^^^LISTEN WHILE READING^^^
I love this song.
~~~
"Hey, we don't have to do the tutoring thing today, if you'd like," Hazel says when she meets me on the field after the game. I throw my bag over my shoulder as she talks. "I'm sure I can fit something into my schedule, maybe before school . . ."
"It's okay," I blurt out. "I don't know what all the fuss was about. I'm fine."
Hazel studies me. "You looked like you were in a lot of pain."
"Well, I'm fine now," I say, forcing a smile. "Where are we going?"
"Oh! Uh, I haven't really thought that far," she says sheepishly.
I smirk. "You're that excited to see me, huh?"
She wrinkles her nose. "Please stop."
We decide to do it on the bleachers. After throwing on sweats over my shorts, I stretch myself out to my full length on the bleacher closest to the concrete floor, and Hazel sits right above me.
Looking at me with disdain, she says, "Must you take up so much space?"
I put my arms behind my head and shut my eyes. Who knew the bleachers could be so comfortable?
"I'm injured, aren't I?" I say.
"Just move, Casey." She says flatly.
Oookay. Wincing, I slowly bring my legs off the bleacher and sit upright. My hand automatically returns to my side as Hazel moves down a bleacher, sitting beside me.
She studies me, then gestures to my bag. "You have the study guide Cromey handed out, right?"
"Uh, in my schoolbag, yeah."
"Can you go get it?" She says.
I immediately stand up and start toward the locker room, retrieve my backpack, and return. I grimace as I put my bag down, and Hazel watches me intently, concern displayed on her features.
"Does it still hurt?" she asks.
I look up at her. "Hm? Oh, not really. Maybe a little. Or maybe a little more than a little. Okay, yes, it still hurts."
Hazel watches me as I sit down. "Where?"
I point to the upper left side of my abdomen. "Right here," I say. "I swear she thought I was the ball or something. She kicked me with all her might."
"Ooh." Hazel winces. "That's not good. It's probably already bruised."
I lift my shirt. Not all the way, just enough to see whatever bruise she's talking about. I can't see anything, but her expression tells me she does.
I hope my blushing isn't too obvious when she reaches out and touches me, her hand right over my injury. My abs clench.
She pulls her hand back suddenly. "Sorry!" she says, eyes a little wide. "I'm, um, doing an internship at the local clinic and forgot you're not a patient," she explains.
I shake my head quickly, my knees feeling vaguely weaker than they should be. "No, no. It's okay. Why? Is it bad?"
I have to remind myself to breathe.
She presses her lips into a flat line, cheeks visibly pink. "I mean, it could be worse, but you probably shouldn't work yourself too hard. It'll take a while to return to normal."
"Well," I say, throwing my hands up in annoyance. "I guess I won't be going to college if the scouts aren't even going to see me play for half the season."
Hazel looks at me. "It won't be half the season," she says. Her voice is warm and soothing. "A few weeks aren't the end of the world."
"Weeks?" I repeat, groaning.
Hazel purses her lips. "Well, based on its severity, you'll probably be out for at least one week. Or two," she says, wincing at my expression. "But maybe you'll get lucky. Miracles happen."
With my study guide on my lap, Hazel re-teaches the parts I don't understand. When we finish, she stands up.
"Are you sure you don't want anything? I feel like I'm leeching off of you for your intelligence." I say, pushing my hands into my pockets.
"Nope. I'm just a nice person." She says. She turns, and I gape at her.
"Hey. You can't copy me." I say. "Do you want money?"
She turns back around and shakes her head. "Nope."
I tilt my head slightly, studying her.
Narrowing my eyes, I step closer to her. "Are you sure?"
"No." She says. "I mean, yes."
I lean in a little. "One hundred percent sure?"
She crosses her arms. "Are you trying to intimidate me into accepting your 'generosity'?"
I grin. "Is it working?"
"No."
I frown. "Can I at least drive you home?"
"No."
Sighing defeatedly, my shoulders slump. "Well. Call me if you need anything, I guess."
"Yep." She says. Then she turns and leaves.
~~~
Something to add to the list of things I didn't know about Hazel is that she's distant friends with Emilia and nobody told me.
And at Emilia's birthday party, which is supposed to be a sweet sixteen but is really a sweet seventeen, I spot Hazel in the hallway. It's evening, just before Leah makes the call to cut the cake, and almost everybody is outside.
I had come inside for a social recharge, but my plans changed when I saw her. Hands in the pockets of my dress pants, I walk slowly over to her.
"I didn't think I'd find you here," I say. She's talking to someone I don't care to look at long enough to describe.
I've come to the conclusion that if I convince myself I don't have feelings for her, they'll disappear. Unfortunately, the casual dress she has on is making that very difficult.
She turns around, looking a little shocked to see me here.
"What, I can't have fun?" She says, raising an eyebrow.
Oops. "I just meant . . . I wasn't expecting you to . . . I didn't--"
She grins. "I'm kidding. I didn't think I'd find myself here either."
"Hey, nice to meet you again." The person she was talking to says, coming out of the shadows. It's Liam From Chemistry.
My jaw tightens involuntarily, and I force a smile. "Hello, Liam From Chemistry."
Hazel looks both confused and amused. I remember this guy now. He's one of the jerks who last year spread the idea that girls' sports only deserve attention for sexual reasons. That's why I've been so hostile towards him.
"Hey. Your friend here was telling me how she feels about the guys on the basketball team."
Hazel rolls her eyes. "I was not. You asked me and I said I don't pay enough attention to have an opinion."
A smile quirks at the corner of my lips, but I cover it with a raise of my eyebrows.
Liam turns to her. "You pay enough attention to me." He says. "What do you think of me?"
I almost wrinkle my nose in disgust, but hide it quickly. Hazel just looks at him blankly.
"Uh . . ." She stalls. It's taking me all my courage to not burst out laughing.
I butt in. "I don't think she does pay enough attention to you."
Liam squints his eyes at me. I guess he finally caught on that I didn't like him very much. "What kind of cock-blocker . . ." He hisses, then stops himself.
Cock-blocker? My eyes narrow as I realize what he's insinuating.
But Hazel has heard what he said. She stares at him, her eyes wide and her brows furrowed. She looks mad. "What did you just say?"
He looks at her, realizing his mistake, and plasters a condescending smile on his face. "Nothing you need to worry about." He says. He takes a quick glance at me before speaking to her again. "How about we get out of here?"
"I think I'm okay." She says, peering at him. Her put-off expression makes her appear taller than him.
Liam reaches out and grabs the fabric of her dress. Hazel looks startled.
"Stop it, Liam," I say, shaking my head at him.
He ignores me and pulls Hazel closer so he can talk in her ear. "You'll regret not coming with me."
"Liam," I say, stepping closer and grabbing his arm. "What the fuck?"
He finally looks at me, his eyes wild with rage. "Let go of me."
As I hold him, Hazel pulls free from his grasp, but not before I hear a small ripping sound. She touches her hand to the back of her dress, then looks at me in horror. Then she disappears down the hallway.
As I watch her, Liam finally yanks his hand free.
"Look what you did!" He growls.
I glare at him. "What I did?!" I angrily grab both of his wrists and slam him to the wall. Then I raise a fist, pulling my hand back, ready to swing at him. "You have some nerve--"
"Casey! What are you doing?!"
Turning, I see Leah coming towards us, alarmed. Dropping his hands, I attempt to explain. "Iâheâ"
Leah shakes her head. "You can't keep being violent like this, Case."
But Leah lets me go. Walking quickly down the hallway, I reach a door with a light on underneath. I knock quietly.
"Yeah?" Hazel's voice comes from inside.
"It's Casey."
There's a beat of silence.
"Oh, okay. Come in."
I push the door open. Hazel is staring in the mirror while holding the back of her dress with one hand, and I slip inside and shut the door behind me. I stand beside her.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she says gruffly. Still holding the back of her dress, she opens a drawer next to the sink.
I shrug. "I just thought . . ."
"I'm fine." She's still rummaging through the drawers and cabinets under the bathroom counter.
"What are you looking for?" I ask.
"Safety pin." She says without looking up.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a safety pin. Luckily enough, I had meant to return it to my mom's at-home office, but just never had the chance. And now it's coming in handy.
"Here," I say, holding the safety pin between two fingers. She stops to look at me, with something between gratitude and surprise crossing her features.
"Oh. Thank you." She says. Then she just stands there.
"Are you gonna use it?"
"Yeah, um, could you do it for me?" She mumbles.
"Sure," I say. She puts her hands on the counter and flips her hair to the side. Stepping closer to her, I look at the dress. The rip starts at the seam and continues to below her shoulder blades. I'm trying to be respectful, so I open the safety pin and hold the ripped part of the fabric with my free hand.
I look in the mirror, but she stares at the sink. Pushing the sharp end through the fabric, I fasten the pin and pat it in place.
"There," I mumble. "All done."
But I don't move from behind her. It's as if I'm being magnetically pulled to her, and if I move, I'll crash out. My hand hovers by her waist, and I give in to the pull and place it there. Our eyes lock in the mirror, and though my heart beats faster than the speed of light, I don't move my hand.
She stares at me, her lips parted. I look back at her, and her eyes begin to water.
Wait a minute. A tear rolls down her cheek, and she quickly wipes it away, but more come.
Shit, she's crying.
I take my hand off. "Are you okay?"
She looks away, wiping her eyes rapidly. She nods. "Yeah, sorry."
I stand, unsure of what to do. She's obviously not okay, so I do what Leah always tries to get me to do.
I trust my instincts.
Stepping forward, I wrap my arms around her. She gasps quietly, stiffening, but after a while she relaxes, leaning into me.
It's just a hug. It's just a hug. It's just a hug. I tell myself. I can't believe I'm this close to Hazel Vaughn.
She takes a deep breath. "Sorry," she mutters. "I just had a rough week."
"Don't apologize," I whisper into her ear. "It's okay to cry."
Her eyes meet mine in the mirror and she chuckles softly, a sound that makes me all warm and tingly inside. "Yeah, but it's . . . embarrassing."
I hold her gaze. "Not to me."
She looks away, her cheeks undeniably pink. Her face is so close to mine, and I bite my lip. I can't control my feelings for her, not when we're this close.
So close that I could kiss her if I just turn my head, even if I know that's not an option.
Maybe I should confess. I should get it over with now so I don't have to keep playing this game.
"Hazel, I have to tell you something." I breathe.
Her eyes return to mine in the mirror. "Yeah?"
Then the door opens. "Oh, sorry!"
We quickly pull apart, and I brush my hands on my dress shirt to act like I was doing something else.
A/N:
TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY BOOM SHAKALAKA
VOTAR POR FAVOR!
<3