorts and a white blouse for me, so I put it on then came to her room with nothing to do. I look like I am on vacation, on an ind going on a boat to somewhere with my rich husband. The blouse is more casual than what she would wear, though.


    ¡°So, what are you going to be doing?¡± Jana asks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probablyy in the sun, get some vitamin D. I¡¯ll watch you swim around as you pick upke guys. Like watching T. V.¡±


    ¡°Lake guys?¡± She questions.


    ¡°Guys of the Hauls Creek Lake.¡±


    Janaughs. ¡°There will be no picking up of any guys, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed-you know-a lot. I remember that you were all about school, wanted good grades, never thought about boys at all.¡±


    ¡°I was ate bloomer, and my mother threatened me about going to a good college. Now that my mother doesn¡¯t care as much, I¡¯ve found freedom. I prefer it this way,¡± she exins. ¡°We¡¯ve all changed a bit.¡±


    I nod.


    At theke, we set down our things in the dark sand. Jana strips down, Taylor takes off her clothes, Jordan slips off a shirt, then Daniel does the same. It is awkward for me, the little weirdo in the corner watching the cool kids rx. I mostly casually look away, pretending to be intrigued by the sand or the water. I know if I nce at Daniel-for even a moment-I¡¯ll have rosy cheeks afterward.


    Jana sits down beside me in the sand while the other three wander towards the water, chatting andughing. ¡°Pretty hot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t,¡± I mutter andy back, unable to look at Daniel. ¡°Not hot. It¡¯s normal. Nothing is hot.¡±


    Janays down also. ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guy? Who cares?¡±


    ¡°You care.¡±


    I turn my head towards her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go swim or something?¡±


    ¡°Trying to get rid of me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I mutter and turn the opposite way. The sun warms my body like a weightless nket beingid on top of me. I rx my face, my arms, my legs, everything. In some way, I be part of the sand, motionless and thoughtless. ¡°Go swim.¡±


    ¡°You look like a dead body. Like a girl who washed up on the shore after her sailboat sunk.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I groan.


    ¡°You can¡¯t justy over here the entire time, at leaste stand it the water, feel the sand between your toes and let loose.¡±


    Jana leaves after a few more rounds of convincing, and I get it through her head that I am truly happyying over here. With sunsses on, eyes shut, bodyid down like concrete, I nowy still and wait to dry. The sun toasts my skin, so Ither a coat of sunscreen on every now and then, stealing it from Jana¡¯s beach bag.


    The towel beneath me protects my hair from the sand, stopping it from getting in, though I am sure a few strands have strayed off. I used to do this in Florida. Iid in the sand while L surfed and flirted. The Florida guys found her irresistible, a sporty, yet girly specimen with sun-kissed skin and sun-bleached hair. She was a mermaid turned human, too free and too beautiful for our kind to admire. L turned down all guys with a sweet smile, intending no heartbreak. All words that left her mouth sounded like a flirt.


    Sitting up to stretch, I look forward and pause at the site before me.


    Daniel ising my way.


    I hold my breath as he gets closer, suddenly needing no oxygen to breathe.

 Chapter 20

    As Daniel nears I adjust my sitting position as if he¡¯s going to throw himself at me. He would crash down beside me and ask for ayer of sunscreen on his back-he would already feel a sunburning on. The sunscreen from Jana¡¯s bag would be trapped in my fingers, and I would squeeze too much on then nervously try to hide it.


    Instead of this, Daniel dips down into Taylor and Jordan¡¯s bag before pulling out his phone. He scans over the screen before bringing the device to his ear, walking away from me and theke. I watch for a few seconds as he disappears through the entrance, talking to whoever.


    Mr. Russ tried to get something out of me before a knock came to the ssroom door. He sighed and went to answer, slipped out of the room stealthily to talk to whoever. While he was gone, I wandered around his desk and picked up random things like a stapler orputer mouse, fumbling with them. I saw his phone lying face up beside the keyboard and decided to tap the home button. The screen lit up a text message from someone named Jessica. It read: I¡¯ll be homete so I¡¯ll pick up some takeout on my way. Chinese or Italian?


    I stared at it until the door began to open, then I looked away, back at my teacher. This was before I knew he had a wife.


    What if Daniel is talking to his girlfriend? What if she¡¯s beautiful and free-spirited and able to give him everything? Will I be hurt? Disappointed?


    I am not sure how to feel about it, but I didn¡¯t think I would have to. Florida Hailey thought she would be alone for the rest of her life. I thought that my days of overreacting and crying from heartbreak were over, not that I ever did before. Harrison ruined that for me before I even had a shot.


    Laying back down, I ignore the fact that Daniel might be talking to another girl. Who am I to care? It is not like we have a connection or anything. Plus, we¡¯ve never had a proper conversation, not counting his plethora of questions at Watts¡¯.


    Even if he did like me somehow-in the extremely unlikely scenario-we couldn¡¯t be together anyway, at least for a while. A rtionship consists of things that I am not prepared to give, Daniel or not. That is just the way it is right now. I need to stop fantasizing about an imaginary rtionship and overreacting at stupid phone calls because Daniel and I will never. . .


    ¡°Still not swimming?¡±


    My inner rantes to a halt and my neck cranks up. Laying t on my stomach, I see Daniel standing right in front of me, blocking the sun and leaving me in a handsome shadow. He drops his phone into the beach bag, waiting for a response.


    ¡°Still not swimming,¡± I awkwardly confirm before sitting up. Surprisingly, Daniel takes a seat on the sand as well, sitting on Jana¡¯sid out towel beside mine. Not sure what to say, I ask, ¡°Bored of theke?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing new,¡± he says.


    I nod. ¡°So youe here a lot then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ie here often,¡± he says somewhat amused.


    In over my head, I nce back at the water, watching Jana as she struggles to keep her hair dry. My heart has gained twenty pounds, and my hands feel mmy, sticky with nerves.


    ¡°You look ufortable,¡± he says.


    ¡°You observe people to closely.¡±


    Daniel shrugs. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    ¡°And you assume things too soon. You shouldn¡¯t,¡± I nce up at him.


    ¡°Is that right?¡±


    Needing to scream, I hold it in and fight to keep it down. ¡°You don¡¯t know what people have done, and you can¡¯t assume it. If you really want to know someone, you should just stop observing and ask.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Daniel says, not looking away, ¡°what have you done then, Hailey?¡±


    With a sudden boost of confidence-a feeling my Floridian alter ego would get-I mutter, ¡°Well, if I told you, then you¡¯d be the ufortable one.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Needing an escape route, before he can respond, I stand up and aim for Jana as I casually walk away. It is hard to act normal when I feel like running for the hills. Why did I say that? What does he think now? Why do I do this? Where do these feelingse from? There are too many questions, and I curse myself for causing them. It is like ying cat and mouse with myself.


    Jana notices me andes to shore. ¡°I saw you chatting with Mr. Mystery. Tell me, did he finally confess his love? Or did you take the lead and do it first?¡±


    ¡°Worst,¡± I mumble, ¡°he probably thinks I¡¯ve killed someone.¡±


    Jana¡¯s face scrunches up. ¡°How the hell did you manage to do that? What are you saying to him?¡±


    ¡°I just-I don¡¯t know. When are we leaving? I have a dire need to hide in my room for the rest of this trip. I can¡¯t face him ever again. All I do is embarrass myself. He probably has a girlfriend anyway, I mean he was just talking to her and I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m acting like this in the first ce and I just want to go home and transfer schools becauseing back here was a bad idea and now I¡¯m stuck unless I move to Canada somehow but that¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Christ. You sound like you¡¯ve been caught with the murder weapon, stop making it obvious that you¡¯re the killer,¡± Jana cuts me off. ¡°Now take some deep breaths. It¡¯s not your fault that you don¡¯t know how to handle things like this.¡±


    I nod and take in the damp air, cing my hands on my hips.


    ¡°Please help me get over him. I don¡¯t want to feel like this anymore. I don¡¯t want to like him anymore.¡±

 Chapter 21

    ying the mysterious girl with a mysterious past has been fun-something I haven¡¯t experienced in a while-but it is time to let my schoolgirl crush go. Daniel has his own life, own problems, own crushes and I have to get over the fact that I will never be a part of it. I couldn¡¯t be even if I wanted.


    Daniel is the type of guy girls dream of being with, he seems to be perfect. He is incredibly handsome, deliciously tough, mysterious, held back, and overall a teenage girls fantasy. That is what I am, a teenage girl fantasizing. There is a good and bad side to this as well, the bad being that I am wasting my time, and the good being that I am beginning to feel again. It may be just a schoolgirl crush, but it shows me that I can feel this certain way towards guys.


    It was weird at first, to like someone. I did not like it one bit, but now I am grateful, grateful to not just act like a girl my age but to truly be one. Maybe Daniel is simply a stepping stone on my journey back to normality. Who knows what is next.


    Jana and I make a quick run to the grocery store to pick up a few things. The fridge is running low and Jordan is growing cranky, so we agree to grab some essentials and some sweets before our midnight hiketer. I am excited for it as there is supposedly a giant boulder at the end of the trail where people climb up and stare out at the view. Daniel says that you can see the creek perfectly from it.


    At the store, I grab a basket and together Jana and I wander about. I drove Jordans Grandmothers SUV, which was very different than my small car at home. Thankfully we made it in one piece.


    ¡°I want this,¡± Jana ces a bag of kettle corn into the basket, ¡°and these. Should we get stuff for s¡¯mores? There¡¯s a fire pit in the backyard.¡±


    ¡°I guess. Is there anything we should bring on the hike? Like gran bars or something?¡±


    Jana nods. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll probably want a snack when we get to the top.¡±


    Just as I stray out of the aisle to head towards the more healthy snacks, Jana snatches me back, almost making me trip. ¡°What the he-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back,¡± she whispers rapidly and drags me the opposite way.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I try to not stumble over my feet when she slips past a corner, her fingers gripping onto me like a scared child¡¯s. ¡°Red alert. Our nightmares areing to life,¡± she breathes out, not stopping until I yank away from her, demanding an exnation. ¡°Trust me, we have to go n-¡±


    ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    I have never looked back so quickly. Behind me is someone I had hoped to dodge.


    Jana steps forward. ¡°We¡¯re here for fall break.¡±


    Daphne scans over her, not very amused. Her eyes find me again. ¡°And where would you two be staying?¡±


    ¡°With a few friends,¡± Jana says.


    There is a box of tampons in her hand, and she looks quite miserable. Lounge clothes and a sloppy bun, Daphne¡¯s eyes watching me-and even through this she manages to intimidate me. Though, her appearance seems to humanize her.


    ¡°Let me guess, Taylor and Jordan. How fun it must be to y third and fourth wheel,¡± Daphne says, ¡°unlike you two, I have people to impress, excuse me.¡±


    She pushes past us and walks away, off into the store to get who knows what. Surprised, I nce at Jana and she too looks rather confused. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Jana asks. ¡°I thought she would be more of a. . . Well, a bitch.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t exactly nice to us.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t terrible either. I can live with third and fourth wheel, not having anyone to impress,¡± she mimics her. ¡°Let¡¯s just go before she changes her mind and rips our throats out.¡±


    I stop and scrunch my face. ¡°Graphic, but we¡¯re in agreement. Let¡¯s just grab the gran bars.¡±


    Once we arrive back at the cabin, Taylor is waiting for us. ¡°What took so long? I¡¯m starving and I can¡¯t handle hearing Jordanin one more time.¡± She peeks into the bags then peers up.


    ¡°We ran into Daphne,¡± Jana says.


    ¡°Why would she be up here?¡±


    ¡°Her family has a cabin. Theye every year,¡± I tell her, ¡°we didn¡¯t think we¡¯d actually run into her, though.¡±


    ¡°She cause you guys trouble?¡±


    Jana sits down at the kitchen counter. ¡°Surprisingly, no.¡±


    As the sun begins to set, I find myself alone in my room, slipping on morefortable clothes for the hike. Once I am all set, I sit down on the bed and fall back, wondering what everyone is doing at this exact moment. What would Harrison be doing? Throwing another party? Would there be some girl standing in the kitchen, nervous and alone, wanting to leave? He would find her,fort her, convince her. . . I hate him. I always will.


    For a long time, I would sob from frustration. My heart would squeeze, feeling hopeless, feeling as if the world wants to see me fall. The universe hates me, I would think to myself, the universe wants me gone.


    If only Harrison wasn¡¯t who he is. If he was someone no one cared about, someone irrelevant, then maybe I would get justice, but he¡¯s not. I can scream and cry about how unfair it is, but that world is exactly that. Every day someone gets the short end of the stick in life, and that day it was me. There will always be someone who has it worse, there will always be a shorter end.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    The sun begins to set and the warm colors are cast on the walls from therge windows across from me. I wish I couldy here forever. No more Daniel, no more Daphne, no more Harrison, or school, or parties, or mothers. Here, I am just a girlying on a bed, but back at home I am the towns most hated. I never want to leave.


    Tomorrow will be ourst day, and thinking about it makes me anxious. Hauls creek seems to smooth me, even if I did run into Daphne. This cabin, theke, the forest-it is a vacation well needed.


    The bedroom door opens, letting Jana through. She looks down at me and sighs beforeying down herself. ¡°We¡¯re leaving soon,¡± she mumbles, trying to get a few minutes of rest. Her eyes close.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be up then?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m toofortable now. Just wait a second.¡±


    Sitting up, I peer out the window as if I must check something. The forest, yes, it¡¯s still there. ¡°I¡¯ll go fill water bottles,¡± I say while getting up. Walking into the kitchen, I find Daniel leaning against the counter, facing away from me.


    The sunsets warmth has found its way into here as well, causing the white countertops to glow. Daniel does not seem to notice my presence until I grab one of the stic bottles off the counter, heading to the filter on the fridge. It is Jana¡¯s bottle, the purple one with white polka dots, most scratched off. She scratches them with her nail.


    ¡°Ready for the hike?¡± I ask casually, something a normal person would do.


    Surprisingly, Daniel does not answer. Instead, he leaves the room, looking to be somewhat bothered.


    I watch until he disappears up the staircase.

 Chapter 22

    Daniel does note on the hike with us, and I cannot figure out why. It is not like he would share anything with me, but possibly Jordan, so that is our n. We send Jordan to figure out what¡¯s up then we fix it-if we can. I am positive that whatever has Daniel in a mood is beyond anything casual, as showing any emotion at all is not his thing.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Maybe him and his girlfriend-the one I imaginarily assigned him-have broken up. Not that I care. . .


    ¡°He¡¯s upstairs in the master bedroom,¡± Taylor tells Jordan as we stand at the bottom of the staircase, ¡°just go ask if anything¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he just wants to be alone,¡± Jordan says, clearly hesitant.


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯d know then,¡± Jana says. ¡°Let¡¯s just find out, and by let¡¯s, I mean you.¡±


    Jordan reluctantly climbs the stairs, and once we cannot see him anymore, the three of us wait in the living room. All we can do for now is guess.


    ¡°Maybe something happened with his family,¡± I suggest.


    Jana shrugs. ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ve never really been around Daniel for so long, so maybe this is normal for him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should just wait for Jordan toe back before making assumptions,¡± Taylor says. ¡°It could be anything, we could be guessing forever.¡±


    I lean back on the couch, sinking down. It is thest day at the cabin and thest thing I wanted was to be restrained from staring at Daniel stealthily. Just because I want to no longer like him, does not mean I can¡¯t enjoy the view. It is one of the things I am happy to have back-being able to admire someone physically. Daniel is my current favorite to admire. Hopefully, there will be others I find attractive, I need to spread my staring out over many people so it is not as obvious.


    My thoughts make me smile, almostugh a little. Jana looks over at me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find out what happened? I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love to tell you.¡±


    I re at her. ¡°We¡¯re over all of that. I told you that I don¡¯t like him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Correction, you said you wanted to stop liking him, not that you did,ir.¡±


    Like two children, we carry on until Jordan appears. Taylor stands up, signaling to us. ¡°So?¡± She questions and Jordan shrugs.


    ¡°He seemed normal. He just said he was tired.¡±


    Jana groans. ¡°That¡¯s obviously a coverup.¡±


    ¡°I think we should just give him some time. Let him rx and whatever. He¡¯ll be good tomorrow,¡± Jordan says.


    One night, back in Florida, L wanted to go to a gathering at the beach. She told me that people from school were going, so I agreed. I snuck out of my bedroom window-thankfully my father had a one-story house-and L was waiting in her car out front. She drove to the beach we usually hang out at, so I was not nervous.


    When we arrived, I noticed not only students from my grade but seniors and some college kids. L seemed fine with it all, and I knew I had to put on my facade, my Floridian persona also known as Daphne. As her, I felt a bit better, but still not right.


    I want to introduce you to my friends, L told me before leading me through the tiny crowd. Most people wereying in the sand talking,ughing, some even drinking. L brought me to a couple of people, the ones looking rather older, college students. I wondered how she knew college kids, as she was in the same grade as I.


    L introduced me, and I smiled-I have never been good at introductions-then we sat down in the sand with them. There was a small fire nearby, started by people around us, and it gave me some light to see who exactly I was with. Obviously, no one I recognized, but I was curious anyway. I sat quietly beside L as she smoothly conversed about whatever troubled her, not wanting to contribute at all. At the time, I simply wanted to go home.


    One of the guys sitting with us began to talk to me, yet my answers were short and boring.


    So you¡¯re not from here? He asked.


    No.


    Do you like Florida?


    Yeah.


    What¡¯s your name?


    Hailey.


    Do you want to feel better? He asked and caught my attention. You look a little down.


    What do you mean?


    Have you ever gone cliff jumping?


    Clearly, I hadn¡¯t, and I do not know why I followed the stranger as he lead me up to the jumping point. L and the others were with us, falling behind but with me overall. The guy, whose name I never learned, motioned for me toe closer to the edge, and I did, and I looked down. I could see the waves rushing up then colliding with the base of the cliff, and it made my heart race. L¡¯sughs held onto me like a rope, reminding me where I am exactly, and how close I am. One or two steps and that would have been it.


    Careful, Hailey, L called out to me, distracted.


    My surrounds fell silent, but in that moment I didn¡¯t care. I was engrossed in the picture below me. The water must be cold-salty, cold, and ck. At that time Mr. Russ was pressuring me to make my decision, my father was having conversations with his wife about Canada, and I was looking for a ce to belong.


    While I stared down, hair blowing in my face, two hands gripped my shoulders causing me to jump. My minor heart attack was followed byughter. The guy had scared me.


    Come on, let¡¯s go back down, L said and started on her way back to the beach. The others trailed behind her, but I didn¡¯t want to leave.


    Looking down, all I could think about was my options. I could either jump or not. That¡¯s it. One or the other.


    I could have stayed home, I could have stood in the living room instead, I could have ignored Harrison, I could have stayed downstairs, I could have demanded to leave, I could have done something. One or the other.


    I chose all wrong.

 Chapter 23

    For hours I find myself unable to get even a minute of sleep. I simplyy in bed, turn on my side, turn on my stomach, switch the direction my head is in, turn on my other side, then flip back onto my back. Nearly reaching a point of insanity, I nce at the clock-it reads 2:06-then I get up from the bed and wander down the stairs.


    Expecting everyone to be asleep, I quietly sneak into the kitchen to search the fridge and pantry for anything to drink or eat. Maybe I am thirsty or hungry. Maybe I am too tired to think properly.


    The fridge light burns my eyes, causing me to squint. My hands rummage around, sliding jars of jam and bottles of water from one side to the other as if something wonderful is behind them. After discovering nothing sugary-sweet, I grab a bottle of water and sit on top of the counter. I feel the chilled liquid rush down my throat, into my body as I take a gulp. Should I be sitting on the counter? Too tired to move, I rebel and stay seated, kicking my feet gently.


    ¡°Thirsty?¡±


    My heart jolts and my eyes shoot up. Daniel. Standing. Hallway. My heart races as I try to recover from a possible heart attack. I ce the bottle down beside me and take a few deep breaths. ¡°You scared me,¡± I whisper in a loud way.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know,¡± he says in a normal volume. ¡°Are you always up at two in the morning?¡±


    I watch him as he opens the fridge, his eyes scanning around. ¡°No, and there¡¯s nothing to eat. Well, unless you want a spoonful of strawberry jam.¡±


    Daniel also grabs a bottle of water, taking my advice on ditching the jam. He leans against the counter across from me, and I struggle to find something interesting to stay. ¡°Are you always up at two in the morning?¡± I steal his question.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not a very good sleeper,¡± he mutters before taking a drink of water.


    I nod. ¡°I used to wake up at least seven times a night. Even when I was sleeping, it felt like an hour was only a few seconds.¡±


    Daniel watches me. He¡¯s probably wondering why I shared such a weird thing, and why I thought he would care enough to listen. ¡°Was it because of this secret thing you did?¡± He asks, surprising me.


    ¡°You assume only one thing happened,¡± I murmur, ¡°what if I¡¯ve done many horrible, secret things?¡±


    ¡°Then that would make you normal,¡± he says.


    I nce off to the side. If being attacked and having a rtionship with a teacher is normal, then this world is much darker than I thought. I have done things and things have been done to me, yet for some reason, Daniel believes in only the one. I suppose I¡¯ve contributed to that belief, though.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve done many horrible, secret things too, then?¡±


    Daniel nods, his arms crossed, one hand still holding his water bottle.


    For some unknown reason-probably because of my extremeck of sleep, I say, ¡°tell me one.¡±


    Daniel raises an eyebrow, then takes a sip. My heart squeezes from the nervous feeling rushing throughout my body. Why on earth would Daniel tell-


    ¡°Alright, but you¡¯ll have to tell me one of your secrets then.¡±


    I swallow. ¡°You first.¡±


    I cannot urately describe the number of thoughts whirling around in my head. The main being: Are you really going to tell him one of your secrets?


    Daniel agrees to this. ¡°I used to work for a bad guy. He hired me to collect money from people who owed him. If they didn¡¯t have the money, I would beat the shit out of them.¡±


    Not expecting that, I stay quiet for a moment. ¡°Why did you do it? For the money?¡±


    Daniel shakes his head. ¡°It gave me something to take my anger out on. I stopped a few months ago.¡± Everything he says sounds rxed, smooth, slow. Even something so dark sounds justifiable. ¡°Now, your secret.¡±


    I know which one I am going to tell him, but after hearing his, I feel nervous. I just have to say it, maybe it will make me feel better, to share. ¡°I, um, I made my teacher fall in love with me to the point where he wanted to run away with me and abandon his wife.¡±


    Daniel seems slightly amused. ¡°You¡¯re kidding?¡±


    Regretting everything, I shake my head.


    ¡°Hailey, you¡¯re wearing matching polka dot pajamas. You¡¯re telling me you seduced a grown man?¡±


    Something about this makes us sound familiar with each other. He said my name, questioned me, described my pajamas. ¡°I didn¡¯t-it was an ident.¡±


    ¡°You slept with him?¡±


    My cheeks flush red. ¡°No! Of course not.¡±


    Hopefully, I didn¡¯t wake anyone up as hearing our conversation from this point may sound crazy.


    ¡°Then how did you do it?¡± He questions.


    My hot cheeks cooling down, I murmur, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was a hopeless romantic, I guess. You ask a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t ask enough.¡±


    I stare at him. ¡°So this guy, what did he do?¡±


    Daniel shrugs. ¡°No idea.¡±


    Somewhat embarrassed by my confession, I return to my bedroom after telling Daniel a very casual and generic ¡®goodnight.¡¯ The clock reads 2:47 now.


    I climb into bed, cing my water bottle on the table beside me. It now just hits me, and it hits me like a truck. I told Daniel Todd one of my secrets, a secret that no one else knows. At least the other is spread around as a rumor, but this one, this one was just for me. He knows about Mr. Russ, no one knows about Mr. Russ besides me and Mr. Russ. What if he tells people? Will they think I¡¯m some-some slut? Isn¡¯t that too much of a teenage girls problem? I¡¯m not at that stage yet.


    First, they¡¯ll know about Harrison, thinking I¡¯m an attention whore, and now they¡¯re going to know that I was romantically involved with a teacher, thinking I¡¯m a slut. I cannot be a slut and a whore, I don¡¯t even know the difference.


    I didn¡¯t realize how much being a teenage girl sucked.

 Chapter 24

    ¡°Remember, the test over Lord of the Flies will be Friday. Fall break is over, people, let¡¯s get back into the routine,¡± Mrs. Hilliard calls to us as we exit the ssroom. ¡°Remember, if you haven¡¯t turned in your Chapter Twelve analysis. . .¡±


    Her voice fades as I wander out the door and down the hallway. Everyone seems miserable today, all hoping for one more day of fall break. It is always hard toe back after a week of rxation.


    The principals muffled voice sounds above us, rambling about Homing, the next football game, college visits, and other events I would love to forget about. Being in the school is enough for me already. I could live without the stares and whispers. You¡¯d think after an entire quarter that people would get over the fact that I am indeed back in Coldgrove.


    Suddenly someone roughly grabs my arm, yanking me to the side, into a room. It is all one blur in front of me. Once inside, they let go and the door shuts. I immediately look up, not expecting to see Harrison standing in front of the door. Panic sets in heavily. He¡¯s blocking the way out. He¡¯s going to hurt me. Should I scream? Should I cry? Should I fight him?


    ¡°Calm down, Hailey,¡± he says while locking the door. My eyes shoot to the lock, remember what happened thest time I was in a locked room with him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to scream.¡±


    He crosses his arms. ¡°Would you rx?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I shout at him. ¡°Get away from me! You c-can¡¯t lock me in a room.¡±


    ¡°Just listen,¡± he says harshly. ¡°All of these rumors are hurting my reputation. I can¡¯t have it anymore-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth!¡±


    Harrison clenches his jaw, visibly angry. ¡°I can¡¯t have it,¡± he repeats. ¡°You¡¯re going to say that it was all a lie, and I¡¯m going to support you. I¡¯ll forgive you and so will everyone else. You can finally live here without the staring and without the entire town hating you.¡±


    I swallow. ¡°I want to leave.¡±


    Harrison peers to the side for a moment. ¡°Think about it.¡±


    He then unlocks the door, releasing me.


    I rush down the hall, my heart racing, my throat closing up, sweating. I want to leave. I need to get out of here. My hands ball up into fists, my nails digging into my palms.


    Hurrying through the front doors, I jog to my car, fumbling with the zipper of my backpack so I can get my keys. I reach my car and dig around in the bag, not finding them. The need to scream rises up in me. Where are the damn keys? I just want to get out!


    I throw my bag to the ground, leaning against my car. Like a five-year-old child, I want to throw a fit, kicking and crying. It¡¯s not fair!Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Do you usually try and leave at this time?¡±


    Already knowing who it is, I look up, not caring how I maye off anymore. Pretending to be normal is tiring, and for some reason, Daniel doesn¡¯t seem to fall for it. He has his track bag slung over his shoulder, he must have gotten it from his car likest time.


    I bend down and begin searching through my bag again. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    I find my keys and press the unlock button, but before I can get in the car, Daniel swipes them from me. ¡°You¡¯re not driving,¡± he says, my keys trapped in his hand.


    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not driving like this,¡± he says, ¡°you¡¯re going to get somebody killed.¡±


    I clench my jaw. ¡°You can¡¯t just take my keys.¡±


    Suddenly he begins to walk off, not before pressing the ¡®lock¡¯ button. I stand speechless for a second then follow after him with my backpack. ¡°Are you leaving because of him?¡± Daniel asks.


    ¡°Stop asking me questions.¡±


    ¡°Did he hurt you?¡±


    I stop and grab his arm, causing him to turn around. ¡°Why the hell do you care?¡±


    ¡°Because I know guys like him,¡± he says intensely, ¡°A guy like him abused my sister for two years. They think they can get away with anything because of Daddy¡¯s position.¡±


    I take in a deep breath. His sister was in an abusive rtionship? ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find this piece of shit.¡±


    Swiftly, I hurry in front of him, bringing Daniel to a halt again. ¡°No. Don¡¯t. You¡¯re not helping me.¡±


    Daniel steps back. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let him push you around?¡±


    I struggle to find the right words. ¡°I-It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that he¡¯s never hurt you?¡±


    I stare up at Daniel, overwhelmed. What am I supposed to say? ¡°I-I. . . You don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s moreplicated than that.¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s simple. Harrison hurt you, or he didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I just-I just want to go home.¡±


    Daniel continues on towards the building. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to the locker room.¡±


    ¡°What about my keys!¡± I call to him.


    ¡°You can have them after school.¡±


    With my backpack hanging off my arm, I watch as he walks away, leaving me in the parking lot. Did I really just let him leave with my keys? Frustrated, I groan and stomp my foot, ring up at the sky before trudging to my next ss. The bell is about to ring, I¡¯m going to bete.


    At lunch, I wait for Daniel toe through the cafeteria doors so I can argue for my keys, but he hasn¡¯t shown up. Where could he be?


    I turn to Jana. ¡°Where¡¯s Daniel?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If you know, just tell me.¡±


    Jana raises an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He took my keys when I tried to leave earlier.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me. He took your keys and you didn¡¯t tell me? This is a huge step on the pathway to your rtionship,¡± she says, annoyed. ¡°Friends tell each other these things-but. . . Why did he take them? Did you try and leave recklessly again?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just going to assume that you don¡¯t know where he is. Do you know where Jordan is? Maybe he knows.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s talking to Bradley, but don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting out of this one. We¡¯re talking about thister.¡± Jana points across the cafeteria at Harrison¡¯s table.


    Daphne, Harrison, Bradley-all at one table surrounded by loyal friends. Jordan is standing next to Bradley, talking casually. He doesn¡¯t seem interested in conversing with anyone else, though. I need my keys, I need to get out of this ce, but am I willing to stand in front of Harrison after what happened?


    He told me to think about it.


    He wants me to help him, and if I do, he¡¯ll make the staring and whispering stop.


    Am I willing to do that?

 Chapter 25

    It is hard to get over someone when they have the keys to your car. It is even more difficult when that same person seems to care for you, then doesn¡¯t, then does, then doesn¡¯t, then takes said keys. It sucks, even more, when the only way to get those keys before the end of the day is to face your tormentors.


    He just had to take them. Daniel just had the care today.


    Putting in my brave face, I walk over to the table, but not close enough to where they can talk to me, yet close enough to were Jordan can notice me. Once he does, I motion for him toe over. As I expected, everyone including Harrison sees this, but it is better than being talked to.


    Harrison watches me closely, making my palms mmy. I want to yell at him to stop, shouting in front of everyone like I am out of control. I feel out of control. Daniel is causing this. He took away my only way out.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Jordan asks.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I was just wondering if you know where Daniel is. He has the keys to my car.¡±


    Jordan gives me a look, but I am not sure what it means. ¡°He might be out by the track. Sometimes he goes during lunch.¡±


    I thank Jordan and take my lead, heading out to the track behind the school. I haven¡¯t been out there since the only football game I attended before fall break, and I haven¡¯t nned on going back. It reminds me too much of Sophomore year, when Daphne and I were best friends, and before the incident with Harrison.


    Daphne always wanted to go to every football game, hoping to catch Harrison¡¯s attention. She knew if she was friends-or more-with Harrison, that she¡¯d be immediately popr, and it would surely secure her a spot on the Dance Team. Harrison had that much power.


    She would try and talk to him after every game. It is weird to see her sitting next to him now, such good friends. I wonder what she did to earn it.


    I notice Daniel on the track, casually jogging. My eyes scan the area until theye upon his track bag. The keys must be in there. He notices me as I walk through the chain-linked gate, turning around and heading my way.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting my keys,¡± I call to him.


    Daniel meets me halfway, reaching the bag before I do. ¡°If I remember correctly, I said after school.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, they¡¯re my keys.¡± I move the move towards his bag, but he steps in front of me. ¡°This is ridiculous. I¡¯m fine now, see?¡±


    Daniel nces at me up and down, I cross my arms, then he says, ¡°Why do you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well.¡±


    He nods, peering off to the side, ¡°You can do better than that, Hailey.¡± His eyes find me again and I frown.


    ¡°What? Do you want me to throw up on your shoes or something?¡±


    Daniel shrugs. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a game.¡± I attempt to slip past him, but again, he gets in the way. Feeling extremely frustrated, I re at him. Why does he have to be so pretty? ¡°Please, just please give me my keys. I can¡¯t be here any longer. I want to go home.¡±


    ¡°To do what? Lock your bedroom door and cry?¡±


    I bite the inside of my cheek, hard enough to where it stops me from tearing up. Usually, it works. Sometimes it draws blood. Is this tough love? ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to lock the door and cry my stupid little eyes out. Now give me my damn keys.¡±


    Daniel bends down, grabs my keys from the bag, then ces them in my hand without saying a word. I leave without saying anything also.


    The drive home is quiet. I don¡¯t y music, no talking to myself, no phone call from Jana, just silence.


    I do not know what Daniel and I have be. Friends? Maybe. He knows something about me that Jana doesn¡¯t even know, and I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t go around telling people that he¡¯s beat people up for some ¡®bad guy.¡¯ It is weird, I have never felt like this before, not even before Harrison.


    Our conversations are not normal, ever. I have feelings for him that I would like to extinguish, and for some odd reason he feels the need to protect me like a younger sister. On top of that, Harrison¡¯s talk has me all messed up in the head.


    Will I ever tell Daniel what Harrison did to me? He obviously wants to know. Though, he does believe I was in an abusive rtionship like his sister. Maybe I should just let him believe that. Maybe he¡¯ll move on then, no longer curious. It would be much easier to get over my crush if he has no interest in me whatsoever. I mean, he already knows about Mr. Russ. I¡¯ve given him enough.


    Once inside, I find my mother in the kitchen. ¡°What are you doing home?¡± I ask. It¡¯s Monday.


    She is standing in front of the coffeemaker in her robe, wrapped up like a grandmother. Her dark hair is a mess, they are dark bags under her green eyes, and she overall looks exhausted. ¡°I¡¯ve got a cold,¡± she tells me. ¡°What are you doing home? There are still two more hours of school.¡±


    I improvise, ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling well. The nurse told me I could leave.¡±


    My mother sighs. ¡°I must have given you my cold. Go on. Get some sleep. There are meds in the cab if you need it.¡±


    I nod and make my way upstairs before she questions me more. I couldn¡¯t have gotten the cold from her as I never see her anymore, but I keep that to myself.


    As Daniel said, I lock my door andy on my bed, yet I do not cry. After a while of lying here, I find myself drifting off. Just as I slip into my much-wanted abyss of sleep, my phone buzzes beside me like a crying baby, making me extremely annoyed. My hand shoots out and grips onto it as if I have the strength to crush the small device. Jana¡¯s contact lights up the screen.


    I swipe to answer, bringing it to my ear. ¡°Yes, Jana?¡± I ask, clearly bothered.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± she starts as if she is about to scold me, ¡°why am I hearing that Daniel has beaten the shit out of Harrison?¡±

 Chapter 26

    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why has Daniel beaten up Harrison?¡± she repeats usingly.


    I sit up swiftly and attempt to grasp the wordsing through the phone. ¡°He what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you haven¡¯t heard?¡±


    I run my hand through my hair. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t heard, Jana. I¡¯ve been at home for an hour or so. When did it happen? Where did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m assuming it happened after you left, and I heard it happened in the locker room. What was thest thing you and Daniel talked about? Did-did you tell him that Harrison-¡±


    ¡°No, of course I didn¡¯t,¡± I say. ¡°Who told you?¡±


    ¡°Jordan did a few minutes ago. He said that Daniel has been suspended and that Harrison isn¡¯t looking too good. What did you say to Daniel?¡±


    I struggle to remember exactly. ¡°Um, thest thing I told him was that I¡¯m going home to cry, so give me my keys or something like that.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you two talk about?¡± She questions. ¡°Whatever. Was that a reason to beat Harrison up?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± I mumble. ¡°Maybe? How long is he suspended for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Jordan didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Now what? We wait for Daniel to be unsuspended? What about Harrison?¡±


    Jana groans. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he doesn¡¯t think Daniel is your protector or something. Daniel cannot be brought into this mess, well, unless you don¡¯t mind him finding out.¡±


    ¡°I do mind,¡± I tell her, ¡°I don¡¯t want him to be a part of this, you¡¯re right. When he gets back at school, I¡¯ll tell him to back off or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Until then, let¡¯s just focus on the fact that Daniel Todd beat up Harrison for you!¡± She squeals. ¡°That is so dreamy. I feel like we¡¯re in a movie!¡±


    ¡°I told you that I want to get over my crush, not fantasize about how he¡¯s my hero.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But at least we know he doesn¡¯t have some stupid girlfriend or whatever. That means he is genuinely trying to protect you because he cares about you and I¡¯m so excited and I need to find my own boyfriend,¡± her voice dies off towards the end. ¡°I am so lonely in that department.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay. Let¡¯s just talk about it tomorrow. First things first, we find out when Daniel will be back.¡±


    The next day, I pick Jana up for school, but we have to wait until Lunch to ask Jordan for more information. I cannot stop thinking about the cafeteria as it is the only ce where I am sure to see Harrison. In every ss, my mind wanders to him, what he may look like. How dark are the bruises? Any cuts? A busted lip?


    How hard did Daniel hit him? It captivates me for some reason. I hope it hurt him. I hope Harrison¡¯s smug little face is swollen with regret.


    When I walk into the cafeteria, I head straight to our table, given a perfect view of Harrison¡¯s. I sit a wait, biting my lip, waiting to see the masterpiece Daniel has created.


    Then it happens, Harrison walks in with Daphne and two other guys on the football team. My hand squeezes into a fist and my toes scrunch up. He has a ck eye, swollen cheek, giant lip, and he tries to hide it from everyone with a baseball cap, shading it away. But I see. I see everything.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jana mumbles as she sits down beside me, swinging her bag onto the table. ¡°He looks terrible. Daniel really did a number on him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathe out.


    Taylor and Jordan join us as well, also constantly ncing back at Harrison.


    ¡°So,¡± Jana grabs our attention, ¡°when will Daniel be back?¡±


    ¡°Next week,¡± Jordan says.


    My heart drops. Next week? It¡¯s only Tuesday. I hate to admit it, but I want to see him, talk to him, thank him while scolding him. Most importantly, I have to tell him to back off of Harrison. It is none of his business, and I don¡¯t need Harrison fighting back. Worstes to worst he attacks Daniel for payback on Monday.


    The rest of the day goes by slowly, and I overhear some conversations about the fight. No one seems to know what it was about, which is what I hoped. For once, I am not the one people are whispering about, and it feels great. Daniel will sure get a taste of the staring when he gets back, but I am sure girls stare at him anyway.


    On my way to myst ss-almostte due to a conversation with my teacher-the bell rings as I hurry down the nearly empty hallway. My feete to a halt as I turn the corner and spot Harrison and Daphne. I pull myself back around before they notice my presence. Close enough to hear their conversation, I stay quiet and listen carefully.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening. The second my Dad sees my face, he¡¯s going to be all questions,¡± Harrison shouts in a hushed tone. ¡°Do you know how hard it was to hide this from them?¡±


    ¡°Just tell them it happened at practice,¡± Daphne says.


    Harrison sighs. ¡°Keep your boyfriend under control next time, got it?¡±


    Daphne doesn¡¯t reply, and I hear their footsteps fade until the doors at the end of the hall open and close. I take a deep breath. Boyfriend? He didn¡¯t mean Daniel, did he?


    Who am I kidding, of course he¡¯s talking about Daniel! What the hell. Daphne and Daniel are together?


    I have missed too many days in myst hour to run away now, or else I would be booking it in my car again. How could he be with Daphne? It has to be a lie. I have never even seen him talk to her in person. Falling back against the wall, I groan. He¡¯s never looked interested in her. The one time I saw her touch his arm, he backed away. He wouldn¡¯t back away if he had feelings for her.


    Why would Harrison say that? Maybe it was a joke.


    I take another deep breath before continuing to myst hour, not only worrying about Daniel and Daphne but conjuring up an excuse to why I amte.


    I could always ask him Monday, but it might seem like I am interested in him. Who cares. Daniel has shown much interest in me, and yet, he still doesn¡¯t like me, so I am simply acting the same way. Showing interest with no ulterior motive.


    Hesitantly, I push the ssroom door open, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Sorry, I was talking with my Earth Science teacher.¡±

 Chapter 27

    I stand outside the cafeteria doors, waiting for Daniel. My entire weekend was used to think of what I am going to say at this exact moment-Monday, the day Daniel gets back. Jana even pitched in a few lines. Tell him that you love how dangerous he is, but he can¡¯t fight Harrison without warning you first, she said. Obviously, I am not going to say that.


    First, I need to know why. Why did you do it after I asked you not to?


    Then I¡¯m going to ask him if it was worth it. What punching Harrison really worth getting suspended over?


    Finally, I want to know Harrison¡¯s reaction. Did he fight back? What did he say?


    I cannot think about it too hard, or I might just change my mind for the thousandth time. Waiting here isn¡¯t helping either, it is giving me too much time to regret confronting him in the first ce and before I know it, I¡¯ll be running back to the table before Daniel can tell that I was waiting for him.


    I cross my arms as thest wave of students rush through the doors. Daniel is usually one of thest people in the cafeteria, so it could happen any second now. I¡¯ll catch a glimpse of him turning the corner, he¡¯ll make eye contact with me, then I¡¯ll pummel him with questions in a volume much louder than normal-just how I had nned.


    A minute goes by without Daniel, and I begin to worry. Then a second, then a third. During the fourth, I begin to pace in the hallway, looking like I am waiting for news if my husband has made it through his surgery. When five minutes pass, I realize where he is, so I grab my backpack and head for the track.


    It is a rainy day, hardly sprinkling now, but puddles from earlier litter the pavement. Grey clouds drift above me, letting past no sunlight whatsoever, and I spot Daniel in the distance, rummaging through his track bag. Hurrying over to him, I walk past the chain-linked gate, catching his attention. When he sees me, he stands up straight, knowing what ising.


    ¡°What the hell, Daniel,¡± I shout as I finally reach him. ¡°I told you not to-¡±


    Then, out of nowhere, he kisses me.


    No warning. Completely surprising me. He brings his lips down to mine and kisses me like he has the right to. Daniel got a search warrant for my lips, causing me to panic, not giving me enough time to flush the evidence.


    Overwhelmed by the fact that Daniel is physically touching me in such a way, and by the fact that I am kissing someone in general, my body struggles to react. Thest time someone kissed me, I began to cry, and Mr. Russ never took my crying well. Am I going to now-am I going to cry? Am I going to feel vited and anxious? It¡¯s been too long, I can hardly remember how to react. How does a damaged seventeen-year-old girl react in such a fragile situation?


    Then he pulls away.


    Are there tears streaming down my cheeks? Am I holding my breath? Did I make it?


    ¡°Y-You. . .¡± I murmur, not knowing what to say. This is the first kiss that I have made it all the way through. With Mr. Russ, I always pulled away. Why didn¡¯t I pull away? I should have pulled away. ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Daniel crosses his arms, hiding his amusement with a straight face. ¡°I can¡¯t?¡±


    My cheeks flush with color, shades of pink and red pouring out onto my face, all for him to enjoy. It gives me away, well, the blushing and the nervousness that I am making very clear. I can¡¯t even stand right-my fingers messing with the hem of my shirt is not helping. ¡°You. . . You can¡¯t.¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Are you going to try and run away? Should I take your keys again?¡± He ys along, enjoying this very much.


    I blush even harder, my hands swiping at my face as if that will take it away. What would a normal girl do? What would she say? My mind is running nk. ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    Daniel shrugs. I watch as he leans down to his bag and pulls out a shirt. He hands it to me, and I take it, confused. Daniel then decides to take off the shirt he is wearing as if this is something casual. My blush intensifies if that is possible.


    He drops the shirt he was wearing into the bag, then takes the other from me before slipping it on. I have seen him without a shirt on-it is truly a wonderful experience-but never after a kiss. It is different now.


    He leaves me speechless by jogging off onto the track, leaving me standing with a flushed face and wide eyes.


    What the hell? What the hell was that?


    Immediately, I grab my phone from my pocket and tap Jana¡¯s contact. Wandering away from the track, I bring the device to my ear, breathing heavily. She answers.


    ¡°Hey, I was just about to call you. We¡¯re going to a party at Watts¡¯ tonight,¡± she says right off the bat. ¡°Did you find Daniel?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I did a little more than find him,¡± I mumble. ¡°He kissed me. Daniel kissed me out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°What? He kissed you!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to throw up,¡± I tell her.


    There¡¯s a moment of silence. ¡°Wait. It was that bad?¡±


    ¡°No. It was amazing,¡± I breathe out. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the cafeteria. Meet me in the main hallway.¡±


    I hang up and shove my phone back into my pocket. After stealing once more nce of Daniel, I hurry to meet Jana.


    It would be stupid to think that he is with Daphne now, wouldn¡¯t it? I mean, Daniel did just kiss me. Why? I am not sure about that. It would probably be weird to ask why someone had kissed you, but how else am I supposed to figure out what it means? He just shrugged. What does a shrug mean? I can always ask Jana, but she¡¯ll probably tell me it means he wants to marry me.


    I internally groan.


    I find Jana leaned against a row of lockers, and when she spots me, she rushes over. Her face says a lot.


    ¡°What was it like? Was it long? Was there tongue? Did he ce his hand on the side of your face to stop your hair from falling into it?¡±


    My mouth opens and closes, then opens and closes. ¡°It¡¯s hard to remember. There was no, no tongue,¡± I say slowly, bothered a little. ¡°But he definitely knows what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s wasn¡¯t hesitant at all. The weird part was, I didn¡¯t hate it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did say it was amazing. How can you hate amazing?¡±


    I don¡¯t know how to exin it without mentioning Mr. Russ, without talking about my difort and tears with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The idea of kissing has made me upset ever since Harrison. I thought I would have freaked out.¡±


    Jana smiles. ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t. You¡¯re healing, Hailey. Now, Watts¡¯ tonight,e over around six and I¡¯ll have something cute for you to wear.¡±


    A short sight escapes me. ¡°Watts needs to stop having parties on school nights.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he just assumes that everyoneing is cool,¡± she jokes. ¡°This party-thing is important. Daniel kissed you, and now you have to look like a million bucks.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be there?¡±


    Jana yfully rolls her eyes. ¡°Of course. How can he not be when you¡¯re going?¡± The bell rings and she begins to drift away. ¡°My ce, six o¡¯clock, be there.¡±

 Chapter 28

    I park in front of Jana¡¯s house and walk up to the front door with nothing but my phone and keys. It is six o¡¯clock as she asked, and when I ring the doorbell it takes five seconds for her to answer. She leads me past the living room where her parents are watching television. I greet them in the second that she gives me, as Jana is already on the stairs, telling me to hurry up.


    Once in her room with the door closed, I ask, ¡°They¡¯re letting you go to a party on a Monday night? Or are you sneaking out again?¡±


    ¡°I told them that we¡¯re going to a basketball game for school. I just have to be back by eleven,¡± she says. ¡°Here, I have your outfit.¡±


    I nce down at her bed where the outfit isid out. ¡°A ck dress, great.¡±


    ¡°Not just a ck dress, this is the ck dress. It¡¯s tight, sleek, simple, and perfect for any asion.¡±


    I let out a shortugh. ¡°Yeah, a funeral. Just give it to me so I can put it on.¡±


    She hands me the dress, unamused, and I slip into her bathroom. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to look nice for Daniel?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to date or anything,¡± I tell her through the door, ¡°I mean it was a nice kiss, it didn¡¯t make me cry, so I think that¡¯s a good ce to end it.¡±


    ¡°End it?¡±


    ¡°Why ruin a good thing? I want to enjoy the fact that I can kiss people and not mess it up by going too far, too soon.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t just kiss people, you can kiss Daniel. Did you ever stop to think that you feel better with him because of him, not because you¡¯ve gotten over what happened to you? I don¡¯t want to sound like an ass, but maybe it¡¯s not just you, maybe he¡¯s helping you move on too.¡±


    I pull up the dress, thinking about Jana¡¯s theory. Maybe it is possible, maybe Daniel is helping me. ¡°I need you to zip it.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    I walk out and Jana takes hold of the zipper. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t Daniel, maybe the kiss would have made you cry. It¡¯s not the act, it¡¯s the person you¡¯re with. Maybe Daniel makes you feel safe.¡±


    I turn around and give her a small smile. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Jana grabs two hoodies from her closet and gives me one to put on while she uses the other. With masked outfits, we walk casually past her parents and throw them in the back seat when we make it to my car. By now, I know the way to Watts¡¯, and we¡¯re off.


    ¡°How many people are going to be there?¡±


    ¡°Jordan and Taylor, Daniel, Watts, a few of Watts¡¯ friends, you, me,¡± Jana says. ¡°Maybe ten, twelve, fifteen at the most. Just wait until the big parties.¡±


    ¡°Big parties?¡±


    Jana nods, looking excited. ¡°There¡¯s one at Halloween, one at Christmas, and an end of the year party. Half of the school goes to those.¡±


    They sound like the party Harrison threw, which does not make me eager to go at all.


    I park my car where I usually do along the curb, and together we get out and make our way towards Watts house. ¡°What is it this time? Front door or back gate?¡±


    ¡°Back gate.¡±


    Everyone seems to be lounging around, sitting at the table and on lounge chairs, giving me d¨¦j¨¤ vu. There is soft music ying, something calm, nothing intense. I follow Jana as she walks up to the table-seated is Watts, Jordan, some guy I do not know, and Daniel. I give them a little smile, trying to hold back my blush from earlier.


    Daniel does not look too interested in my presence as he continues to talk with the stranger. I want to wave my hand in his face. Hey, remember me? The girl you kissed without permission just a few hours ago?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Taylor?¡± Jana asks Jordan.


    ¡°Inside, getting a drink, I think.¡±


    I follow Jana through the back door, disappointed. Stupid ck dress-he didn¡¯t even look at me-I could have worn jeans. Next time I am definitely wearing jeans-and a t-shirt too, not even a nice shirt.


    Taylor is standing in the kitchen, and when she notices us she seems relieved. ¡°Thank God. I was waiting for you two. There is only one other girl here and she does not leave that boys side,¡± she says, and together we all peer at the couple on the couch. I remember them.


    ¡°Well, worry no longer. We are here on a mission,¡± Jana says.


    We both look at her curiously. ¡°We are?¡±


    ¡°Operation HD.¡±


    I roll my eyes as Taylor struggles to understand. ¡°It¡¯s operation Hailey, Daniel,¡± I exin, ¡°and it is not a thing. I¡¯m only here because you told me toe, not because of Daniel.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar,¡± she fights back. ¡°What is there to drink? I¡¯m parched.¡±


    I sigh and sit down at the counter, grabbing one of the stools. Now I feel like a fool. Daniel probably thinks that I am here, all dressed up, for him. Am I? No. I would have worn anything Jana suggested. Am I excited to see Daniel? No. . .that¡¯s a lie, but I am discouraged.


    Not even a nce.


    How dare he kiss me? I am not just some kissing-whore, or whatever. At least say ¡®hello¡¯ or ¡®you look nice.¡¯ I would prefer ¡®you look nice.¡¯


    ¡°You thirsty?¡± Taylor asks me and I kindly decline. I am sure all the drinks here are, well, drinks. Walking around with a ss of anything else may cause questions, and I do not feel likeing up with excuses.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡± I ask, standing up.


    ¡°Down the hall, to the left. It¡¯s beside the stairs.¡±


    Wandering further into Watts¡¯ house, I take a few deep breaths, calming myself. There will always be that feeling, the one where I am paranoid someone is following me down the dark corridor. They will yank me into a room, lock the door. . . Sometimes I feel like that worry will never go away.


    I find the bathroom and switch on the lights, shutting and locking the door behind me. In here I can rx. In a room alone is where I am safest.


    I am not sure why I asked where the bathroom was as I do not have to use it. Maybe I just wanted this time alone? At home in bed-it sure sounds nice right about now, right when I am in the middle of a party, standing in the bathroom, wasting time.


    I fall back against the wall. What am I doing? Why do Ie to these if I obviously don¡¯t want to be here? For Jana? For Daniel? Screw Daniel. Stupid dress.


    Enough time has passed and I awkwardly flush the toilet and wash my hands, making it sound like I belong in here. Then, I shut off the lights, walk out slowly, walk down the hall slowly, wasting more time. Hopefully, it has been twenty minutes or so since we have arrived. Eleven, eleven o¡¯clock is my release time.


    ¡°You look miserable.¡±


    Looking up from my torpid feet, I see Daniel at the end of the hall. ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± I mutter, wanting to ask: Why did you ignore me when I first came in?


    He nods, nearing me. ¡°Can I help with that?¡±


    My eyes narrow in on him. ¡°Are you going to kiss me out of nowhere again?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.¡±


    I cross my arms, tired of being a teenage girl. ¡°Well, don¡¯t.¡±


    Very close to me now, Daniel ces his hand against the wall, almost caging me in. My heart begins to race, and not in a good way. ¡°You don¡¯t want that?¡± He asks, ying a game I am not familiar with, confusing me. Does he want me to refuse again, or is he looking for a yes?


    Everyone¡¯s voices seem far away, making me a bit panicky.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I question, taking a step back. ¡°I should get back to Jana, she told me to be quick so we can take a picture by the pool,¡± I lie, reacting on instinct.


    Daniel beings to look concerned. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He towers over me, or maybe I am just imagining that. My heart beats harder, I can hear the pounding in my ears, it seems to muffle things.

 Chapter 29

    I was feeling the alcohol now, my head spinning as we sat together on his bed. He shushed me quietly then gripped the bottom of my shirt. My face flushed and I quickly held my clothing down, stopping him from pulling it up.


    What¡¯s the matter? He asked.


    I didn¡¯t know what to tell him. I was a virgin, I didn¡¯t know the routine he did. All in one night I had had my first flirtatious conversation, my first kiss, and then make out. He wanted more, and I ran out of ideas. How was I supposed to tell the most popr, most attractive guy in school that I wasn¡¯t ready, even though he wanted to?


    I want to go back to the party, I lied, I need to find my friends. They wanted to meet up-


    My eyes shot to the clock. It read: 10:57.


    They wanted to meet up at eleven, I finished.


    He pulled away. Come on, Hailey, let¡¯s have some fun. You¡¯ll like it, I promise, Harrison said.


    He didn¡¯t listen when I told him to stop. Harrison didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Hailey?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I swallow, looking at Daniel. ¡°I need to find Jana-¡±


    Daniel stops me as I try to walk past. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. Now tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    Staying quiet, I cannot find the right words to say, and this doesn¡¯t settle with Daniel.


    ¡°What did he do to you?¡±


    I bite the inside of my cheek.


    ¡°What did Harrison do, Hailey?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to know both,¡± I say, confusing him for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t get to know both of them.¡±


    ¡°Your secrets?¡± He asks.


    I nod.


    Daniel pauses as if he¡¯s contemting something, and then he looks at me in a certain way. I know then that he knows. Just from that one look, Daniel is telling me that he¡¯s figured it out. Why I don¡¯t like to swim, why I don¡¯t drink, my reckless driving, my crying, he¡¯s figured it out. I hate that he has.


    I wonder what tipped him over. Were the unusual responses, the ufortable reactions, the hesitation, my sudden panic over such a little thing? I could have controlled, maybe, if he didn¡¯t catch me off guard. It is a quick regret, I let down my walls without realizing it. I should have smiled and walked into the party, he would have followed and none of this would have happened.


    Or maybe he already knew, maybe he was simply waiting for the right time to let me know.


    ¡°Did he-¡±


    ¡°Stop asking me questions!¡± I shout, loud enough to cause Jana and Taylor toe peeking down the hall.


    They look between us, then Daniel walks past them, determined. Jana watches him briefly then looks at me with wide eyes. ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    With a red face full of frustration, I fight to speak at all. ¡°Stop him,¡± I tell Jana, but her and Taylor don¡¯t understand. ¡°Stop him. He knows were Harrison lives! He¡¯s going to get himself arrested!¡±


    I push past them, rushing into the living room then out the back door. I spot Jordan walking with Daniel out the back gate, asking why he¡¯s leaving. ¡°Take his keys,¡± I call to Jordan, and he looks back at me before stepping in front of Daniel. The party stops abruptly, everyone outside watching along with Jana and Taylor staring from the door.


    I walk up to them, angry. Daniels keys are tight in his grasp, but I grab them from him.


    And just like that, my fantasy is over.


    I don¡¯t know how long I thought it wouldst. When Daniel kissed me at the track, I wanted it tost forever, but I knew that wasn¡¯t realistic. It was too easy for him to find out, and I would never have imagined giving him all the clues myself. I thought maybe someone at school would say something and he would overhear it, or maybe Harrison would tell him as he was being hit repeatedly.


    Now I have to go back to reality, back to barely making it by. Daniel made me excited, and now that¡¯s all gone, it¡¯s all over.


    I want to leave. I want to run away to Florida, back to L and the okay version of myself. I want my Dad, not my Mom. I want to go back, but he¡¯s not there anymore. I want to go back, but that¡¯s not an option for me.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes are on me, I hate it, so I push past Daniel and Jordan, leaving through the back gate. I have his keys-not knowing what to do with them-so I keep them in my hold as I storm to my car.


    ¡°You¡¯re not driving,¡± Daniel shouts at me, hurrying over.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my Dad. Stop telling me what I can and can¡¯t do,¡± I yell back, unlocking the door and sliding in. Suddenly, Daniel opens the passenger door and climbs in.


    ¡°Here,¡± I toss his keys at him, ¡°now get out of my car.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being irrational.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being irrational? You almost stormed off to do God knows what to Harrison, almost getting yourself arrested.¡±


    Daniel looks at me intensely. ¡°What he did-¡±


    ¡°You know nothing about what he did. Now get out, and never talk to me again.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to understand me, looking confused which only upsets me more. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be confused. Don¡¯t pretend like you still care. It was fun while itsted, right? Sorry you wasted your time.¡±


    Daniel doesn¡¯t get out of the car, and I do not understand why. I told him that he¡¯s off the hook, I told him that he¡¯s free to go without hurting my feelings. That is, at least I am trying to not look hurt by this.


    ¡°You think that because of this I¡¯m not interested in you anymore?¡± He asks, catching me off guard, causing me to question all I have convinced myself to believe. ¡°You do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    What am I supposed to say? Well, yeah? Anyone would be. I¡¯m damaged goods. No one has time for my issues, no one is that patient. Maybe that¡¯s why my father moved to Canada, maybe he needed a break from it all.


    He needed a break from me, and eventually, so will Daniel. There is no point in trying.


    My fantasy is over, and I just want to move on.

 Chapter 30

    Daniel gave my keys to Jana so she could take my car home with her and pick me up in the morning for school. Somehow, he convinced me to talk, finding time to do so as he drives me home. Maybe it was his promise of leaving me alone that made me agree, that is if I simply talk. About what? I am not sure. I am sure he doesn¡¯t want the details of what happened, though. Who does? No one. I couldn¡¯t even tell the story out loud without freezing up. Such details stay in the past, where they belong.


    With my head resting against the door, we remain in silence beside my quiet directions on which way to go. ¡°Turn left at the next light,¡± I murmur.


    When we pull up to my house, we continue to stay in ce, waiting for something. My mother¡¯s car isn¡¯t there, I wonder where she is. It¡¯s only seven thirty, though. She must be stayingte at the station again without telling me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about it,¡± Daniel says smoothly, his voice deep but hushed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk about your perception of me,¡± he says, catching my attention. I look at him, something I have avoided doing the entire ride. ¡°I haven¡¯t changed my mind about you, especially not over this. If you think this makes you undesirable then-¡±


    With a red face, I cut in, ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to talk about this. I just want to go.¡±


    Daniel nces away, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to ignore me, to shut me out because of something that¡¯s not true.¡±


    It¡¯s quiet outside, everyone cleaning up after dinner or watching the news before bed, normal Monday things. Except me, of course I can¡¯t be doing the normal things. It¡¯s not in my blood, it¡¯s not in my cards. Maybe I am just one of those people with a messy life, everything tossed everywhere and I somehow make my way through it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± I say, ¡°every girl in Coldgrove is dying for a second of your attention. Why are you worried about talking to me? You could be with one of those other girls, someone who can actually be with you.¡±


    His eyes find mine. ¡°If I wanted that, I would be with someone else right now.


    The streetlight glows above us, causing a shadow in the car, and we sit in the darkness. I could ask him a million times why he¡¯s choosing to stay and still not understand. ¡°You¡¯re going to be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Then I¡¯ll be disappointed,¡± he says.


    I sigh and step out of the car, but just before I close the door, Daniel stops me. ¡°Is there anyone home?¡±


    I peer to the house, windows ck. ¡°No. My mom¡¯s at work.¡±


    Daniel unbuckles his seatbelt and pulls his keys from his car, the headlights turning off. I watch as he gets out and walks around to meet me. ¡°I¡¯ll wait with you until she gets back.¡±


    ¡°What? Is someone going to rob me at seven thirty?¡±


    He ignores me and walks to the door, forcing me to give in. I can¡¯t lie to myself, the idea of Daniel at my house is exciting, but I won¡¯t let myself get attached to the idea of it. The more attached to him I get, the more it¡¯s going to hurt in the end.


    Daniel is very good at it-making me feel connected with him, attached.


    I unlock the door and flick the light switch. The foyer brightens up, and I kick off my shoes. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. The living room is to the right, kitchen to the left, and the bathroom is beside the stairs,¡± I tell him before making my way to my room, needing to get out of this dress.


    I walk into my bedroom, closing the door and going into the bathroom, the moonlight from outside lighting my path. The bathroom light dimly bleeds into my room, and I walk in and out as I undress, wash my face, put on lounge clothes, tie up my hair. Just as I finish dropping Jana¡¯s dress into my hamper, I hear my bedroom door opening.


    I turn and see Daniel wandering in. I swallow. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I was curious,¡± he says without a smile, but a look of genuine interest. His eyes scan the room, moving from one intricate thing to the next. Everything is white, mostly, and his eyes seem to study every purple flower on my bedding.


    I stand nervously in the doorway of the bathroom, feeling as if he is some sort of inspector. ¡°About my bedroom?¡±


    Daniel makes my heart beat harder as he draws closer to me, his eyes still engrossed by the clutter around my room. He looks handsome in this light, well, he looks so in every light, but especially this one. Is this the finale? He walks throughout my bedroom, and we sat ourst goodbyes? I know what he said in the car, but I can¡¯t believe him. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s getting into.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    On the edge of my seat, I can¡¯t help by ask, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He nces over, ¡°Nothing but your time.¡± He sees on my face that I am not buying it, that I am clearly upset. ¡°Why is it so hard for you to ept that I am attracted to you?¡±


    If I was normal, sure, this would be one of the best days of my young life. A gorgeous and mysterious guy like Daniel saying that he¡¯s attracted to me-that¡¯s indescribable-it would feel like pure luck. But I can¡¯t think that way, my mind won¡¯t let me.


    My lips stay shut as he finishes hisp around the room and ends up in front of me. He looks down at me, at my face, in my eyes as if he¡¯s trying to tear down the wall I have worked so hard to put up. One by one he knocks out the bricks, exposing me, and I cannot stop him. It hurts, to be exposed like this, for him to know my deepest, darkest secrets. He¡¯s going to break my heart, I know it. He¡¯s going to tear down the wall and leave me with nothing to shelter myself from the world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hurt when you change your mind,¡± I mumble, ¡°so please, please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Against my wishes, Daniel leans down to me and kisses me like before, but this time I can¡¯t help it. I give in, I kiss him back. He¡¯s going to hurt me, but I do it anyways, like a clueless puppy running out into the road. My back gently touches the wall, supporting me as my mind is so clearly elsewhere.


    His arms snake around me, closing in, squeezing until I can no longer breathe, and I pull away. A short breath escapes him as I look down, avoiding eye contact because I know we will end up kissing again if he looks into me. That¡¯s was a different kind of kiss, though, different from the first. This one wasn¡¯t at the track, in public, this one was in my bedroom, without anyone home, without the light on.


    ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± He asks quietly.

 Chapter 31

    His question lingers in the air as I peer up. Daniels¡¯ eyes are fixated on me. Just before I can say anything, I hear a familiar noiseing from downstairs. My heart jolts and I scoot away from him, into the openness of my room. ¡°That¡¯s my mom.¡± Daniel is about to respond, but instead, I hurry him into the closet. ¡°She can¡¯t see you. Wait in here until I say so.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t meet her?¡± He asks, and I almostugh.


    ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to. Though, if you¡¯ve ever been arrested you might already know each other. Now stay,¡± I order before closing the door, leaving him in darkness. He did kiss me when I asked him not to, so this can be my payback.


    ¡°Hailey, are you home?¡± She calls out through the house, and I yell back a ¡®yes.¡¯ As usual, she sets down her things andes upstairs to change. I peek through the crack in my door, hoping she doesn¡¯t stop at my room before heading to hers. I was hoping she¡¯d stay a bitter like she usually does, but I suppose the work at the station got done early.


    I watch my mother as she walks down the hall and closes her bedroom door behind her. Swiftly, I hurry Daniel out of the closet, out of my room, and down the stairs. Just as we reach the front door and I open it for him, he surprisingly pulls me outside. Slowly and silently he closes the door behind us, leaving me questioning. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Saying goodbye,¡± he mutters before cing his lips on mine once again. This time it¡¯s quick, a little more pressure, and his fingers drag along my jaw until they reach my chin, then he sets me free. I stand speechless as he gets into his car and drives away. He just thinks he can kiss me whenever he pleases, doesn¡¯t he?


    I roll my eyes and sneak back through the door, not as stealthily as I thought.


    ¡°Who was that?¡±


    I look up to see my mother standing on the stairs. Her arms are crossed, and she does not look impressed. ¡°My friend, Daniel,¡± I improvise.


    ¡°Why was he in your bedroom? And when I¡¯m not home? God, Hailey. Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? Did you think you could sneak him past me like that?¡±


    I shrink under her harsh gaze. She¡¯s perched above me like a vulture, reading to pick at my remains. ¡°He was here for five minutes. He drove me home from the basketball game.¡±


    My mother raises an eyebrow. ¡°I thought you were going with Jana? And where is your car?¡±


    ¡°I did go with Jana. Daniel met us at her house. We¡¯re all friends,¡± I lie, ¡°and my car is at Jana¡¯s because we took Daniels car to the school.¡± My story is getting jumbled up, confusing me a little. ¡°Daniel dropped Jana off and then me.¡±


    ¡°So why was he in your room?¡±


    I panic, spitting out whatever I can think of. ¡°I had his jacket from another day and he came to get it back. I told him that it was in my room so he just came up to get it with me. It¡¯s really not that big of a deal.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°And when are you getting your car back?¡±


    ¡°Jana¡¯s driving it over tomorrow morning,¡± I finish, everything exined, hopefully to her liking.


    ¡°You know, Hailey,¡± she starts, seeming a little more rxed, ¡°after the whole Harrison storyst year, let¡¯s just keep a low profile, okay? I don¡¯t think you realize that your actions affect other people. I still get looks from people around town, and as a police officer, I need respect, not stares. Let¡¯s not start anything more, alright?¡±


    My heart sinks, heavy in my chest as she piles more faults onto it. I fight myself to stay calm, to not cry or blow up at her. A simple nod, and then I move past her on the stairs to find eptance in the emptiness of my bedroom.


    I shut the door slowly, then lock it, taking a deep breath once I am alone. In thisfort, I find myself breaking down, sliding against the door until I hit the floor with a small thud. As I begin to cry, stray tears rolling down my cheeks, down my neck, I can still smell him. His addictive scent lingers in the air, and I find it soothing. When I close my eyes, it is like he is still here, his eyes drifting from a picture frame to a pile of books, to my once lipstick-filled mirror, to my bedding. Daniel stared at my bed. I can¡¯t help but imagine it.


    What we would have done if I wasn¡¯t like this.


    My eyebrows scrunch together as I sniffle, my fingers wiping the itching tears from my skin. Part of me wishes he was still here, that my mother would have nevere home at all. He would kiss me again, I know that. God, I love his kisses. They are nothing like Mr. Russ¡¯-for one they are wanted-but Daniel¡¯s are gentle, technical, and feel as if they have a purpose. I don¡¯t feel suffocated or vited, he¡¯s not attacking me, he is just simply kissing me.


    For some reason he¡¯s attracted to me, or so he says.


    I can¡¯t wait to see him tomorrow. It¡¯s going to be difficult to handle myself in front of him now that he knows, considering Harrison sits a few tables away. I wonder how he¡¯s going to handle Harrison, no punching of course, but even I¡¯m not sure how he¡¯s going to react. But for all I know, Daniel could and will attack him as soon as he sees him.


    I can¡¯t have him getting suspended again.


    Resting my head against the door, I sigh.


    I am attached, I am so very attached to him. It¡¯s like we¡¯re handcuffed together. I can¡¯t help it. How can I when he says such things to me and kisses me in those ways?


    Daniel is addictive, and I am so very addicted.

 Chapter 32

    Instead of talking about my moment with Danielst night, Jana and I talk about James, hertest endeavor. Apparently she spoke with him at Watts¡¯st night after I left, and apparently, she likes him a lot.


    ¡°I like him a lot,¡± Jana gushes, ¡°he¡¯s too perfect, it¡¯s a little scary. The only down part is that he doesn¡¯t live here, he¡¯s Watts¡¯ cousin visiting from California. I should¡¯ve known. Of course someone so beautiful is from California.¡±


    ¡°Well, how long is he staying?¡±


    We reach my locker, and I obliviously open it and grab my books listening to Jana talk. It is just before I close it, that I notice the small, white, folded piece of paper as it flutters to the floor, knocked off the shelf by my rearranging. I bend down and snatch it up, opening it as Jana rambles on.


    I have proof. If you want to talk, meet me in room 1244 during lunch.


    My eyes widen and my hands grip the paper tightly. ¡°Jana,¡± I interrupt, but she continues on, ¡°Jana.¡±


    This time she stops. ¡°What?¡± I hand her the paper and watch as her face suddenly drops. ¡°Holy mother of God. You don¡¯t think-¡±


    ¡°That this person is telling the truth? I don¡¯t know.¡± I take the paper back and read it over and over again. ¡°What if it was meant for someone else? Or if they¡¯re not talking about what we think they¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Or if it¡¯s all a practical joke?¡± Jana suggests and I crumple up the paper and toss it back into my locker, swinging the door shut. ¡°Sorry. The kids here are cruel.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault. For some reason, I got excited about it as if there could actually be proof. No one could have seen anything.¡±


    We walk together into the cafeteria. I can¡¯t help but nce over at Harrison¡¯s table, and thankfully he¡¯s not there, yet. Oddly enough, Daniel is already at our table with Jordan and Taylor. I assumed he would be at the track instead since that¡¯s been his frequent spottely. We approach and sit down, and I feel his eyes on me. To my benefit, the spot next to him is open.


    When I look up, Taylor is ncing between us, clearly excited by something. Jordan seems to be normal, though. ¡°You missed a fun party. Jana and this guy James were chatting it up,¡± she says.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard,¡± I smile.


    ¡°Where did you go? Last I saw was you two driving off somewhere.¡±


    I hold back my blush. ¡°I just went home. I wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better now?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    As she continues to study me, I give Taylor a look, telling her to stop. It¡¯s obvious that she knows now, it wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out, but I¡¯m more curious about who else knows. Not Jordan, Jana knows, of course, so does Taylor, Watts might know along with everyone else who witnessed our dramatic scene at the party. That¡¯s more people than I would like.


    What do they know exactly? That something is going on between Daniel and I. Honestly, I am not even sure what we are. It¡¯s not like we put abel on it or anything.


    Suddenly, a presence draws my attention up to someone behind me. He looks to be a freshman or sophomore on the junior-varsity football team, as I can tell from his shirt. Everyone at the table nces at him, and he looks ufortable. ¡°Harrison asks me to get you,¡± he says to me, and I look over to Harrison, who is now at his table.


    He is sitting beside Daphne, staring at me while she chats with some girl beside her. His eyes are intense, hard, expecting me to stand up and walk over. Before I can answer the kid, Daniel bluntly and firmly says, ¡°No. Now walk away.¡±


    I look at Daniel and then to the kid, and he doesn¡¯t wait another second before returning to his leader. I watch as he updates Harrison, and Harrison dismisses him while continuing to stare at me. This must be about his offer to help me, the one where I tell everyone that I lied and he stops the hate.


    Pulling my eyes away, I bring them to Daniel whose jaw is clenched at whose fists are balled up, ready to be thrown around.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Jana asks, looking confused. ¡°What would Harrison want?¡±


    Daniel looks to me, joining everyone else. I know he is being good, not charging over to Harrison and punching his face in. It is clear that he is upset by his presence, angry and struggling to keep cool. I want to thank him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I mumble, ¡°maybe the kid went to the wrong person.¡±


    No one seems quite convinced by this, but they return to whatever they were doing before, except for Daniel. Of course Daniel wouldn¡¯t fall for it. His eyes stay fixated on me, waiting for an actual response. As conversation starts up, I whisper to him casually, ¡°it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Daniel is not satisfied. ¡°What did he want?¡± He asks quietly.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin, I-¡±


    ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± Jana interrupts.


    ¡°We hit a cat on the way home and now we¡¯re scared my neighbor knows it was us,¡± I improvise, not getting any better, ¡°don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    Jana¡¯s face falls. ¡°You killed a cat? Oh my God, Daniel, how did you hit a cat? Poor thing. You just left it there?¡±


    Daniel gives me a look. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s go call your neighbor now ande clean.¡± He stands up and I give Jana an apologetic smile before following him. Harrison¡¯s and Daphne¡¯s eyes follow us as we leave the cafeteria, I nce back at him and quickly look away when I notice.


    Once away from the crowd, Daniel turns to me with the same look on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what else to tell her, sorry,¡± I say.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only excuse you could-you know what, never mind. Just tell me what he wanted.¡±


    I sigh and fall back against a row of lockers in the empty hallway. ¡°Harrison just wanted me to tell everyone that I lied about what happened.¡±


    Daniels jaw clenches again.


    ¡°If I did, he would make all the staring and whispering stop. Making living here a little more bearable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not actually thinking about it, right?¡± Daniel asks, assuming I am going to totally agree.


    I shrug. ¡°I was, but now I know that I¡¯m not going to do it. The whispering and whatever isn¡¯t so bad anymore.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you wanted to leave that day? Because he asked you to do that?¡±


    I nod. Before he can rant on about Harrison, I say, ¡°Thank you for not causing a scene in there.¡±


    Daniel runs his hand through his hair and leans beside me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. He makes me want to-hurt him,¡± he stops himself from giving the violent details.


    ¡°Well, thanks anyway.¡± My eyes wander down the hall and I notice that room 1244 is across the way. Without saying anything, I walk over and peek through the window on the door, seeing nothing but a ck room.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Daniel asks, joining me across the hall.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I say, turning around, ¡°I thought I saw someone I know in there.¡±


    ¡°The lights are off?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. I don¡¯t want too many questions about what we¡¯re doing. We already have toe up with my neighbor¡¯s response to their dead cat.¡±

 Chapter 33

    Walking into my bedroom, I drop my backpack to the side and crash onto my bed. My phone vibrates and I see a text from my mom, saying that she won¡¯t being home tonight. She¡¯s pulling an all-nighter at the station to resolve some rookie issues with filing, apparently someone did it all wrong and she has volunteered to fix it with one other person.


    This brings a smile to my face. I¡¯m home alone for an entire night, hours and hours to myself.


    Now energized, I skip downstairs and slide into the kitchen, suddenly feeling a need for cookies. Once all supplies areid out, I toss and mix things together, then ball it up and ce it on a baking sheet. Sometime during the process, I got the idea to make one giant cookie instead of many small ones. Luckily, we have a round pan. For dinner, I shall have a cookie pizza.


    I feel like a child, but with a car, which is much better. What shall I fetch myself? Bath bombs? Ice cream? Romance movies? What other teenage-girl things can I think of? Tonight I will enjoy myself, I will be normal.


    Once the cookie is done, I leave it out to cool while I take a quick trip to the grocery store.


    It is a speedy five-minute drive, and when I get there I grab myself a basket, nning to fill it with treats. First I explore the savory snacks, then the frozen section, and finally the candy. A bag of popcorn, two bags of chips, ice cream, and an array of chocte is my haul. I love chocte.


    Needless to say, I am in a great mood, that is until I check out and walk back to my car. My eyese upon many sttered eggs covering my car, windows, hood, trunk, and all. My shoulders drop. ¡°Seriously?¡± I huff.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    I¡¯ll have to clean it when I get home.


    Now with a sour mood, I ce my grocery bags on the passenger seat and make my way back.


    Who has the time to egg my car? Who would waste food like that? The only thing I¡¯m happy about is that they wasted their money on these eggs. I wonder if it was someone I know, or if it was one of the many townies who despise me. You¡¯d think an adult would be smart enough to realize that this was a childish and stupid thing to do.


    I bring my things inside ande back out with a damp rag. Painfully enough, a family walks by, watching as I wipe away raw egg from my backseat window. It is times like these when I wish that note from my locker was legitimate. God, if I only had proof.


    Nightes and I eat some of my cookie pizza, needing to save the rest forter before I throw up. Deciding to watch a movie, I get cozy in my bed-my array of junk food beside me-and I find something to entertain me, something romantic, something dramatic. Snacking on chips and popcorn is not a good idea after scarfing down half of a giant cookie, and I discover that fairly quickly.


    The movie ends and I find myself passed out amongst my junk food.


    Sounds prod at my sleeping self, waking me up a few hourster. I roll around in my bed, ignoring the odd noises from outside, trying to fall back asleep. It is when I hear a loudugh and many curses that I immediately sit up.


    My heart races as I slip out of bed and listen for more sounds. A bumping noise causes me to jump as if someone is throwing something at the roof. ¡°What the hell?¡± I mutter.


    Stealthily, I peek through the shudders and search my front yard for someone. My eyes shoot open when two boys run across thewn, looking to be quite amused. I cannot see much of the house, but I watch as they get into a car and drive away. Suddenly, off to the side, I notice a stray piece of toilet paper,ying across thewn.


    I groan and hurry down the stairs, leaping through the front door, and right away I see their masterpiece.


    Those two idiots toilet-papered my house.


    It is strung all over the trees and bushes, hanging from my house like strips of streamers or Christmas lights. It possibly snowed while I was sleeping, leaving a white coating over everything. How the hell am I supposed to clean this up?


    My mother cannot see this.


    Just my luck, first the eggs, now the toilet paper, what¡¯s next? Someone throws a slushy in my face at school tomorrow?


    I begin cleaning up the bushes and tugging down the pieces I can reach, praying that it doesn¡¯t begin raining. Frustrated, I grab the thing I call the pool pole, the long post that you attachs and brushes to. With the brush piece on, I wave it at the trees and the house, snagging the toilet paper that made it higher up.


    At two in the morning, I should not be swinging a giant metal pole in the air, I should be sleeping!


    Halfway through, I begin crying from ack of sleep and annoyance. They are angry tears, falling as I stuff bunches of toilet paper into garbage bags. If I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll get three more hours of sleep, but that will likely turn into an hour. There is simply too much to clean up. They must have bought at least thirty rolls.


    All of this, all because of a rumor? And one that¡¯s true! I could scream and cry about how unfair this is, how unfair life is right now, and at some point I do. The screaming is limited, though, as waking up the entire neighborhood would not be a good thing.


    I wish I wasn¡¯t alone right now.

 Chapter 34

    ¡°You look like death,¡± Jana tells me as we walk into the school. ¡°Did you not sleep at all?¡±


    ¡°Someone toilet-papered my housest night. I had to clean it up before my mom saw,¡± I tell her. ¡°I got maybe three hours of sleep overall.¡±


    ¡°Really? You should have called me. I would have helped.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I was fine. Just a little sleepy now, that¡¯s all. Did you get James¡¯ number like you said you were going to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Watts gave it to me.¡±


    I nce up at her from my slow feet. ¡°And? Did you text him?¡±


    ¡°I was going to, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. He¡¯s leaving next week anyway, I shouldn¡¯t bother,¡± she says.


    ¡°You should. You never know.¡±


    The bell rings and we go our separate ways. I slip through the crowded halls and find safety in my first-hour ssroom, Economics with Daphne, who has been surprisingly distant. At first she would push my papers off of my desk as she walked by, or mutter things under her breath that Mr. Freeman wouldn¡¯t quite hear. Ever since fall break, she hasn¡¯t said a word to me, making the ss much more enjoyable. The other students have begun treating me like a normal person, as well.


    I take my seat and ce my textbook on my desk, grabbing pencils and such from my bag as people start to wander in. Mr. Freeman is at his desk, looking rushed as usual. Sometimes when he brings up a PowerPoint, the screen is something else, showing us a dating site for example. He¡¯ll scramble to which tabs while the girls giggle.


    Daphnees in, texting away on her phone, and she takes her seat a few desks in front of mine.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t turned in your problem set forst week, bring it to me now or it¡¯s markedte,¡± Mr. Freeman announces as thest few students hurry in. The bellrings and I sift through my bag, pulling out my problem set which I shockingly haven¡¯t turned in.


    These parties at Watts¡¯ aren¡¯t helping me get my homework done. I had to beg Mr. Freeman yesterday for more time.


    With the paper in my hand, I get up and walk down the aisle, that is until Ie crashing to the floor. In a matter of seconds, I manage to trip and hit my elbow on a desk before barely catching myself with my hands. Everyone¡¯s eyes shoot to me and I hear Daphne whisper, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Mr. Freeman asks if I¡¯m alright as I ignore the pain in my elbow and hand him the paper. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡±


    I murmur with red cheeks, making my way back to my desk, a walk of shame and embarrassment.


    Some studentsare silentlyughing.


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± someone whispers, ¡°that¡¯s so embarrassing.¡±


    Up until lunch I sit silently in all of my sses and decide to ditch the cafeteria for the track. I know people will be talking about it, Daphne can¡¯t keep her loud mouth shut. To think things were going well with her. . .


    After the eggs, the toilet paper, and this, I find it hard to continue on with a smile. The track is empty, so I climb the bleachers to the top andy down on the highest bench. Staring up at the dark, cloudy sky, I presume that it¡¯s going to rain. With my luck, it will start pouring on me now.


    A few minutes pass of peace and quiet before a familiar voice interrupts my tranquility.


    ¡°What are you doing up here? Everyone is wondering where you are.¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    My eyes open and see Daniel standing in front of me. ¡°I want to be alone, that¡¯s why I¡¯m up here.¡±


    Instead of leaving, he sits down beside my head, causing me to sigh. I sit up and brush my hair from my face, in no mood to talk to anyone.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asks.


    ¡°Please,¡± I mumble, being as genuine as possible, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to talk right now, I just want to be alone. I¡¯m trying to do a good thing by not driving home.¡±


    Any girl in my position would spill their heart out to him. How can they not? He¡¯s closed-off on the outside but for some reason, he cares about how I am feeling. Daniel is some sort of dream guy, and I¡¯m sure I am ruining my chance with him, a chance I am not even sure I have in the first ce.


    Why must he always look so good? Beside him, I must look like a mess. Dark circles, tangled hair, pale and dehydrated-looking. Damn him. Damn everything right about now.


    ¡°Come on, we both know I¡¯m not leaving, so you better just tell me what happened.¡±


    I nod and let out a sort of sad, shortugh. ¡°Well, someone egged my car yesterday, thenst night at two in the morning, two assholes covered my house in toilet paper, and in first period I was tripped and fell in front of everyone, hitting my elbow on a desk. Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure my mother thinks I¡¯m a lying whore.¡±


    Not letting him speak, I say, ¡°So, hopefully, you understand why I want to be alone right now. I probably seem pathetic, so please, you¡¯re free to go.¡±


    Daniel brings his arm around me, pushing me against him-the surprise fades and my cheek rests on his chest. Comforted by this action, I take a deep breath, breathing in his guy-ish scent. ¡°I just wish someone would have told me that even after the worst part, bad things still happen because of it,¡± I say quietly.


    We sit in silence for a minute or two until Daniel says, ¡°You smell like Vani.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably my lotion,¡± I nce up at him. His eyes find mine and I sigh. ¡°Why are you so pretty?¡±


    A smile appears on his face. ¡°Pretty?¡±


    I nod, too tired to care about the words leaving my mouth. ¡°You¡¯re too pretty, Daniel.¡±


    He squeezes my arm, causing me to look up at him again. ¡°Why are you so pretty?¡± Before I can mutter something about how I¡¯m not, or how this is cheesy and stupid, Daniel decides to kiss me again. It¡¯s soft, gentle, making my heart race.


    When he leaves me wanting more, I say, ¡°You just think you can do that whenever you please, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Daniel responds smoothly, ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t.¡±


    There are another few moments of silence before he says, ¡°You taste like chocte.¡±


    I blush, ncing at my bag, making sure it¡¯s closed so he doesn¡¯t see the few wrappers stuffed inside.

 Chapter 35

    I gave Daniel my phone number, thinking that we could text each other or call if needed. It wasn¡¯t an odd thing to bring up as he has kissed me four times now without my permission-not that I mind, but he doesn¡¯t have to know that.


    ME: I was eating chocte in the ss before, that¡¯s why.


    DANIEL: And you had so much chocte because?


    ME: Because I bought a lot of junk food the night before. I was home alone and decided to give myself a few cavities.


    DANIEL: You were home alone the entire night? When those kids TP¡¯d you?


    ME: Yeah, my mom was working overnight.


    DANIEL: Why didn¡¯t you have Jana stay with you?


    ME: Because I¡¯m not 5 years old.


    DANIEL: Well, you eat like one.


    I roll my eyes, but before I can reply, I hear the front door opening. My mom must be home. It¡¯s a littleter than usual. Usually, I would be asleep by now, but time goes by too fast when I am texting Daniel.


    My ears perk up like a dog¡¯s when sounds ofughter and hushed voices sound from downstairs. Immediately, I panic, thinking it¡¯s intruders.


    ME: If I don¡¯t answer in 5 minutes call the police.


    I shove my phone in my pocket and tiptoe to my bedroom door, pushing it open a crack. The hallway light downstairs turns on, and I hear peopleing up the steps. I swallow.


    My bedroom lights are off, so hopefully, they suspect no one to be in here right away.


    My heart jolts at the sight of an unfamiliar man appearing in the hall. Thinking of the quickest escape, I struggle toe up with any ideas. Then my mother appears behind him, and my eyes grow wide.


    Oh dear God, my mother has brought a man home.


    ¡°Sh,¡± she whispers, ¡°my daughter is asleep.¡±


    The two hurry into her bedroom, gently shutting the door behind them, leaving me in a state of shock. I slowly shut my door and blink a few times before really considering what I had just witnessed.


    My phone starts to ring, and I notice that it¡¯s Daniel. I bring the device up to my ear. ¡°Hello?¡± I say quietly, not wanting my mother to know that I am awake and that I had just caught her.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why am I calling the police?¡± Daniel asks in a worried tone.


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± I breathe out.


    ¡°What, Hailey?¡±


    I sit down on my bed,pletely grossed out. ¡°My mother is hooking up with a man. She thinks I¡¯m asleep. I-I thought someone was breaking in-but it¡¯s her, and a man.¡±


    A sigh of relief sounds through the phone, but I do not feel the same. ¡°Thank God,¡± Daniel mutters.


    ¡°No, no, thank God. What am I supposed to do? Lay here knowing that they¡¯re. . .¡± I get a shiver. ¡°What if they¡¯re loud? What if I can hear it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle get you,¡± he says.


    My heart picks up pace again. ¡°Wait. Really? I don¡¯t know. Aren¡¯t you busy? Don¡¯t you have to sleep or something?¡±


    I can hear himugh a little. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡± Then he hangs up.


    I stare at my phone for a minute or two, trying to process the fact that Daniel is going to be here in eight minutes from now. Eight minutes. I peer down at my polka dot pajamas, the same ones I wore when we shared our secrets at the cabin. It¡¯s not big deal, he¡¯s already seen them.


    It¡¯s twelve o¡¯clock, he¡¯s probably in pajamas as well.


    Quickly, I grab a hoodie and slip it on before shoving pillows under my nkets and sneaking out of my room. My mother will be too preupied to tell that I am gone, and from the giggles and other noises, I can tell that¡¯s she won¡¯t be able to hear me leave either.


    Once downstairs, I slip on a pair of shoes and nce at my phone.


    DANIEL: I¡¯m outside.


    I take a deep breath before slinking through the front door.


    Nervously, I hurry to his car and bravely get inside without thinking too much. I don¡¯t look at him until my seat belt is buckled, and when I do, my cheeks flush red. ¡°Hi,¡± I mumble. He seems to be wearing normal clothes, which makes me feel silly.


    ¡°I remember those,¡± he says, looking down at my polka dot shorts.


    ¡°I am in my pajamas,¡± I try and exin, ¡°it is twelve o¡¯clock.¡±


    Daniel gives me a charming smile, something slick, something that would make the girls swoon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I think they¡¯re cute.¡±


    ¡°Just drive.¡±


    When we get onto the main road, every street light we pass lights up Daniels face for a brief moment, and he looks handsome. He looks handsome in an ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯ kind of way. This isn¡¯t like at school, but this reminds me of the cabin. I am seeing him in that after hours kind of way, and I like it.


    He catches me staring, so I swiftly look forward out at the road. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°To my house,¡± he says casually.


    I nod, messing with my hands in myp, ¡°do you live with both your parents or?¡±


    ¡°I live with my Dad. My mother lives in Florida and so does my sister. They¡¯ve been divorced for ten years.¡±


    I nod again. ¡°So it¡¯s just you and your Dad?¡±


    ¡°Well, Mike is over a lot.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Mike?¡±


    Daniel nces at me. ¡°My Dads partner. We stayed at Mikes cabin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty rxed. Mike is actually over now. They were watching a movie before I left,¡± he says.


    I look at him. ¡°They¡¯re awake? They¡¯re going to see me like this,¡± I gesture to my pajamas andme high school hoodie. ¡°Your Dad¡¯s going to think I¡¯m insane.¡±


    Daniel shakes his head. ¡°No, he won¡¯t. You look cute, like a five-year-old.¡±


    I re at him.


    I notice that we have pulled into a modern-style neighborhood, new and beautiful homes surrounding us. My eyes are very pleased and engrossed, enjoying the scenery. ¡°What does your Dad do?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a software architect, creatingputer programs and whatnot. He¡¯s exined it to me a few times in depth, but after a couple of minutes my mind wanders.¡±


    He pulls into the driveway of arge, dark-colored house, one withrge windows and simplistic details. I unbuckle my seatbelt and we both get out of the car. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a beautiful house,¡± I tell Daniel as he walks around the car to meet me.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    I follow him to the door, and he walks right in. My nerves skyrocket and I stay close to him, worried about my appearance and how I maye off.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± he calls into the house, and from what I can see, it is just as beautiful on the inside. His Dad has great taste. Simple, sleek, modern, all positive things.


    When I finish yanking off my hoodie, a man walks out into the open area, and I immediately know that he is Daniels father.


    My fingers fiddle with the end of my polka dot shirt.

 Chapter 36

    ¡°This is my friend Hailey,¡± Daniel introduces me casually.


    Daniels father is the same height as him and looks much like an older version of his son. He has few streaks of grey in his hair, giving him a professional edge, and even his regr clothes look neat and sophisticated in some way. I¡¯m assuming as a software architect he¡¯s used to a business suit, or is that just my imagination? Facial features are quite simr to Daniels, strong jaw, prominent cheekbones, blueish maybe green eyes, and the same charming smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Hailey. I¡¯m George, Daniels father.¡±


    I try to match his kind smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too. Sorry for my. . .¡± I peer down at my pajamas and George finds this amusing, but in an ¡®adult¡¯ way, the look where their eyes almost squint as their smile grows, maybe a little eyebrow-raising too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re pretty casual around here,¡± he waves me off. ¡°What are you two up to?¡±


    Anxious from ack of an answer, I am thankful when Daniel takes over. ¡°Just hanging around. Nothing specific.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I know it¡¯s Friday, but Mike has to get up early for a flight, so if you don¡¯t mind keeping it down.¡±


    Daniel nods. ¡°No problem.¡±


    I stand beside him, wondering what George must think we¡¯re up to. It almost brings a blush to my cheeks, embarrassed by the thoughts I am imagining for him. Keep it down? Keep what down? What have I gotten myself into?


    George begins to drift away. ¡°Well, we¡¯re off to bed. It was great meeting you, Hailey. Please, make yourself at home.¡±


    Awkwardly, I struggle to answer. ¡°O-okay, thank you. . . Sir,¡± I call as he is entering the hallway off to the right side. He then disappears and I look to Daniel who says nothing before walking further into the house, and I trail behind him, wondering what we are going to do. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Daniel stops in front of a door and nces back at me while opening it.


    It¡¯s his bedroom.


    My mind flourishes with curiosity, maybe a simr feeling he felt before he explored mine. I wander through as he follows behind, my heart racing. Daniel leaves the door open-I am thankful for that-and he watches me closely as I drift around. I can feel his eyes on me, a rope tied, keeping us together as I venture further into the unknown.


    There are not many personal things in his room. There is a picture of two women, one young and one older-I am assuming his mother and sister-and his backpack is set against a dark-wood dresser. His track bag is there also, and there is a shirt pooled on his bed, also a pair of ck,ce-up shoes at the foot of his bed. It is like a scavenger hunt; find all the sentimental items, the t-ball trophy, the family picture at theke, the lucky hat, maybe a love note.


    I turn to him. ¡°I was expecting-¡±


    ¡°A mess?¡± He asks, and I roll my eyes.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t know. Maybe.¡± There is arge window on the right wall from the door that shows part of the backyard. ¡°Your Dad seems nice. He¡¯s probably wondering why I¡¯m here at midnight, but he seems nice.¡±


    I peer out and see a small garden and a rectangr pool. Everything is neat, modern, and sleek, probably like his father.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good guy,¡± Daniel says and sits down on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Does he know about your secrets?¡±


    ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡±


    I look back again, away from the dresser and the photograph to Daniel. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering.¡±


    ¡°Does your mother know about your secrets?¡±


    I pause for a moment. ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t know about the whole teacher thing.¡± Before he can lead off to a subject I very much do not want to talk about I ask, ¡°What do you think your Dad would say if he knew that you, well, worked for a bad guy?¡±


    Daniel¡¯s eyes wander off to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯d probably just want to know why.¡± His eyes find mine again, but unlike before, they make this moment feel more intimate. It is just us, in his bedroom, talking about things only we know. I like this.


    ¡°You said it was to get your anger out,¡± I say, not knowing where I am going with it. Then I continue, ¡°Why were you angry? What made you that angry?¡±


    My feet slowly take me towards the bed, where he sits, and I stand before him. I should be scared of this, being in his bedroom alone. My heart should be racing, I should be panicking, my hands should be balled into fists while I sloppy throw together an excuse to leave. It shouldn¡¯t be like this. I¡¯m vulnerable, and his Dad is asleep, and we¡¯re in his bedroom, and-Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°So now you ask all the questions?¡± Daniel dodges my question and looks up at me with that stupidly handsome face. Every time I really focus on it, Ie to reality and wonder how someone like him could want me in his bedroom.


    I can¡¯t help it, all of us can¡¯t. We bring ourselves down by trying to make these gorgeous boys understand. Why can¡¯t they understand that they could do so much better? That there are just as gorgeous of girls dying to be with them? They don¡¯t have to settle. They don¡¯t have to be with someone like me. I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m sorry for this, self.


    I sit down beside him, mentally drained from all that has happened tonight. My tired head must not realize the suggesting action of sitting on a boys bed with said boy who happens to kiss me sometimes.


    Like I said, I should be scared of this.


    ¡°Thanks for saving me from that situation at my house.¡±


    When he doesn¡¯t answer right away, I nce up only to be caught in one of his traps. Daniel leans down, but this time I shy away from his lips, from the wonderful kiss I know we would have had. ¡°I told you. You can¡¯t keep doing that.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Do you not like it?¡±


    It¡¯s things like that-do you not like it-that make me squirm. Of course I like it. Of course I want more. He asks in that way, the way that tells me he knows this, that I can¡¯t get enough, and he teases me for it.


    My cheeks are red and I shield this from him, hiding that fact that on the inside, no matter what happens to me, I am still a girl who blushes at such things. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be like this,¡± I murmur. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t feel like I do right now, in this situation, with you, in your room, on your. . . I shouldn¡¯t. . .¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let yourself befortable with me?¡± Daniel asks, and by the way he does, I can tell he¡¯s thought about this before. ¡°You feel safe with me, but you won¡¯t admit it to yourself.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t feel safe with-¡±


    ¡°Why else are you here right now, Hailey? You wouldn¡¯t be sitting here if you didn¡¯t.¡±


    I bite the inside of my lip, not knowing what to say. Why am I here? Because I like being with him. He makes me feel normal, and maybe it is happening too fast, but I¡¯d rather feel better than wake up from nightmares of it again. I¡¯d rather be here than at home with my mother and that man. I¡¯d rather be here than anywhere else right now. Daniel makes me feel like a girl again. Blushing. Kissing. Crushing. And sometimes this frightens me.


    The fact that I need Daniel is a feeling I didn¡¯t expect to develop.


    ¡°Fine. I feel safe here, with you. I know you¡¯re not like him, that you would never. . . I know you wouldn¡¯t hurt me, and it¡¯s weird to feel like this again, so don¡¯t hurt me, please. If you did, I don¡¯t know if I could trust anyone like this again-like how I trust you right now. So you¡¯re right, I feel safe with you, but don¡¯t give me a reason not to.¡±

 Chapter 37

    I do not remember much fromst night, exhaustion held my memory, but I know where I am supposed to be, and that is not in Daniels bed. Somehow I am wrapped in the nkets, warm and cozy. At first, I panicked. I freaked out. My body shot up and turned to the side, thankfully to find the bed empty beside me. Daniel didn¡¯t sleep here, we didn¡¯t do anything. At that point, I took and deep breath and fell back against his pillow.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It smells like him, everything does. I could stay in his bed forever, which worries me. If I was a normal girl, I might be hurrying out of here and searching for Daniel, but I want to take in this moment while I can.


    Maybe this is a dream, maybe I never came over to his house in the first ce. I¡¯ll wake up in my bed at home any second now, and I¡¯ll be extremely disappointed. I would groan and shove my face into my pillow, wishing to fall back asleep, needing to return to this heaven I have found myself in.


    I do wonder where Daniel is, though. If he didn¡¯t sleep here, then where has he gone? I shouldn¡¯t search the house, possibly crossing boundaries I shouldn¡¯t pass. I can¡¯t just wait here either, though my heart is begging me too, my heart feelsplete wrapped up in his boyish scent and surrounded by his things. Creepy, Hailey. Creepy.


    It would be awkward if he found me like this, lying awake, daydreaming about sleeping here every night.


    At the sound of nearing footsteps, I spring from the bed and casually look for my phone, wherever it may be. My heart races as I mindlessly search under the bed, and the door opens.


    ¡°Looking for something?¡±


    From the sound of his voice, I have the need to blush and smile and do all those flirty things girls do at the sign of their crush. Instead, I hold it back and peer up. ¡°I can¡¯t find my phone.¡±


    He looks different than he does at school or at Watts¡¯ or anywhere else. Daniel looks rested, rxed, and definitely even more dreamy to the average teenage girl. Maybe it¡¯s the bedhead or the slept-in clothes, either way, I could get used to it.


    Daniel leans over to the dresser and picks up my phone before walking it to me. I get up from my hands and knees and shyly take it from him. ¡°Thanks,¡± I murmur and nce at the screen, seeing a few texts and missed calls from my mother. Oh God. I¡¯ve forgotten about that part. ¡°I have to go,¡± I bring my phone to my chest, ¡°my mom has to be freaking out. God, she must have a search party or-Can you take me home? She can never know I was here.¡±


    Daniel nods, understanding theplication that is my mother. ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±


    In his car, back on the road, I lean against the seat and close my eyes. My body is still in shock from waking up so quickly, and I could use a minute to calm down. Scenarios of my mother yelling and shipping me off to Canada pop into my head, and if she could, I think she would. ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, bringing myself away from such thoughts. ¡°Though, I am sorry I passed out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    My eyes shift to look at him. ¡°I stole your bed from you; I¡¯m the worst houseguest ever. Where did you sleep?¡±


    Daniel shrugs. ¡°Just in the guest room. Really, don¡¯t feel bad.¡±


    ¡°You should have woken me up.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that,¡± he says, ncing at me, ¡°you were tired.¡±


    When we reach my house an even more intense feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, but not only for my mother¡¯s punishment. ¡°What are we doing? W-What is this?¡± I ask, no longer looking in his eyes. I can already feel the heat rising in my face. ¡°I mean, you kiss me and. . .¡± I can¡¯t help but look up.


    ¡°I do,¡± he says, making my cheeks hotter.


    Somewhat embarrassed and distracted, I shift. ¡°Yeah. So my mom is probably-¡± and just before I pop the door open, Daniel stops me.


    His hand is on my leg, my thigh, and I turn back to him. Memories flood back to me and I try to shoo them away. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is,¡± he says, ¡°but I would like it to be something.¡±


    A little surprised, I nod. ¡°Okay, well, I should go. My mom is probably flipping tables.¡±


    Daniel says nothing, and before I take it as a hint to leave, he leans over and ces his lips on mine. I have missed this, these feelings rushing through me. His hand brushes up against my jaw and I sink into it.


    Just as things grow a bit heavier, his hand touches my thigh again, and suddenly hees to mind.


    I was sat on his desk, it was after school and most hallways and ssrooms were empty.


    Mr. Russ closed the door, locked it, then neared me. My hands gripped the desk underneath me, squeezing harder as he drew closer.


    What do you need? I asked.


    He stood right in front of me, stepping in between my legs. It bothered me to feel the fabric of his pants on the inside of my thighs. Without saying a word he pressed his lips against mine, cing his hands on my back all to trap me in. As his lip tried so desperately to revive mine, his hands dragged down my back, down my thighs, and squeezed. It was firm, his fingers pressing into me. My lips stopped moving, and his did quickly after.


    Mr. Russ pulled away and stared down at my upset face. His hands let go of my legs and he backed up. I wanted so bad to look okay, to not cry and to continue on. I didn¡¯t want to be hurt, I wanted to be like the other girls, like L.


    Did I do something? He asked, worried but calm.


    I shook my head. No, everything¡¯s fine, I said. Trying to pull myself together, I put on my happy face, but the glue wasn¡¯t drying.


    My knuckles were white, my grip tight enough to hold me to the desk even if the world flipped upside down.


    It¡¯s fine, I said, I¡¯m fine.


    Pulling away from Daniel, I look to my hand now over his, still on my thigh.


    I move it off of me.

 Chapter 38

    After dealing with my mother yesterday, and dealing with my thoughts on Daniel, school is thest ce I want to be. Dodging annoying people who stand in the middle of the hall, I grasp onto my locker and tensely open it up. My mother yelled, yelled some more, then finally epted my lie about being at Jana¡¯s-my excuse being that I forgot to let her know.


    Inside my locker is another note.


    With my bad attitude, I frown while unfolding it and read what it has to say. Please, Room 1244 at lunch. It really is important!


    Maybe they should have shown up the first time then. Tossing the note into my locker, I swing the door shut and head off to my first hour.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    After getting settled in my seat, I grumpily wait for the bell to ring so I can get today over with. As usual, Daphne enters with her friend in the ss, a girl I think is named Ca. They split up to take their seats, and surprisingly, Daphne turns to me once she¡¯s in hers.


    ¡°So, you know Daniel?¡± She asks, not sounding evil.


    Confused, my brows knit together. ¡°You see that I sit with him at lunch every day?¡± Obviously, I am not going to tell her that we sometimes kiss and that we might be something-whatever that may be.


    ¡°So you¡¯re friends?¡±


    Why the hell should I tell you? ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Just friends?¡± She rifies, and my stomach grows heavy, ready to drop. ¡°Right?¡±


    I swallow, wanting to pounce on her and w at her face. ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathe out. ¡°Why?¡±


    She smiles that doll smile I despise-which is especially infuriating with my head all jumbled. I already have too much to deal with, Daphne cannot hop onto the pile. ¡°I was just wondering,¡± she says, knowing that my nerves are feeling toyed with.


    After our kiss in his car, I left rather abruptly, scared of my mentalparison of him to Mr. Russ. Daniel is not Mr. Russ. In every way, Daniel is better than him, but even the slightest touch can cause twopletely different people to seem quite simr. It scared me. I couldn¡¯t do this to myself-not with Daniel. Not with someone I truly care for.


    I begged God. I got down on my knees and begged to react normally with Daniel. I mumbled on about how it would just be this once, please, oh please, not him. I know he wouldn¡¯t hurt me. I know that.


    I can¡¯t face him, not today, not with this mood.


    During lunch, I ditch the cafeteria and wander down the hall, not sure what to do. When I think back to the note, I roll my eyes. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, right? I groan and turn back towards room 1244. When I peek through the small window on the door, I notice that the light is on this time. With not much to lose, I open the door and nce inside.


    Oddly enough, there is anky, short boy inside, hair tamed underneath a baseball cap. He is sitting on top of a desk and fiddling with something in his hands. When I enter, he nces up, looking a bit surprised. ¡°Y-You came,¡± he mutters then quickly straightens up. ¡°Uh, sorry. I¡¯m Samuel, Sam for short.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow and near him with hesitation, my arms crossed. ¡°You keep leaving notes in my locker.¡±


    He hops off the desk. ¡°Uh, yeah. I thought that¡¯d be best. I didn¡¯t want to, um, approach you when you¡¯re with people.¡±


    I step back, a little weirded out. ¡°And? What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how to-¡± he notices my drifting, and he struggles, ¡°wait, I-I just don¡¯t know if. . . Here.¡± He holds his hand out and there is a USB driveying in the center of his palm.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Just take it,¡± he says.


    ¡°I should find my friends, they¡¯re waiting for me.¡±


    He steps closer. ¡°Please, take it. You¡¯ll need it. If you ever have any questions, my locker is beside the counselor¡¯s office, the one on top,¡± he walks to the door, passing me. ¡°Number seventy.¡± And then he¡¯s gone.


    ncing back into the room, I see that he has left the USB drive on the desk. At first, I n on leaving it, but on a limb, I swipe it up and shove it into my pocket.


    When I get home, I toss the drive onto my bed and forget about it for a few hours. It ister at night-my mom home-that Iy down and feel it poking at my back. Annoyed, I pull it out from underneath me, get up, and hold it above the trash can beside my desk. Myputer is resting on my desk, making me curious.


    What if it¡¯s pictures of a dead person or a video of someone being killed?


    He wouldn¡¯t give it to me then, he wouldn¡¯t expose himself like that unless he wants to get caught. Ie to the conclusion that my scenario is highly unlikely, so I groan and plug it in.


    My heart races as I wait, then I see that it is indeed a video. Do I really want to witness a murder?


    My hand shoots up, gripping the screen, ready to shut it, but I can¡¯t. I press the y button and hold my breath, my hands partially covering my eyes.


    First, the video loads, then the screen fills with dull colors. The camera zooms out and my heart stops when I see Daphne in the frame. She¡¯s drinking, sitting and chatting with a boy on the football team, a boy who no longer goes to our school. My heart jolts when I realize this video is fromst year.


    It is odd, though. The camera seems to be above the ground, almost as if the person filming is standing on something higher up. It¡¯s pointing down at her. Sheughs, the camera shakes, and then I hear a boys voice mutter a swear. It takes a moment for the camera to focus again, and the screen begins to show other things around them. Students drinking,ughing, talking, even some dancing. They¡¯re in a backyard.


    As the camera zooms through a downstairs window, I immediately pause the video. I know that ce. That¡¯s Harrison¡¯s house. That¡¯sst year at Harrison¡¯s house at the party.


    I wait a minute or two before starting the video again, preparing myself. The camera floats along the downstairs then begins to lift up, peering through upstairs windows. For a split second, it runs over Harrison¡¯s bedroom window and I see us sitting on his bed. It¡¯s a little blurry, a little shaky, but we¡¯re there. I freeze. The camera continues to film through the other windows, watching strangers until it begins toe back. I grip my desk.


    Ites back to his window, back to us. We¡¯re talking, and the camera zooms in. I attempt to get up from his bed, but he grabs my hand, bringing me back. Then it begins, like reading a book, then watching the film. The touching and the camera zooms in more. Then there¡¯s the sign of struggle, and the camera shakes. Then Harrison gets on top of me, and the camera stays for an entire minute. You see enough.


    Tears well in my eyes and the camera eventually drops down to darkness, and there¡¯s a bit more shaking, some confusion, then the video stops.


    I swallow and shut myputer.

 Chapter 39

    I couldn¡¯t sleep, not with that video on my mind. It felt like a dream, something far beyond reality. Seeing her again-that version of myself-put a good dent in me. It made me feel like a time traveler, yet no one would want to go back to their worst moment, something like that belongs in the past and for some reason mine won¡¯t stay. It¡¯s like a mosquito trapped inside of my clothes, constantly biting and never escaping.


    I have many questions for Sam, but I don¡¯t want to face him. Up until now I believed Harrison and I were the only witnesses, and here Sam is, an innocent boy who filmed at the wrong time. He shouldn¡¯t be dragged in. He already did his part by giving me the video.


    This is what I wanted, right? Proof? Now that I have it I am not sure what to do. It isn¡¯t that hard to turn it into the police, to prove everyone wrong, but for some reason whenever I think about it I struggle. What if they still don¡¯t believe me? What if they refuse to watch it? What if they ignore me and turn me away? I¡¯ve never thought about this before because, well, before yesterday the idea of proof was just in my imagination.


    Jana causes me to jump when she abruptly sits down beside me at the lunch table. ¡°Scared ya?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± I say, remembering to smile. ¡°How¡¯s your day been?¡±


    ¡°Boring. Texting James during ss is all I have to amuse me. Where were you at lunch yesterday? Daniel said he tried texting you, but you didn¡¯t answer.¡±


    ¡°I was in the library working on an English essay,¡± I lie, having nned out my excuse in advance. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan and Taylor?¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not going to ask about Daniel?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Where¡¯s Daniel?¡± I ask with exaggerated enthusiasm.


    Jana sets her backpack down beside her. ¡°Are you two fighting or something?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°No reason at all,¡± she says usingly. ¡°Now. What are you doing for winter break?¡±


    ¡°I might go see my Dad in Canada. He¡¯s supposed to call me today about it, actually.¡±


    ¡°How are they?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°They seem to be doing fine, though the weather is a little much for them, way different than living in Florida.¡±


    Taylor joins the table, telling us that Jordan is home sick. She asks me where Daniel is and I shrug. Coincidently, my phone vibrates and I lift it to see a message from him.


    DANIEL: Meet me at the track


    I sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta go. Daniel is at the track, and he wants me to meet him. I¡¯ll see you guyster.¡±


    It¡¯s gloomy outside and puddles litter the pavement from the rain earlier. I avoid them as I near the track, spotting Daniel moving around it. I wait for him toe back around, sitting on one of the benches on the football field, watching him. When hees back, he jogs straight over to me. My eyes stay on him as he sits down, his breaths a little heavy. ¡°You texted?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± he says, looking at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me yesterday. I want to make sure that you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I say, ¡°I was in the library working on an essay for English.¡± My eyes wander down to his hands, and his red, sore-looking knuckles cause me to look back up and grab him, holding his hand up so I can get a better view. ¡°What¡¯s this? What¡¯s this from?¡±


    He gently pulls his hand away, but I snatch it back, moving his hand so he gets a better view, but I am sure he¡¯s seen it already. I grab the other and it is in the same beaten-up state.


    ¡°What did you do to aplish this?¡± I ask, almost scolding him. ¡°Tell me you didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he says calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t hit Harrison. There were punching bags at the gym, and I went a little overboard.¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± I let him take back his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t they have gloves or something?¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± he says, looking at me, into me.


    ¡°Well, you should actually wear them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that for next time.¡±


    Not knowing why he is so entertained by my face, my hand wipes at the corner of my mouth, thinking there may be toothpaste or something. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask impatiently.


    Daniel¡¯s hand reaches out, and I think he is going to dust off an eysh or piece of fuzz, but instead, he runs his fingers along my jaw, weaving into my hair. I know what he is going to do-I¡¯ve learned from the past few times. I let him, this time, with no ns to tell him how he should stop kissing me whenever he pleases. His lips touch mine and the bubble forms around us as if the rest of the world doesn¡¯t exist. It¡¯s not just the sensation of his kisses that I¡¯ve fallen in love with, it¡¯s the subtle movements of his hands, fingers brushing away hair or stroking my jaw, the scent of him, the pull in my heart, the shakiness in my feet. It¡¯s everything.


    Then he ces his hand on my thigh. I regretfully ce mine on top of his, slowly leaving the kiss before ncing down at his hand trapped underneath.


    ¡°It bothers you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± He murmurs, and I feel embarrassed. I want to say no, I want to let him ce his hand there, but part of me refuses to lie to him about such things. ¡°You can tell me,¡± Daniel says, picking up my face, lifting it to meet his.


    ¡°He used to do that,¡± I mumble with hot cheeks, ¡°my teacher used to do that.¡± Daniel nods and takes his hand off of my leg. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry.¡± He stands up and begins to walk off towards the track.


    Not wanting him to leave, I call out, ¡°I can get over it. It¡¯s not a big deal, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll get over it.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Danieles back to me, cing both hands on my arms, holding me as if he was teaching a child a lesson. ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡±


    ¡°But you just walked away, I-¡±


    ¡°I was going to grab my bag,¡± he says, and I look past him to see his track bag against the chain-linked fence.


    Feeling stupid, I shy away and turn my back to him, drifting a little towards the center of the field. ¡°Sorry,¡±


    I mutter, ¡°that was, well, stupid. I just-I have so much going on right now. Between you, School, my mother, the video, and Harrison and Daphne-¡±


    ¡°What video?¡± Daniel cuts in and my mistake ps me in the face.


    ¡°Oh. My video project,¡± I improvise, ¡°it¡¯s just something for English.¡±


    ¡°You have a video project and an essay?¡± He questions, and I innerly curse at myself.


    ¡°My teacher gives a lot of homework?¡± I toss out, knowing he won¡¯t bite. ¡°No one is hurting me.¡±


    Daniel crosses his arms. ¡°Then what video, Hailey?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± I say reluctantly. ¡°Not right now, at least. I promise it¡¯s nothing bad. No one ising after me or anything, it¡¯s justplicated.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m handling it. Just trust me that it¡¯s nothing bad.¡±


    Daniel nces off then looks at me with defeat. ¡°You promise no one is hurting you?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    With a sigh, he manages an ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Sitting at my desk, I rey and rey the minute of the video where it shows me and Harrison. During the first three times, I cried, during the next three, I was angry, and now all I can do is watch with a nk face, numb. I stare at my face, at the clear difort and distress, and I rey and rey it.


    It¡¯s been a week since I¡¯ve identally mentioned the video to Daniel, and I¡¯ve decided to tell him. He¡¯d know what to do. Since my mother is stayingte at the station, I asked if he¡¯de over, and by now he is on his way. I watch the video-not nning to show him it-and I wait to hear the knock at the door, trying to piece together my exnation. I wonder what he¡¯s going to say. He¡¯d know what to do.


    The knock finallyes and I spring from my seat, shutting theputer screen and rushing to the door. I take a deep breath before answering, swinging it open with a genuine smile, something weak but something meaningful. ¡°Hi,¡± I murmur. ¡°Thanks foring over.¡±


    Daniel is standing there, dreamy as usual. His body shows well through his shirt, and for the first time I think about touching him. My mind flourishes with the desired sensations of running my hands over his arms, over his chest, feeling the hardness of his body. My hands ball up into fists.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to let me in?¡± He says, dragging me back to reality.


    My cheeks flush and I scoot backward, opening the door wide enough for him toe through. He does and my eyes stalk him. My nails dig into my palms, trying to keep myself focused. I lead him to the living room, he takes a seat, I stand in front of him, and take another deep breath. ¡°I need advice on something.¡±


    Daniel motions for me to continue on.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the video I mentionedst week,¡± this really grabs his attention, and he probably expects me to say that someone is threatening me with something. ¡°I got a note in my locker and it asked me toe to room 1244, so I did. That¡¯s where I was during lunch the day I didn¡¯t show up. In the room was this boy named Sam, and he gave me the video on a USB drive. The video is. . .¡± I struggle at this part.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Is it of you?¡± Daniel asks and I nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s of me. It¡¯s of me and Harrison. The video is fromst year at the party. It shows enough.¡± Daniels face is nk for a moment, then he peers down at his hands folded together between his spread apart legs. I near him, sitting down beside him. ¡°This boy caught it on camera. I have proof that it happened.¡±


    He looks up at me, and I can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking. ¡°We need to go now, Hailey. You need to take it to the station.¡± He abruptly stands up, but Itch onto him, and he lets me bring him back down. ¡°We need to go. Where is the drive?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I mumble.


    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t turn it in.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t turn it in?¡± He repeats loudly, obviously not understanding me, but who would. I hardly understand it myself. ¡°Are you scared?¡± He asks softer, and I actually think about my answer. Am I scared?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, I just. . . I¡¯ve told myself and told myself that I¡¯m going to have to live with this. I¡¯m going to have to understand that Harrison got away with it, and suddenly I have a video. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve fully registered it yet. I don¡¯t know how to.¡±


    Daniel sighs. ¡°Then wait a few days. Even if I think you should turn it in now-wait a few days until you¡¯re ready. Just, don¡¯t lose it. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°In my bedroom. Plugged into myputer. I¡¯ve been watching it for awhile.¡±


    Daniel looks at me closely, analyzing my face, probably trying to figure me out, trying to understand why I am soplicated and difficult. I wish I could give him a manual for my mind. I would need one too. Daniel eases back and I can¡¯t help but lean into him. We have a weird rtionship, one that is not easily exined, and I need it more than anything. What we have is air to my lungs.


    My eyes wander down to his hands, and from the sight of his battered knuckles, I shoot up, grabbing them, again showing him what I have found. ¡°Again?¡± I question harshly. ¡°At the gym? Right?¡±


    Daniel says nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid,¡± I say to him, dropping his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Hailey. I¡¯m handling it.¡±


    I cross my arms, not as close to him as I just was. ¡°Handling what exactly?¡± Then it hits me. ¡°You¡¯re hurting people again, for that-that guy. You¡¯re working for him again! Please, tell me I¡¯m wrong. Tell me you¡¯re just an idiot who doesn¡¯t wear gloves.¡±


    He is quiet again, and I fall back against the couch.


    ¡°Will you at least tell me why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯splicated. I don¡¯t want you worrying over it, not when you have this to deal with.¡±


    Another moment of silence falls between us. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± I say, avoiding his eyes.


    ¡°Do I scare you?¡± He asks, and I know what I should think. I should be scared of him-of what he does-but the lost part of me, the part that longed for Mr. Russ, finds this factor irresistible. Maybe it¡¯s the fact that I shouldn¡¯t be with him that makes me crave his attention so much. It¡¯smon. Rational among many damaged people. People want what they can¡¯t have.


    But I can have him. I know I can.


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t scare me,¡± I tell him. ¡°I know you would never hurt me.¡±


    Then he says something that I didn¡¯t seeing.


    ¡°What if I did?¡±


    I swallow, not knowing what to think or say. Maybe I am stupid to believe that Daniel is some perfect person, that he can do no wrong. Humans hurt each other, it¡¯s what we do, so what makes Daniel any different?


    ¡°Would you hurt me on purpose?¡± I ask softly.


    There is something heated about this conversation, something that makes me excited. I am on familiar grounds. I used to lust after Mr. Russ because I knew we would never happen-it was a fantasy that I knew would hurt in the end. It¡¯s what I knew, a painful ending. I was looking to push my broken boundaries because, in my mind, I had nothing left to lose. Harrison took everything from me, and I had an adrenaline rush from it.


    There is something that excites me about Daniel hurting me. I know I shouldn¡¯t want this. I need to want to be happy, genuinely happy.


    My toes curl and my feet struggle to stay put.


    ¡°Would you hurt me on purpose?¡± I ask again, this time letting my excitement bleed through my words.


    I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯ve been watching that video for a week, and I¡¯ve been withering away. It¡¯s all I know again. It¡¯s all I see-myself in pain, hurting, struggling. It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense right now. I am drunk off the past.


    Daniel doesn¡¯t answer, but he¡¯s definitely engrossed by me, by this side he¡¯s never seen. I can¡¯t help it, and I reach out to him, touching his arm, drawing him closer, enjoying the feeling of his body underneath my fingertips. It¡¯s a gentle stroke from his shoulder to his elbow, and suddenly it is different from Mr. Russ.


    This is an entire side of me I have not encountered.

 Chapter 41

    I subtly drag my bottom lip through my teeth, gently grinding my teeth against my skin as if I am slowly working my way through. My eyes stay fixated on Daniel, studying him like an exotic animal, waiting for him to pounce and dig his teeth into my neck until my blood seeps out, pouring down my body like a scarlet waterfall. My hands squeeze. My nails dig into my palms, leaving purple marks. ¡°My moms going to be home soon,¡± I say slowly, ¡°we should go somewhere.¡±


    He leans into me. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t know how serious I am. ¡°Somewhere where no one else is. Somewhere like this, but not.¡±


    We get into his car. He tells me that his house is empty, that his father and Mike have gone to Chicago for the weekend. I smile. ¡°Okay,¡± I say and my head rolls to the side, my eyes gazing dreamily out the window, watching as the street lights light up the car every few seconds. Music ys softly in the background, the words not making sense, not sounding like anything but sounds to fill up space.


    My eyes roll back over to Daniel, dripping down from his eyes strictly on the road, to his lips, to his jaw as he clenches, to his arms, to his hands gripping the wheel firmly. I can¡¯t help but ce my hand delicately on his thigh, needing to feel it for myself, needing to put myself in their position. He looks at me, and I give him a dark look, my eyes hiding something. He feeds off of it-the mystery.


    I like cing my hand there-it gives me rity.


    When we arrive at the house, I lead the way and wait leaning against the front door when hees up the path. I watch as he unlocks the door, then I slip inside. He follows me as I wander into the living room, locating a sleek-styled stereo. I start the music and turn the volume up to make it as loud as I remember. The song doesn¡¯t matter, just the volume.


    I nce back at him before leading him to his bedroom. I can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking. After turning on the lights, I grab his hand and walk him to his bed, motioning for him to sit down. ¡°Hailey, what are-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I tell him. ¡°I need this.¡±


    Daniel looks worried, then I sit down beside him, facing the window, looking out at the trees and backyard, imaging Daphne drinking and Sam filming. I turn to him and guide him down to my lips. I¡¯m not gentle. It¡¯s not like our other kisses, I¡¯m not submissive to him and when he reaches out to me, I grab his hands, stopping him from touching me. ¡°No,¡± I mumble. ¡°You¡¯ll like this, I promise.¡±


    Daniel seems hesitant as I lead him downwards, bringing him onto his back. The music fills my ears from the hall, muffling, and I get on top of him. ¡°Hailey, no. You don¡¯t have-¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I say firmly, catching him off-guard. My hands run down his chest, down his abdomen, I don¡¯t ask for permission. He clenches his jaw as I grab his shoulders and lean down to kiss him again. I push my tongue into his mouth as was done to me. I shift on top of him as our lips move together, but it wasn¡¯t like this. I didn¡¯t kiss back like he is. Then I feel him underneath me. A foreign sensation rushes through me and I pull away. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to want this,¡± I tell him. ¡°But you do, don¡¯t you? You asked for it. You wanted it. You asked for it.¡±


    Daniel snaps back to reality and moves underneath me, trying to sit up, but I hold him down. ¡°Hailey,¡± he says, ¡°you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°I need to know,¡± I murmur and try to force him back, but I¡¯m not strong enough. ¡°I have to know how he felt. I have to know what it felt like. I have to be in control.¡±


    Daniel tries to get up again, but I refuse to move. Then my flustered mind changes and I move beside him on the bed,ying on my back. He looks down at me and I tell him with my eyes, I tell him to get on top of me. Daniel turns away. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this,¡± he says, ¡°not like this.¡±


    My heart rate picks up and anger rises within me. ¡°I need to know!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Daniel says louder, harsher, ¡°I said no.¡±


    I re at him and shoot up from the bed. ¡°No, huh? You¡¯re saying ¡®no?''¡± I head for the door.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Hailey,¡± Daniel calls to me from the bed, calmer. ¡°Hailey.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I shout before storming down the hall. I can feel him behind me, following me. ¡°No! No! No! You know what? Don¡¯t talk to me,¡± I swiftly turn to him, ¡°don¡¯t ever talk to me again. Leave me alone. Get away from me.¡± When I reach the door he grabs my shoulder and I yank back. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t ever touch me!¡±


    I flee outside and ignore that fact that he is following me still. ¡°Where are you going!¡± He calls, also sounding angry. ¡°Where are you going!¡±


    I head down the street towards the main road. ¡°I¡¯m going to find someone that¡¯ll screw me, how about that?¡± I yell back. My eyes fill with tears, and I swipe them away, angry at myself. I look back at him hurrying down the street, not paying attention, and I step out into the road. My heart hurtles forward at the sudden sound of a car horn and the air is stolen from my lungs as a car speeds past me.


    I am frozen in ce, inplete shock, then I simply fall to the ground,nding on my butt. I sit on the curb and take a deep breath. My eyes follow the car as it pulls to the side, the window rolling down, a person shouting, ¡°watch where you¡¯re going! Damn it! Dumb bitch!¡±


    Daniel yells back, ¡°alright, alright, she¡¯s sorry. Now get outta¡¯ here!¡±


    The guy in the car mutters something before continuing on. I nce back at Daniel as he reaches me and pulls me up. ¡°Daniel, I-¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± he says, cutting me off, probably not wanting to hear my voice.


    ¡°But I-¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    He brings me back inside, into the living room and he turns off the music. I look up at him-regretful and sorry-and he sits me down on the couch before standing in front of me. Embarrassed over everything I¡¯ve done, I avoid his eyes and internally curse at myself. It took almost getting hit by a car to bring me back to real life, and now all I want to do is hide under a rock. That side of me-the side that climbed on top of him and tried to-my face turns red. I don¡¯t know her, that girl who yelled that she was going to find someone to. . . I don¡¯t know her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that again,¡± Daniel says firmly, ¡°don¡¯t talk like that again.¡±


    I continue to shy away from him, nodding with my head down. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you like that-it wasn¡¯t fair. I just-I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with me.¡± I gather the courage to look up. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I. . . Asked that of you.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t know what to say, so I continue. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. I should go. I should get out of your life. Clearly, I¡¯m not ready for anything like this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± he says.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready for this, Daniel. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do this anymore. I can¡¯t see you anymore. Not if this is who I be.¡±


    He looks up at me, not willing to let go that easily. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, Hailey. I¡¯m not. You just, caught me off-guard, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make it sound eptable because it wasn¡¯t. It was messed up-I¡¯m messed up, okay? Maybe in another world this would have worked out, maybe if Harrison never. . . I¡¯m sorry, I really am, but I can¡¯t do this. I need help. I need to go right now.¡±


    Daniel takes me home and it is a quiet ride. When I get inside I hurry past my mother-ignoring her questions-and I lock myself in my bedroom. The drive is still plugged into myptop, and before I have enough time to cry, my phone rings. Thinking it¡¯s Daniel, I pick it up to ignore the call, but I see that it¡¯s my Dad calling.


    I sigh and answer. ¡°Now¡¯s not a good time, it¡¯ste and-¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry, but I had to tell you the good news as soon as it was final,¡± my Dad says, confusing me, ¡°Karly and I are moving back to Florida.¡±

 Chapter 42

    Daniel called a few times over the weekend, Jana too, but I wasn¡¯t answering anyone¡¯s calls. I texted Jana and said that I needed to be alone just so she wouldn¡¯te snooping around the house to make sure I am still alive. Daniels, well, I left his to ring, each time forcing myself not to answer.


    ¡°I heard your Dad told you about Florida,¡± my mother grabs my attention as I sit alone in the kitchen. She walks around to the other side of the counter ind to face me. ¡°Are you going back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m moving back during winter break.¡±


    She raises an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s hardly a month away.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be ready by then. I¡¯m used to leaving quickly anyway.¡± It feels like an extreme case of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. It feels like I am giving up again just as I didst year, but I know that Florida is what¡¯s best for me. I can be someone else there. In Florida, I¡¯m free of Harrison and Daphne and seeing Daniel every day.


    My feelings for him frighten me. They make me wonder if I am getting sick again, for if I am getting better, and I can¡¯t be with him if I still question that. What I did Friday night¡­ It hurt to leave because I knew he wanted me to stay, he acted as if everything was okay when it wasn¡¯t. When I got on top of him-just thinking about it makes me squeeze into myself. I can¡¯t think about it.


    When I arrive at school, I avoid Jana¡¯s texts and head straight to ss. I wouldn¡¯t know how to exin this to her. I can¡¯t even exin it to myself.


    Before I go, I am going to turn in the USB. It is sitting in my locker for when I get brave enough to take it to the station after school. Not today. Today¡¯s not right, but maybe tomorrow I¡¯ll take it. I don¡¯t want it in the house anymore, I don¡¯t want to grab it and watch the video like a drug addict. God forbid my mother finds the drive and gets curious herself-so it sits in my locker on the top shelf, unwatchable.


    When the lunch bell rings, I near the cafeteria doors, not expecting Daniel to be there. I assume he has gone to the track, not wanting to see me. I¡¯ll have to face Jana, but her I can handle. If I saw Daniel, all I have been holding in may just pour right out for everyone to see.


    I notice Sam-the boy who gave me the video-leaning against the wall beside the doors. He¡¯s looking down the hallway, the opposite of where I am, but when his eyes scan back over, he seems jolted by my presence. I walk over to him. ¡°Are you waiting for me?¡±


    Instead of speaking there, Sam leads me down the hall and turns around once we¡¯re generally alone. ¡°They know,¡± he says. It¡¯s all he says.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Who knows what?¡±


    ¡°That girl, the dancing one, she knows about the video,¡± he exins further.


    ¡°Daphne?¡± I blurt. ¡°How? How could she? There¡¯s no way she could-unless you told her. Have you told people?¡±


    He immediately defends himself. ¡°No, no. Of course not. I don¡¯t know how she did. The only people who know about the video is you and me.¡±


    ¡°Obviously not!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe she overheard. Maybe she heard us when we were in the ssroom.¡±


    I cross my arms. ¡°The door was closed? There¡¯s no way¡­¡± I freeze. Someone else knows. Daniel knows about the video. He wouldn¡¯t-would he? No.


    I abandon Sam in the hall and rush to the track.


    He wouldn¡¯t do this to me. I know Daniel and he is not like that, he is not revengeful.


    My heart beats faster as I get closer, and I contemte turning back. I wasn¡¯t supposed to see him, that was my n. Avoiding Daniel until I leave for Florida seems ridiculous, but I don¡¯t want him to find out that I¡¯m leaving. I don¡¯t want him to do something that will make me stay.


    When I near the track, my eyes scan the area for him, expecting to see him jogging around, but he¡¯s not. I walk closer and notice two people by the bleachers. Daniel is standing in front of someone who is sitting down, and when he shifts to the side my entire body sinks down. It¡¯s Daphne. He¡¯s talking to Daphne. He told Daphne about the video. Daniel, the only person I truly trusted has stabbed me in the back. I should have expected this, right? Trust no one?


    It hurts. It really hurts. I thought there was something good here in Coldgrove and I thought that was him. He¡¯s just like the rest of them, though, and it hurts.


    She stands up and touches his arm, her eyes peering up at him, flirting. I turn away, feeling the need to vomit. That¡¯s why she asked me about him. She¡¯s swiped him from underneath me with her normalness. I can¡¯t be upset, I let him go. He¡¯s not mine anymore. But I want him. I want to storm over there and tell her off, shouting to get her hands off of him. I bite my lip. He deserves someone who can really be with him, and if he wants Daphne, then who am I to judge?


    I let him go. I set him free.


    I walk back towards the school, feeling my shoulders growing heavier and heavier. I have to leave now. I can¡¯t wait until winter break. They¡¯re not settled in Florida yet, but maybe I can stay in Canada with them while they figure out thest of things.


    I can¡¯t see him with her, it will kill me, so I¡¯ll turn in the drive today and nevere back. Jana will be heartbroken, but I hope she¡¯ll understand. I hope James will distract her.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I head towards my locker, ready to grab the USB and drive to the station, ditching the rest of the day. As usual, I open my locker and feel for the USB on the top shelf, but I feel nothing. Reaching further in, my hand swipes from side to side and I hold my breath. It¡¯s not there. The drive is gone. I just put it there this morning, how could it be gone?


    Panicking, I shut the locker and dig through my bag, but it¡¯s not in there either.


    They know. He knows. Harrison took it.

 Chapter 43

    I rush to the cafeteria, to the table, then to Jana. She is sitting with Watts, Taylor, and Jordan, but I yank her up and drag her out, ignoring her ¡°what are you doing¡± and ¡°Hailey, what¡¯s going on¡± until we make it out of the cafeteria doors. The hallways are sparse with students, and I take her back to where Sam took me, yet he¡¯s gone as I expected. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking.


    I let her go and she lets out a weirdugh. ¡°Will you tell me what that was all about? You know, I could have followed you, you didn¡¯t have to pull me out.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I breathe out, panicking. ¡°Something bad has happened.¡±


    Her face turns serious. ¡°What? Is it Harrison? Daphne? Did they do something?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes, but I need to exin, and before I do, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? For what?¡±


    ¡°For not telling you this sooner,¡± I give her a sad smile, hoping this will make her less offended by my exnation. As my best friend, I should have definitely told her when it first happened, not Daniel, not someone so unsure in my life. ¡°I have proof that Harrison¡­ did what he did.¡±


    She steps back. ¡°What? How?¡±


    ¡°It was caught on video through a window. Some kid named Sam was filming at the partyst year and caught us through Harrison¡¯s bedroom window, and the video shows enough.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy. We-we have to take it to the police, You¡¯re gonna get justice, payback for-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy anymore,¡± I mumble.


    ¡°What do you mean? Do you not have the video?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did. Now I don¡¯t.¡±


    She raises an eyebrow. ¡°You lost it, didn¡¯t you? Did you make any copies? Do you know where it might be?¡±


    We pause our conversation as a teacher walks by. He smiles and says ¡°good afternoon¡± and we say it back, then Jana turns to me with a questioning face. ¡°I put the USB in my locker thinking that it would be safe there, right? Well, I went to get it a few minutes ago and it¡¯s not there. Someone broke into my locker and took it. And the kid, Sam, said that they knew. Harrison knows I have proof. Harrison has the USB.¡±


    Jana falls back against the locker. ¡°So what? We have to steal it back from him? How are we gonna do that?¡±


    I pause for a moment. ¡°It could be in his locker.¡±


    ¡°And you know his code?¡± She asks sarcastically.


    ¡°Well if he got into my locker somehow, then we can get into his.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know which locker is his? Do you know the number?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Stop being so hard on me.¡±


    ¡°When did you get the USB from this Sam kid?¡±


    I bite my cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A week ago.¡±


    She gives me a very dramatic look. ¡°A week ago? I thought you were going to say this morning, or maybe yesterday, but a week!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it then. I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s hard to exin. I just wasn¡¯t in the right mind. I just wasn¡¯t right,¡± I murmur and look to her. ¡°Things aren¡¯t right anymore, Jana. I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but my Dad is moving back to Florida and-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she blurts, ¡°you are not doing what I think you¡¯re doing. You are not leaving again.¡±


    ¡°Jana, I-¡±


    ¡°No, Hailey. No. Sorry, but I¡¯m not letting you give up like this. I¡¯m not letting you leave me and Taylor and Jordan and Daniel. What about him? Daniel? The guy You practically love?¡±


    I look away. ¡°Things with Daniel are over.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? He came to the table at the beginning of lunch asking where you were?¡±


    ¡°I ended things between us, and I can¡¯t exin why, and I don¡¯t want to be here to watch him talk to Daphne at the track-¡±


    She interrupts again. ¡°What? So what he was talking to Daphne,¡± she says, confusing me. ¡°You have to know that she¡¯s the one who probably went up to him and started talking. We all know Daniel finds Daphne obnoxiously annoying, right? And we all know that Daphne has been trying to get at Daniel for, well, forever. So that¡¯s not a valid reason to leave. I said he came looking for you. You. Not Daphne. I know you aren¡¯t that oblivious.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I ended things.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She asks, calmly, genuinely. ¡°He¡¯s a good guy. He¡¯s good for you, Hailey. He was helping you get better, remember?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that anymore. What I did couldn¡¯t have been normal.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to, but please just really think before you go off saying that you¡¯re moving again. Okay? And if finding the USB and breaking into Harrison¡¯s locker will make you stay, then hand me a damn crowbar.¡± Without thinking, I pull her in for a hug, causing her tough. ¡°Now, if we¡¯re going to do this, we can find the listing of lockers with their codes. Every student has to give up their codes to the school in case they need to search for anything.¡±


    I pull back. ¡°And where is this list?¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The front office. I¡¯m guessing Mrs. Guy has it on herputer. She¡¯d be the person to handle those kinds of things.¡±


    Jana and I make our way to the front office, Jana saying that she already has a n. I follow her inside as she smiles at the few front office workers and walks up to a cluttered desk in a closed-off office in the back corner. The door is wide open, and sitting behind the picture frame and nicknack filled desk is a tall cadaverous woman who I am assuming is Mrs. Guy. Jana charismatically speaks up. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Guy. I¡¯m a teacher¡¯s aid for Mr. Hall, and I was wondering if you could show me how to make copies. I asked the woman at the front desk, but she was too busy.¡±


    Mrs. Guy stands up. ¡°Alright,e on,¡± then she sees me peeking into the office, ¡°and who is that?¡±


    Jana shrugs. ¡°Just my friend. You know, emotional support.¡±


    Mrs. Guy rolls her eyes and leads Jana to the copy room to make copies of her unfilled homework paper from English for Mr. Hall, and I slip inside Mrs. Guy¡¯s office to thankfully see herputer is unlocked and open to some school business. I sit down and close out of the window, scanning the desktop screen for any promising files.


    Schedules, meetings, mail, college visits, counseling meetings, substitute teachers, teacher information, student information, assigned ssrooms, then, finally, assigned lockers. I click in and scroll through, seeing a grid of names in alphabetical order listingst name, first name, locker number, then code. I hurry and scroll down to ¡®K¡¯ and find Harrison Keller, locker 73, code 5676.


    Jana¡¯s familiar voice jabs me, and I swiftly close the window and open the one that was up before. Shooting out the door, Mrs. Guy and Janae out of the copy room just as I fall back against the wall.


    ¡°Thank you for the help. Hope I wasn¡¯t too much of a bother,¡± she smiles brightly and Mrs. Guy nces at me before returning to her seat. Together we rush out of the front office and head for locker 73.


    I look down at the stack of papers in Jana¡¯s hands andugh. ¡°How many did you make?¡±


    ¡°A hundred.¡±


    Locker 73 happens to be upstairs and beside the lecture hall, and when we get there I tell Jana, ¡°The code is 5676.¡±


    She attempts and swings open the locker. ¡°Go on, look. I¡¯ll keep watch.¡±


    His locker is a mess, but there isn¡¯t much in it. Food wrappers, two textbooks, a dirty jersey, a few stray pencils, a nub of an eraser, an empty can of soda, an empty blue water bottle, a notebook, and a pair of white converse shoes at the bottom. I look through it twice. ¡°It¡¯s not in here,¡± I say, my voice clear with disappointment. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Jana closes the locker as I back away. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s probably in his backpack. He probably took it after going to his locker so he¡¯d just keep it in his backpack, right?¡±


    ¡°How do we get to his backpack? We can¡¯t just swipe it off his back?¡±


    Jana thinks for a moment then looks at me with wide eyes. ¡°I have an idea, but you¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    ¡°You might as well just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Harrison is having his ¡®end of the football season¡¯ party this weekend. We can take it from his house.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°He would probably destroy the USB by then, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Jana stops walking, catching my attention in the empty hallway as we leave Harrison¡¯s locker behind. ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    Before the bell rings, Jana drops the stack of papers off in Mr. Hall¡¯s empty ssroom, not knowing what else to do with them. She sets them on his desk and sneaks back out as I wait for her. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 44

    My heart races relentlessly in my chest as I pull up to Jana¡¯s house, my fingers tapping on the steering wheel and my bottom lip between my grinding teeth. I watch as she flees through the front door and hurries into the car, her tight, ck dress catching me off guard. ¡°We aren¡¯t actually going to the party,¡± I tell her and pull back onto the road.


    ¡°I know, I just want to blend in,¡± she says while pulling her seatbelt on and ncing over at me, ¡°and I see you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more focused on getting the sh drive. God I hope he hasn¡¯t smashed it or thrown it away. Just thinking about it¡­ It makes me all anxious. And the fact that we¡¯re going to his party isn¡¯t helping either. Thest thing I need is shbacks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± she encourages me. ¡°You¡¯ve healed so much the past few months.¡±


    ¡°You think so? Because I told Daniel that I¡¯ve gotten worse.¡±


    Jana abruptly sits up. ¡°Why? Why would you say that? Did something happen? Is this that thing you didn¡¯t want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just-Maybe I regret saying what I did, I don¡¯t know. I was all messed up that day an-and¡­ I don¡¯t know. I told him I wasn¡¯t in the right mindset to be in a rtionship. I felt like I was taking him down with me¡­ but none of this matters until I know that Daniel didn¡¯t tell Daphne anything.¡±


    ¡°He would never do that, Hailey. He¡¯s not inhumane.¡±


    I keep my eyes on the road, my hands squeezing the wheel. ¡°How did Daphne know then? How? It was only me, Sam, and Daniel.¡±


    ¡°And you really trust this Sam kid? More than you trust Daniel?¡±


    I nce to her. ¡°Sam has no reason to tell her.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to convince yourself that Daniel is a bad guy. Let¡¯s just get the USB and get out of there, okay? One thing at a time.¡±


    His street is cluttered with cars, so we park a block away and walk up to the house. My heart has gone beyond racing at this point, and my body has reached some unknown state of determination. All my mind can focus on is the USB and avoiding Harrison. Two goals.


    Jana grabs my hand as we brace for impact, climbing up the porch steps and diving into the crowd. The door is held open by a cinder block and people slip out like a leaking faucet. We are jabbed and prodded by shoulders and elbows as we venture to the stairs. I am reliving my worst memory, only it¡¯s Jana ahead of me and not him. The music grows quiet as I take lead and head straight for his bedroom door at the end of the hallway, but Jana quickly grabs me. ¡°What if he¡¯s in there? You can¡¯t just burst in.¡±


    My eyes dart around, losing focus. ¡°Well, now what? You should go check. He won¡¯t think much if you were to identally open his door when looking for the bathroom.¡±


    Jana reluctantly nods. ¡°Okay, just don¡¯t move.¡± I watch as she makes her way down the hall. She quickly grabs the handle and abruptly peaks inside. ¡°Jesus,¡± she mutters with a immediate step back. Thinking it¡¯s Harrison, I hide around the corner, but instead two young people rush out past her, a guy and a girl.


    Her face is red as she runs past me. ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t have gone in his room!¡± She yells back at the boy. ¡°Everyone knows it¡¯s off limits! He¡¯s going to kill you!¡±


    My eyes shoot to Jana as the two disappear down the stairs. She motions for me and we hurry inside, shutting and locking the door behind us. Jana immediately starts rummaging through his bedside table while I stand before his bedroom like it¡¯s the edge of a cliff. She holds up a few small, silver packets and cringes. ¡°What a pig-are you okay? You can go in the hall if you want. You don¡¯t have to be in here.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I mumble, pushing myself off of the door, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s just make this quick.¡±


    I spot his backpack on his desk chair and promptly snatch it, dumping all of its holdings onto the bed before searching through that and the small pockets. I groan, finding nothing, and Jana moves to his desk, yanking out drawers and tossing random things out of them. ¡°Is this it?¡± She shouts, holing up a ck USB.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s a grey USB drive with the, uh, the SanDisk logo in red.¡±


    I peak into his closet and scavenge through drawers, looking through socks when a sudden knock hits the door. We both freeze, waiting for the person to leave, but another knock strikes and his voice brings my stomach to an uprise. ¡°Hey, no one¡¯s allowed in here,¡± he calls, not sounding pleased. ¡°Get out.¡±


    My heart hurtles forward, my eyes glued to Jana. She slowly gets up as the handle jiggles, motioning for me to as well. She looks out the window and whispers to me, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to climb down. It¡¯s just a straight wall. I-I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Seriously, get out man,¡± Harrison shouts again, making my hands shake. ¡°I¡¯m not ying.¡±


    Jana grabs her phone from her pocket, sloppily taping around before bringing it to her ear. ¡°Yes, I need to make a noiseint. There is a party happening on my street and I believe there is also underage drinking urring. Yes. The address is 7865 East Melton Drive. Than-thank you.¡±


    ¡°Did you-¡± I breathe out, frantic.


    Jana shoves the phone back in her pocket. ¡°Call the police? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to knock down the damn door? Get the hell out. I know someone¡¯s in here!¡±


    I grab Jana¡¯s arm. ¡°They won¡¯t get here fast enough. H-He¡¯s gonna¡­ He¡¯s gonna break down the door.¡± Jana reaches for her phone again. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to call for help, people that can protect us. I¡¯m texting Jordan and Daniel.¡±


    My grip on her tightens. ¡°No. Don¡¯t.¡±


    Harrison begins to jiggle the handle again and I jump. ¡°Can someone unlock this door?¡± He calls out into the house, and my eyes shoot to possible hiding ces.


    ¡°We have to hide.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to find us, Hailey. It¡¯s a bedroom. There¡¯s only so many ces a person could be.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I let go of her. ¡°Well, sorry. At least I¡¯m trying to do something now and not wait here like a sitting duck. He¡¯s going to get the door open any second,¡± I whisper harshly. ¡°We have to go out the window.¡±


    ¡°And break our legs?¡±


    The handle begins to shake again, but it sounds as if something is prodding at its insides. Suddenly the door swings open and Harrison appears standing above a crouched guy with a straightened bobby-pin. I watch, paralyzed, as he shoves the crouched guy out-of-frame and crosses his arms. ¡°Hailey Fonte? I never thought I would see you here again.¡±


    Jana swiftly steps in front of me. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, so if you¡¯d get out of the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh really? You think you can search through my room and just leave?¡± His eyes scan the floor, shifting from each pile of tossed nothings to the next.


    ¡°We know you have it,¡± Jana fights back.


    ¡°Do I?¡± He says, somewhat amused. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ll never know now, huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is some joke?¡± I blurt, fueled and overwhelmed.


    ¡°No. I think you¡¯re the joke. You should have nevere back to Coldgrove. You should just run back to Florida and leave all of us alone because it¡¯s much better here without you, and I think the entire town agrees with me.¡±


    Jana snaps, ¡°you¡¯re a monst-¡±


    ¡°Move,¡± I tell him smoothly.


    ¡°Move?¡±


    My eyes harden. ¡°Get out of our way.¡±


    His eyebrows lift up. ¡°You think you can talk to me like that?¡±


    I move in front of Jana and steadily walk towards him. ¡°What are you going to do about it? Fight me? Push me back? Yell? What are you going to do, Harrison? Nothing. You¡¯re not going to do a thing.¡± I look back to Jana. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She hurries to me and I grab her hand, pushing past Harrison and heading down the hall, not looking back. I feel his eyes ring into the back of my head, and it¡¯s not until we¡¯re downstairs and pushing towards the door that I feel high. Once we¡¯re out, I let go of Jana and stumble down the steps, my legs like jello. ¡°Oh my God Hailey, that was-you just-his face,¡± she breathes out, drinking in the victory, but all I can do is lean against the house. ¡°He looked so mad but you just walked out! Did you see his face!¡±


    The ground is blurry, and I bend over as if I am out of breath.


    ¡°You just told him off,¡± she lets out augh. ¡°He¡¯s all talk. That was badass, Hailey. Hailey?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I just did,¡± I murmur, falling to my butt, hugging my knees. A few people walk by and nce down at me, probably assuming I¡¯m too drunk to function.


    ¡°You took control.¡±


    I sigh and look up at her. ¡°I was just-I was just so done with him. I¡¯m tired of his stupid face and¡­ I don¡¯t know. He just sucks, you know? I¡¯m tired of being scared of him. You¡¯re right, he is all talk. All he does is threaten people and act tough, but he¡¯s not. He¡¯s weak.¡±


    The sound of a car pulling up to the house ys in the back of my mind, but I don¡¯t look up until I hear a car door shut and Jana calls, ¡°Daniel!¡±


    I tense up and watch as he jogs towards us, his car in the middle of the street. The sight of him makes my chest grow tight, and I¡¯m not sure what to do. Thest time we spoke¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to do. He looks down at me and helps me up without my asking. His touch brings back an anxious feeling, but it¡¯s a good one. ¡°Why are you guys here? Did he do something? Hailey, did he do something to you?¡±


    I shake my head, my eyes threatening to release tears. Everything happened so quickly and now¡­


    Daniel brings his arms around me and I rest my head on his shoulder, my arms loosely hanging onto him, my hands gripping his shirt. ¡°I-I was in his bedroom,¡± I mumble as if I need to hear it myself to make it all real.


    Daniel looks to Jana and police sirens sound in the distance, growing louder. ¡°We have to go,¡± she says, rushed, but I don¡¯t want to let go of him. Thankfully Daniel grabs my keys from my pocket and hands them to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her home,¡± he says and Jana¡¯s off.


    Daniel grabs my hand as we head for his car. He opens the door for me and closes it once I¡¯m reaching for the seatbelt, hurrying around to the drivers seat. As he starts the car, my eyes turn to the house, and Harrison stands at the porch steps, staring at me.


    We keep eye contact until Daniel drives off, and Harrison disappears in the distance.

 Chapter 45

    I stare out the window, watching as the streetlights pass and erase my face in the ss. The image of Harrison standing there is stuck in my mind, I don¡¯t know what to think of it, but now that I¡¯m with Daniel I feel better. It¡¯s a bit awkward to be so close after ourst encounter, but I feel safe.


    My head rolls to him, my eyes watching his hands as he turns the wheel, turning onto my street. ¡°Is anyone home?¡± He asks, and I have a shback to a time before.


    ¡°No. My mom is at John¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s John?¡±


    I look at the house. ¡°He¡¯s her boyfriend, I guess. He¡¯s the guy that snuck into the house with her.¡±


    Daniel parks at the curb like he always does and gets out with me as I expected. We walk up to the house and I grab the spare key from the garden-my actual key now with Jana. Once inside I tell him that I¡¯m going to change, and I head upstairs to my bedroom, thinking about him as I pull off my clothes and slip on my pajamas.


    When Ie back down, I find Daniel in the living room, and I sit with him on the couch, facing him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s noting back until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why were you and Jana at his party, Hailey?¡± He asks, just as he¡¯s been wanting to.


    I sigh. ¡°You¡¯re going to be disappointed if I tell you. You¡¯ll probably think I¡¯m the biggest idiot in the world.¡± He gives me a look, one of his many looks, and my eyes nce off. ¡°I lost the video.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment of silence before he asks, ¡°How?¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°I, uh, put it in my locker to take to the station one day after school. I saw you with Daphne, by the track. You guys were talking, and I went back to get it, but it was gone. I thought Harrison took it, so Jana and I went to his house to look for it, which was stupid because he probably destroyed it.¡±


    Daniel runs his hand through his hair, likely trying to understand how someone could make such a mistake. ¡°Why did you bring it to school? You should have left it here.¡±


    My eyes find his again. ¡°I was tired of watching it.¡±


    The house ispletely silent, nothing to listen to but the sounds of our voices. I¡¯ve been alone with Daniel countless times now, but something about this time feels too real. It¡¯s not like the others that seemed to be in a fantasy world, I¡¯ve lost the video, and I¡¯m going to lose him.


    ¡°Why are you shutting me out?¡±


    Not expecting him to ask such a question, I struggle to answer. ¡°I-What I did¡­¡±


    Daniel clenches his jaw. ¡°It didn¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I know what I want,¡± he says firmly, looking right into my eyes, giving me nowhere to hide. ¡°A little slip up isn¡¯t going to change my mind. Do you know what I want, Hailey?¡±


    My fingers grip the edge of my shirt. ¡°Daniel I-¡±


    ¡°Do you know what I want?¡±


    ¡°Me,¡± I give in. ¡°You want me, Daniel.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he murmurs, leaning into me, his hand on the small of my back. He brings his lips to mine and the sensation is back, the one I missed, the one where my stomach is in knots and where a rush surges through me. He¡¯s gentle, he¡¯s always gentle with me. I ce my hands on his shoulders, shifting closer then bringing my hand to his cheek, but part of me knows. Part of me knows that this is one of thest times I¡¯ll feel his kiss.


    I pull away due to the growing frown on my face. He sees it, but I can¡¯t take the weighing sadness off of my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whisper, not wanting him to me himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just-¡± The choking feelinges quick as if all of my words are getting caught in my throat.


    ¡°I know,¡± he says softly, reaching to brush the hair from my face, but I move back. My hair is all I have to hide my watering eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty anymore. I care about you, okay? You know I care. You know I¡¯m not leaving.¡±


    How am I supposed to tell him? How am I supposed to go now? He rescues me from Harrison, wants to stay here to make sure I¡¯m safe, he kisses me and reassures me that his feelings haven¡¯t changed after all that¡¯s happened, and that¡¯s only in one night. I couldn¡¯t list all of the other things he¡¯s done for me over these past few months. Daniel has healed me in many ways. He¡¯s showed that my life isn¡¯t over. How can I leave now? It was so much easier when I thought he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say again, not knowing what else to say. Thest thing I want to do is hurt him. Thest thing I want to do is hurt the person I¡¯m falling in love with.


    Daniels face shifts to something a bit angry looking, something confused and cautious. ¡°What did you do, Hailey?¡±


    What could I have done in his mind? I know what he¡¯s thinking. I¡¯ve moved on, there¡¯s someone else, but I think it¡¯s worse than that. How do I tell him that he won¡¯t see me anymore? That I¡¯m going to disappear?


    ¡°Hailey. What is it?¡±


    ¡°My Dad called that night after you took me home,¡± I look into his eyes, feeling my heart cave in. ¡°He told me that he¡¯s moving back to Florida¡­ and I told him that it would be best for me to go back too.¡±


    Daniel sits still for a minute before turning away from me. I want to reach out to him, to hold him, but I¡¯m not sure if he hates me now or not. I watch as he brings his head down to his hands, taking a deep breath before abruptly getting up from the couch. My eyes follow him until I realize he¡¯s leaving. Swiftly, I get up and run to him, cing myself in front of him like a wall. ¡°Daniel wait. Don¡¯t go,¡± I say, knowing that if he leaves he may never talk to me again.


    He looks down at me as if he wants to say something, but nothinges out, and he moves forward again, my back now touching the front door.


    ¡°Daniel, I can exin. Please don¡¯t leave. Please don¡¯t hate me.¡±


    Daniel reaches for the handle, but I grab it first. ¡°Move, Hailey,¡± he says, calmly, though I know he isn¡¯t calm.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not leaving,¡± I protest, my voice shaky.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one leaving. You¡¯re leaving.¡±


    He moves me out of the way, keeping his cool. Before I can grab him and bring him back, he shuts the door in my face and I stand still, hearing him drive off. The tearse quick, and they don¡¯t stop. I run my hands through my hair, fighting the need to pull. Without another thought, I run up to my bedroom and bury myself under the nkets, wanting to disappear.


    How can I leave now? Do I even want to leave? Part of me thinks I should and the other part believes I¡¯m repeating the past just because it¡¯s all I know. Is it the right thing for me? Just because it was the first time, is it this time?

 Chapter 46

    I sit down at our table in the cafeteria, trying to figure myself out. It¡¯s been a long day. Daphne kept ncing back at me in Economics and Jana kept texting me about Watts¡¯ cousin James, saying that he asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes and then continued to talk about it. I¡¯m happy for her, but how can I smile over Love if the person I love hates me?


    I don¡¯t know what Love feels like, but if it doesn¡¯t feel like this, then it will be a disappointment.


    How can I not love Daniel? He¡¯s amazing in every way. He makes my heart race by simply thinking about him. He epts me, every part of me, and I lost him. I let him slip through my fingers. I used to wonder if Daniel loves me, and now I¡¯m wondering the opposite. Could he love me? I don¡¯t know. Maybe I just fall in Love easily.


    He¡¯s angry with me, I know that.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Daniel?¡± Jana catches my attention as she sits down beside me with Taylor. ¡°I saw him earlier, but he just ignored me. Did something happen Saturday night?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± I mumble. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d ignore you. Maybe he didn¡¯t hear you or something.¡±


    ¡°Really? I walked right up to him and asked how you were, but he just walked away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, weird. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably at the track anyway,¡± she shrugs, ¡°maybe you should go check on him. He seems a little off today.¡±


    I nce up at her and smile, the feeling of it making me uneasy. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine.¡±


    Taylor and Jana look to each other. ¡°Something definitely happened.¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened. I¡¯m serious,¡± I lie, not wanting to exin to my best friend how I may be leaving in front of the entire school. Jana is sure to make a scene.


    ¡°Well, then did you guys make up?¡±


    I run my hand through my hair, clearing the slipping strands from my face. ¡°Uh, yeah, sure. Can we stop talking about me now? Tell me more about James.¡±


    I sit quietly and listen to Jana gush, which brings me down but is better than talking about Daniel. Ist another twenty minutes beforeing up with an excuse to go see him, saying that I forgot about the test I promised to make up. I leave the cafeteria and head to my locker first, exchanging my books so I don¡¯t have to worry about itter. Pulling out my Economics and English books, I slide them on the middle shelf and reach for my math textbook. Footsteps sound from down the hall, but I don¡¯t think anything of it until his voice grabs me,ughing.


    I stop and hide behind my locker door, praying that Harrison doesn¡¯t notice me. Half of my head is in the locker and I squeeze my eyes shut.


    ¡°Hey, Hailey,¡± he says, draping his arm on my locker door. He motions for the friend he was walking with to carry on. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you in the cafeteria.¡±


    My throat swells as I quickly shove my math book into my bag, zipping it up and turning to walk away, but Harrison brings his other arm across me, pressing his hand against the closed locker beside mine. I fall into the corner of my door and shelving, staring at his arm like a wall between me and safety. He¡¯s closed me in.


    ¡°We could have worked together, but no¡­¡± he says, not fazed by my difort, or maybe he enjoys it. ¡°Then you search my room during a party? Who do you think you are, Hailey?¡±


    His hand leaves the locker and he brings it up to my face, causing me to flinch, but instead of doing as I thought, he lightly drags his finger under my chin and gets a grip. He lowers his lips to my ear. ¡°What are you going to do, Hailey? Nothing.¡±


    And just when my eyes begin to water and I assume he¡¯s going to let go, he abruptly kisses my cheek then sets me free. I watch, frozen, as he walks away, waving at me before spinning around and turning the corner.


    My hand immediately caresses the spot he kissed as if his lips seared me. I turn back to my locker to take a few breaths, stopping myself from breaking down. I grip the door and m it shut, my chest rising and falling rapidly. My hands find my keys in my bag, and I grip them tightly while making my way to the closest exit. All I want is to go home. I just need to get out of here.


    I push the door open and walk in the direction of the parking lot, walking past the basketball court and the track. I can¡¯t help but nce over, and when I do, I catch Daniel rummaging through his track bag. I silently curse to myself due to our eye contact and pick up my pace. ¡°Hailey!¡± He calls, and I can hear him running after me. ¡°Hailey, where are you going?¡±


    Hearing that he¡¯s too close, I turn to face him. ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡±


    Daniels brows furrow. ¡°Why?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you mad at me or something? You should just go back to-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m mad at you,¡± he says bluntly, ¡°so tell me why you¡¯re leaving.¡±


    I cross my arms and pull an ¡®I can¡¯t believe this¡¯ face. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ because I don¡¯t feel well.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re doing this again?¡± He asks, referencing to when he took my keys.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re not doing anything. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Will you stop acting like that?¡± He calls me out, ¡°Stop being so defensive. Tell me what happened.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Daniel now crosses his arms and I let mine fall.


    ¡°Yeah, really. If I tell you, you¡¯re going to get yourself in trouble.¡±


    And just like that his face turns serious. ¡°What happened? Did he do something? Hailey, did he do something to you?¡±


    I shake my head again, hating the fact that I¡¯m getting emotional. I¡¯d just calmed my tears and now he¡¯s bringing them back. ¡°I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t want you to be suspended again. I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±


    Daniel suddenly leads me over to the bleachers, my hand in his. He sits me down on the bench and takes the spot beside me. ¡°Was it Harrison?¡±


    I stay quiet.


    ¡°Hailey, please. This is serious. Come on sweetheart.¡±


    My heart squeezes and a small smile shes on my face. He called me sweetheart. Daniel called me sweetheart and now I want to hear him say it over and over again. ¡°You have to promise. You have to promise that you won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Daniel clenches his jaw, something he¡¯s been doing whenever processing something or making apromise. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t do anything. Just please tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I say carefully, letting him know that I¡¯m serious about our deal. ¡°I was in the hallway, at my locker, and Harrison came up to me. H-He put his arms out so I couldn¡¯t leave, and he said that I couldn¡¯t do¡­ that I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Daniel tenses and I wonder if I should continue. ¡°Then he touched my face and grabbed my chin and he-he kissed my c-cheek,¡± it¡¯s hard to exin without feeling embarrassed.


    Immediately, he attempts to get up, but I grab his arm, holding him down. ¡°You promised!¡±


    ¡°That was before I knew that.¡±


    ¡°Daniel, you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t get suspended again. Please. Please.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t get away with this. He can¡¯t just-just touch you like that,¡± he says, his whole body tensing up. ¡°I swear to God, Hailey¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think will happen if he knows you¡¯re gone? He¡¯s going to know that I have no one to protect me,¡± I tell him, saying whatever I have to. ¡°He¡¯s going toe after me again.¡±


    This makes Daniel think for a moment. ¡°I should have been there. I should have been with you.¡±


    I look down to myp. ¡°I wish you were.¡±


    Daniel cools down and takes me in his arms, holding me tightly in the cold. I find peace here, with him, protected by him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hailey. I shouldn¡¯t have left that night.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I murmur, ¡°it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do without you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I close my eyes and breathe in his boyish scent, and I want to tell him I feel the same way. I want to tell him how unsure I am about leaving, but I don¡¯t want him to know how indecisive I am. I don¡¯t want him to take anything I say lightly because when I tell him that I love him, he needs to know that it¡¯s unconditionally.

 Chapter 47

    I pull up to Jana¡¯s house and text her that I¡¯m here. While waiting I nce up at the sky, hoping it snows like the news said it would. The heat is sted and the windows are fogged, and it¡¯s beginning to feel like winter.


    Jana knocks on the window and I unlock the door. She slips in and shuts it immediately behind her, almost on her foot. ¡°Jeez it¡¯s cold out there,¡± she says while pulling on her seat belt. ¡°Watts better have the fire going.¡±


    I pull onto the road. ¡°So this isn¡¯t some big Christmas party like you said before, right?¡±


    ¡°No, this one¡¯s just close friends.¡±


    ¡°Good. After Harrison¡¯s party, I need a break.¡± Jana stays quiet and I nce over to her. ¡°You okay?¡±


    She nods, her cheeks red. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just-well I¡¯m sorry that things didn¡¯t work out. It must, well, it must suck.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± I say honestly, turning onto the main road. ¡°He won. Harrison won. And he will continue to win until I get out of that damn school, but I need to let it go. I¡¯m not going to focus on the bad right now, only the good.¡±


    ¡°So mostly Daniel?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°So is James going to be there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m so excited for everyone to officially find out that we¡¯re a couple.¡± Jana¡¯s face lights up. ¡°He¡¯s already there, and he said he¡¯s got a seat for me right next to the firece,¡± she reads off of her phone, currently texting him. ¡°God he¡¯s so cute. Oh, he¡¯s roasting me a marshmallow!¡±


    ¡°Inside?¡± I nce over again.


    ¡°Fire¡¯s fire.¡±


    I park by the curb as I usually do, and I¡¯m happy to see few cars along the street. Sometimes Jana and I have a different definition of ¡®small party.¡¯ As we walk up to the door, I spot Daniels car and I grow giddy, my heart squeezing and racing and jumping. It¡¯s weird to think that thest time we were at Watts¡¯, Daniel figured out my secret.


    I remember that night when he drove me home and wandered into my room. When he kissed me and when I snuck him out not so stealthily. It makes me smile now.


    We walk in and make our way to the living room, where all themotion is. My eyes promptly go to the firece, then to Jana as she sits beside James, then to Taylor and Jordan, then to Watts as he gulps down a mixture of stuff, then to Daniel. He¡¯s sitting in arge leather chair, facing the fire. I walk over to him. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± Daniel says back and I can¡¯t help but smile. He motions for me to sit with him, so I try to squeeze beside him but end up on hisp with my legs hanging over the armrest.


    ¡°Am I too heavy?¡±


    ¡°Like a feather,¡± he says and I roll my eyes for the second time.


    I rest my head on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re like Santa.¡±


    ¡°What do you want for Christmas?¡±


    The USB drive. ¡°How about a kiss?¡±


    Daniel leans into my lips, but I quickly shift away. ¡°I meant on the cheek, Santa. You¡¯re getting a little ahead of yourself.¡±


    Daniel snakes his arm around my back, his hand holding me in ce. ¡°I can¡¯t help myself,¡± he murmurs. ¡°How are you feeling? Better?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair, but I¡¯m trying.¡±


    Daniel soothingly rubs my back. ¡°Do you know what I want for Christmas?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    His eyes find mine, and they don¡¯t turn away. ¡°For you to stay.¡±


    ¡°Daniel¡­¡± I warn, looking to Jana who¡¯s just across the coffee table. She looks quite distracted by James, so I look back to him.


    ¡°I know, I know, don¡¯t let Jana find out,¡± he mutters. ¡°But I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re all I want.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay,¡± I blurt and Daniel sighs, not taking me seriously. Taking the moment by storm, I grab his hand, going on a limb. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you, in private.¡±


    Daniel follows me into the hall, the same hall where he put all of the pieces together. I take a few deep breathes before stopping and looking up at him. He leans against the wall, his shoulder holding him up. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll stay¡¯ is only two words, ¡®I love you¡¯ is three, ¡®I¡¯m in love with you¡¯ is five. ¡®Daniel, I love you¡¯ is four and now I am stalling. ¡°Well, I just wanted to tell you that-that I¡­ My feelings for you¡­¡± the words get caught in my throat. There is so much pressure on three simple words. I love you, Daniel, is all I have to say. I take a deep breath and grab his hand, squeezing. ¡°All I want is you, too. Really, I love you, Daniel.¡±


    I hold my breath. Never would I have imagined myself here in a million years.


    Daniel brings his hand to my cheek, his thumb running across my skin. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    A burst of energy spreads throughout me, and my heart races. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you, Hailey.¡±


    ¡°You never said anything.¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you were ready to hear it.¡±


    Relieved and so genuinely happy, I smile and blush and let it all out, not hiding a thing. Finally, since losing the USB, since that nightst year, since everything, I feel satisfied, happy, excited, and so in love. Looking up at Daniel now, I know I could never leave him, not by my doing. He¡¯s my savior, he brought light to my shadowed world and showed me that my life isn¡¯t over. I can¡¯t thank him enough for that. I can¡¯t thank him enough for making me feel like a teenage girl again, like a real person with a purpose.


    Daniel leans down, caresses my cheek, and gives me a short, passionate kiss as if sealing the deal. I linger in his space, holding onto him. ¡°I¡¯m staying, Daniel. I can¡¯t go, not now, not with you here. You mean so much to me, and if I left I would be heartbroken. I can¡¯t break what you¡¯ve healed.¡±


    Before Daniel can speak, his phone starts to ring and he takes it from his pocket to quickly nce at who it is. I wait anxiously but be curious when he shields the screen from my view. ¡°Who is it?¡± I ask.


    He hits decline and shoves the device back in his jeans. ¡°No one, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    He attempts to rejoin the bubble, but I bring myself out of it as well. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s just-you remember when I told you about that bad guy back at the cabin?¡± I nod. ¡°Well, I told him that I¡¯m done, really done this time.¡±


    ¡°It was him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just trying to persuade me back, but I have other things to focus on now,¡± he says, holding me again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be getting into trouble anymore.¡±


    I rest my head on his shoulder, d that his business with that ¡®bad guy¡¯ is finally over. I don¡¯t want to see his knuckles busted up ever again. ¡°We should go somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    I look up at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ somewhere where we can be alone?¡±


    We return to the living room and I approach Jana and James, handing her my keys. She takes them and gives me a look. ¡°Will you just let me keep the car already?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say over her question.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, just be careful,¡± she waves me off and returns to her conversation with her boyfriend.


    I meet Daniel by the door, and we head off towards his car. He tells me that we¡¯re going to his house, and I buckle in, thrilled. My eyes rotate between the window, his face, the road, and his hands, thinking hard. When I feel his hand on my thigh, I look to the connection, cing mine on top of his, not moving it, just enjoying it. Feeling a little tense over what maye, I take a deep breath and close my eyes.


    I want to try. I feel like I¡¯m ready to take this step forward. It¡¯s been over a year, a year of tears, and harassment, and embarrassment, and pain, but also a year of friendship, and healing, and love, and eptance. I¡¯m with the right person. I¡¯m in the right mindset. I¡¯ming to terms with how my journey will end. And I want to try. I want to take this step.


    When we arrive, I walk beside Daniel to the door and try to calm my nerves as he unlocks it. When we¡¯re inside, I drift forward and turn back to him, cool and collected. ¡°I want to try,¡± I say bravely, and before he can ask, I say, ¡°and yes, I¡¯m sure and ready.¡± He nears me, his handsome face making me rosy-cheeked. ¡°I trust you, Daniel, more than anyone. I love you.¡±


    He takes my hand. ¡°You¡¯re really sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I breathe out. ¡°I am. Only with you.¡±


    Daniel squeezes my hand, a quick pulse. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He takes me to his bedroom and right when we enter, my eyes look to the windows, seeing snow falling lightly outside through the fogged ss. A deep feeling of certainty spreads through me, and I run my fingertips along the fabric of his bed.

 Chapter 48

    Jana and I walk into school side by side, talking about what happened after Daniel and I left the party. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you-you just dived right in, didn¡¯t you? Was it-I mean, how was it? Were you okay?¡±


    We stop at her locker, and I talk quietly as she gets her things. ¡°It was a little difficult at first, but he was so gentle, so patient and caring. I just¡­ I love him. He really cares about me, Jana. He makes me feel safe and alive and¡­¡± I smile, dreaming.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy for you. You deserve it,¡± she says and gives me a side-hug as we continue down the hall. ¡°You two make a beautiful couple, oh, like James and I.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re both love-sick puppies¡±


    Walking into my first ss, I slip past Daphne, who¡¯s already in her desk. She avoids me as I move by, shifting her body away as if I¡¯m sick and she¡¯s a clean-freak. Finding it odd, I sit down and watch her as she nces back and swiftly turns away. With nothing else to do but shrug it off, I let it go and get out my things, thinking about seeing Daniel at lunch.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    During ss my mind constantly wanders to the night we shared and how close I felt to him. Everything is almost perfect, almost, if only I could let go of the USB. It¡¯s a hard thing to get over, being so close then messing up. If only I turned it in right away, if only I didn¡¯t bring it to school, if only, if only. I take a deep breath. Harrison can take this victory, and he can be eaten up by the guilt. In the end, he¡¯s the monster with an artificial life and I¡¯m the one with caring friends and Daniel. Daniel is something all in hisself.


    When lunch finallyes around, I enter the cafeteria with an eagerness to be with him. I spot him already at the table with Jana and Taylor, so I make my way over.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I say sweetly, sitting down beside him.


    ¡°Hi, sweetheart,¡± he greets devilishly and pulls my chair closer to his. ¡°How¡¯s your day going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going good,¡± I murmur with a flushed face,pletely entranced. ¡°How¡¯s your day going?¡±


    ¡°It was alright, but it just got a lot better.¡±


    ¡°God you guys are so cheesy,¡± Jana interrupts and Taylor nudges her.


    ¡°Just let them enjoy it.¡±


    I roll my eyes and look back to Daniel. ¡°We are pretty cheesy now.¡±


    I feel his hand on my thigh and he squeezes lightly, bringing butterflies to my stomach. ¡°We are, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Jordan soon joins us and bugs Daniel on how ¡®whipped¡¯ he is, but Daniel doesn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Man, soon you¡¯re going to be like me. I swear, girls change you,¡± he mutters and Taylor smiles.


    Sometime during the tables random conversation, I feel a soft tap on my shoulder and I peer back to find Daphne standing behind me looking rather ufortable. Everyone stops talking and looks to her, and I feel Daniels hand back on my leg. ¡°Can we talk?¡± She asks me. ¡°It¡¯s important.¡±


    Surprised and unsure, I look to Daniel and say, ¡°Uh, yeah, sure.¡± I squeeze his shoulder while getting up before following Daphne out of the cafeteria. Not knowing what to expect, I nce back at the table then disappear through the doors.


    She leads me down the hall, far enough to where no one can hear us and where not many people go. She turns around, her face full of distress. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rae,¡± she says, looking rather guilty.


    ¡°Uh, okay. Thanks for being sorry,¡± I mumble, ncing past her to see if anyone wille for me if this is a trap.


    ¡°No, Rae,¡± she mutters. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were telling the truth.¡±


    I stop and let out a breath, my shoulders falling. ¡°Oh,¡± I mumble, wanting to escape all of this past drama. Just because Daphne finally figured it out, doesn¡¯t mean that I want to continue visiting it. I have my friends and Daniel, let me move on already, Universe.


    Daphne takes a deep breath, swinging her backpack around to her chest, unzipping the front pocket. She takes out a USB, the USB and ces it in front of my eyes like some sort of miracle. I immediately back up, ¡°What the hell, Daphne.¡±


    ¡°Please, take it.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you get it?¡± I ask usingly, overwhelmed. ¡°Is this some sick joke?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°No. The video is on there. Just-just take the drive, Hailey.¡±


    I snatch it from her and hold it to my chest like a newborn child or a diamond ring. ¡°How did you get it?¡± I ask again, carefully.


    She looks to the ground, disappointed in herself. ¡°I was jealous. I liked Daniel, a lot, and suddenly youe back and just take him. I don¡¯t know, I was stupid. I¡¯m just some evil teenage girl, right? Whatever. I went through your locker looking for your final problem set for economics so you¡¯d get a zero. I saw the USB drive and thought it might be important, like a final project or something, so I took it. I got curious and plugged it into myputer. I don¡¯t expect you to thank me since I stole it from you, but your locker number is the same asst years andst year I spread around your number, so you might want to change it,¡± she exins. Backing away towards the exit. ¡°I have to go. I can¡¯t be around Harrison right now. Uh, I¡¯m sorry, okay? I am, I really am.¡±


    I stay put, watching as she heads out the door and in the direction of the parking lot. My chest feels tight like someone is pressing against me. Without another thought, I rush back to the cafeteria and nearly sh with the table. I grab my backpack, my heart racing while everyone stares at me.


    ¡°Hailey, what are you doing?¡± Jana asks for everyone.


    My eyes water. ¡°I got it. She had it. She had the drive.¡±


    Daniel and Jana immediately get up, grabbing their things. Daniel takes my hand and Jana leads the way, moving people out of our way. Together we run down the hallway and burst through the doors. ¡°I¡¯ll drive, Daniel says breathlessly, ¡°my car is right here.¡±


    I jump in the front seat and Janays in the back, freaking out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. I can¡¯t believe it,¡± she murmurs, nursing her head.


    Daniel stops when bringing up his keys.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, my heart racing.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go to the police station.¡±


    Jana shoots up. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°You know that bad guy I told you about?¡± Daniel asks with a very serious expression.


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Harrison¡¯s father.¡±

 Chapter 49

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It was Harrison¡¯s father,¡± he says again, confusing Jana.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I whisper, not sure what to think but forcing myself to push it to the back of my head. ¡°What does that have to do with the station?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust them. Most of the officers are in agreements with the mayor, Harrison¡¯s father. If we give it to someone we can¡¯t trust, they¡¯ll destroy it, I promise you,¡± he exins. ¡°You have to give it to someone you trust.¡±


    I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing what he means. ¡°My mother.¡±


    Jana holds her breath in the back and Daniel keeps his eyes on me. The USB drive is locked in my hand and it feels as if I¡¯m holding a diamond. Everything is happening so suddenly, and now with my mother thrown into the equation, my head can¡¯t help but spin. Putting all my trust in Daniel, I mumble, ¡°Let¡¯s go to my house then.¡±


    He starts the car and leaves the parking lot, turning onto the main road. I can feel the drive pushing into my palm from my tightening grip, not knowing if I trust my mother or not. I suppose the only issue between us and the truth was the fact that I had no proof and that I was drunk, so maybe this will bring her to my side. How can she fight a video that shows enough? She can¡¯t. I know my mother, I know her passion for what she does, and I¡¯m certain she doesn¡¯t work for Harrison¡¯s father.


    Daniel offers his hand, so I take it and hold on.


    ¡°I am so confused right now,¡± Jana mutters from the back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I nce to her, ¡°I¡¯ll exinter.¡±


    When we reach my house, I stay in the car for a few minutes and we sit in silence. My chest feels heavy and the idea of talking to my mother about this make me feel sick. Daniel doesn¡¯t let go of me, and I¡¯m sure my harsh grip is keeping him from doing so. I look to him. ¡°It¡¯s so difficult.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he murmurs, ¡°but you finally got your chance. Don¡¯t psych yourself out, be strong, Hailey, you can do this.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. I just need to do it, no overthinking.¡± I reach for the handle and grip it, but quickly turn back to Daniel to steal a kiss. I feel like we have switched roles, now I¡¯m the one who will always kiss whenever I want. It¡¯s swift and passionate and he gives me a charming smile when I pull back. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going now.¡±


    I slide out of the car and shut the door behind me, facing my house like it is some castle and I am a single invader. The walk up is long and filled with anxiety, also stopped with a few nces back at his car. I take my keys and unlock the door, finding it odd if I ring the doorbell and my mother answers and I hold up the drive. I open the door and close it behind me, facing the room as if I am in some foreign ce. ¡°Mom?¡± I call out, trying to be brave. ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Hailey?¡±


    I turn to face the hallway where she appears from the kitchen. ¡°What are you doing home?¡±


    I clench my jaw and steadily walk towards her. ¡°We need to talk. It¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Did you just leave the school without permission?¡± She questions, acting motherly today. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave whenever you feel like, that¡¯s not how this works.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± I say, my voice louder, more serious, ¡°we need to talk.¡±


    She prepares for the worst as she leads me into the kitchen, motioning for me to sit down at the counter. She must think I¡¯m pregnant or something because she already looks disappointed. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡±


    I take the drive from my pocket and ce it on the counter. Her eyes go to it then back to me. ¡°What is that, Hailey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I think about Daniel and Jana in the car and how proud they¡¯ll be of me. ¡°It¡¯s proof of what happened at Harrison Keller¡¯s partyst year. It¡¯s a video that caught everything that happened between us, everything he did to me.¡±


    My mother¡¯s eyes fall back to the USB drive, but her head doesn¡¯t move. ¡°Hailey-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to believe me, I¡¯m noting to you as your daughter. You¡¯re a police officer that I can trust, and all I want is for you to do your job.¡±


    She crosses her arms. ¡°Where did you get a video of it?¡±


    ¡°A boy was filming at the party and caught it through the window.¡±


    She nods. ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Hailey. You¡¯ve always been. And I know that I haven¡¯t always been a good mom, but I can be a good officer for you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I breathe out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it down to the station with me now and I¡¯ll get some good people to handle it with me.¡± She takes the drive and finishes her coffee in one motion, gathering her things, but she stops and looks to me. ¡°Even if there¡¯s no video on this thing, I¡¯m still sorry for how I¡¯ve been treating you. You¡¯re a child and you don¡¯t deserve to be treated like a punching bag. After your father left, I wasn¡¯t in a good ce, and I haven¡¯t been for a while, and I¡¯m sorry for taking out my frustration on you. You¡¯re my child, I should have believed you when you first came to me.¡±


    I stay silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. She gives me a kiss on the forehead before grabbing her things again, her keys jingling and growing quiet as she walks to the door. I turn and run into the hall, causing her to turn around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that dad left and ruined you a bit, but I¡¯d be really nice if we could get back on track. I don¡¯t know, I miss being your daughter, Mom.¡±


    She smiles a smile that looks a little sad, but happy at the same time. ¡°Of course.¡±


    I smile back the same smile and watch as she leaves the house, the door shutting and silence returning. The sounds of her car starting up in the driveway and pulling out onto the road makes it easier to breathe as I realize that I did it. After taking a deep breath, I hurry back outside to Daniel and Jana in the car. Right when I open the door I am greeted by their proud looks. ¡°Good job, Hailey,¡± Jana beams and gets out of the car to hug me. Daniel does the same, and my smile couldn¡¯t be brighter. ¡°What now?¡± She asks.


    ¡°We wait, I guess. My mom is bringing it to the station now and only having people she trusts work on it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll text me updates and whatnot, but she apologized. She¡¯s going to try and be better.¡±


    Daniel pulls me in again. ¡°That¡¯s so good to hear.¡±


    ¡°How about we go and get some food. Schools not out for another two hours, so how about Knocks?¡± Jana suggests and we agree, gathering back in the car. I keep my phone close to me, waiting for a text or phone call just to hear that it¡¯s in the right hands. My mother would keep me assured.


    I feel Daniel ce his hand on my thigh and I ce my hand on top of his, finally feelingplete. There¡¯s no more worries or hunts or tears, I just have to trust in my mother and hope that I get justice. It is out of my hands now, all I can do is hope.

 Chapter 50

    Harrison was not at school for thest week until winter break. Everyone wondered where he went and assumed his father took the family on an early vacation to some tropical ind. They were jealous of him. In the locker room, the girls chatted about how lucky he is to be able to miss an entire week. His father can pull strings, they said.


    I stayed silent and tried to ignore them, not wanting to feed my ego over the fact that I know the truth.


    Harrison is in trouble.


    After my mother went to the station with the USB drive, she calledter on to tell me that everything was going well, that there were no issues. We celebrated at Knocks, and in the night, Daniel dropped Jana off at home and came inside mine. My mother was too dedicated to leave work, so I didn¡¯t expect her toe back anytime soon. I was sure she¡¯d spend the night at the station so Daniel and I shared the night together.


    It felt different in my bedroom. The pleasures were better than the first time, as I be morefortable, but it felt as if I was finally getting rid of the old me. I scared her from the room.


    My mother wired herself with caffeine and never came home, but managed to take breaks to send me updates. Daniel stayed the night and we didn¡¯t go to school in the morning. We yed husband and wife for a while andughed and annoyed each other and Daniel told me he loved me and I said the same.


    The second semester of school went by in a sh. Harrison never came back, and I had won. My mother became my mother again and the students of Coldgrove High School forgot about me and my drama. Without Harrison, everyone seemed to rx and focus on finishing the year. The football team lost almost every game, and the dance team didn¡¯t make it to finals, but no one bothered to talk about it. Daphne had quite the team and moved to California. It was sudden and unexpected, but she didn¡¯t leave without telling me that Harrison had tried to take advantage of her as well.


    Without Harrison here, by the end of the school year, four other girls, not including Daphne, had told me that Harrison had tried with them also. Holly was one of them, she thanked me for barging in the locker room that one day.


    Daniel and I both got into the University of Florida. There was much to do when it came to moving, but we got an apartment together near campus. We spent many days with his mother and sister and many others with my father and his wife. Daniels mother was very epting of me and was excited that her son would be so close to her now. His sister and I continue to spend time together, every now and then talking through our hard times. My father likes Daniel and my stepmother continuously reminds me that I can¡¯t let him go. Daniel tries very hard to impress my father, and I tell him that he doesn¡¯t have to, but he insists on making a good impression.


    And now. Here I am. Laying on the beach like I once did, but this time I don¡¯t have to pretend to be happy, I simply am. Danielys beside me, almost asleep in the sun, and I smile. My phone vibrates with Jana¡¯s texts, and she keeps me updated on her life in Boston. She and James are trying to make a long distance rtionship work, and he¡¯s visiting her next week before school starts.


    Jordan and Taylor are attending separate schools in Michigan, but are close enough to see each other every weekend. And I don¡¯t know about Daphne, but I assume she¡¯s dancing. I really hope she is. I hope California heals her and treats her well.


    ¡°Is it Jana?¡± Daniel asks, turning his head to look at me.


    ¡°Yeah. She just sent me pictures of her dorm room.¡± I show him the array of pictures. ¡°Isn¡¯t that cute? She has a roommate and everything. Oh, and she still has the picture of us when we were fifteen, see, it¡¯s on the cork board.¡± I point.


    ¡°You were a little dorky looking,¡± he jokes, acting cool to annoy me.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°I will lock you out of the apartment again. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t just because you had to wait outside for an hour while I showered.¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll just climb through the window.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t climb through the window.¡±Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, I can. I have before when I forgot my keys.


    I turn to him. ¡°Do you mean the living room window?¡± He nods. ¡°You could die if you fell! What were you thinking! That¡¯s the stupidest thing you¡¯ve ever-¡± My phone vibrates again and I nce at it. ¡°It¡¯s my mom. She wants me to call her.¡±


    Daniel sits up and ces his hand on my leg as I call. It rings twice and she answers. ¡°Hailey, perfect. I had to tell you as soon as possible. John and I are getting married. He proposedst night at dinner.¡±


    ¡°Really? Wow. Uh, wow. That¡¯s really unexpected. I¡¯m so happy for you?¡±


    ¡°You sound too surprised,¡± she says.


    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say that John isn¡¯t interested in marriage? That he wanted to buy a motorcycle and grow a beard and that you weren¡¯t going to deal with it? I thought you two ended things.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°Well, he got the bike and didn¡¯t grow the beard, then fell off the bike and decided that he wants to get married.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that seemed to work itself out then,¡± I mumble.


    ¡°The wedding will be next year. You¡¯lle back, won¡¯t you?¡±


    I nce at Daniel and he gives me a curious look, probably wonder what¡¯s going on. ¡°Yeah, of course, I¡¯lle back for the wedding. I can¡¯t stay away from Coldgrove for too long now, can¡¯t I?¡±


    THE END


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