^^^Listen While Reading^^^
Chapter-themed.
~~~
"Oh my gosh," Leah says. Because of finals, there's no practice this week, and we're all restless. Leah and I planned to go on a quick run after school to calm our nerves from today's finals. But we have yet to leave the house.
Leah's sitting on the floor next to my front door, tying the laces of her sneakers. "I think I love him."
I raise my eyebrows. "Brandon? Already?"
"Yeah," she says, looking dreamily off into the distance. "He's amazing. He's so smart and such a great listener."
"Hm," I hum, leaning against the door and folding my arms. "It will never not be weird hearing you talk about Brandon like that."
Leah grins, standing and zipping up her hoodie. "Did you know he brought me a coffee yesterday? A coffee. He passed by the cafe on his way to school and just decided to buy two."
"Caramel brûlée?" I ask.
"No, it was a peppermint mocha. But it might just become my second favorite," she says.
"That's a very romantic gesture I didn't know he was capable of," I say. "And you love him just because of that?"
Leah glances at the house plant next to my door. "Well, not just that . . ."
My eyes widen as I stare at her. "Oh my God, Leah. You didn't. Tell me you didn't."
Leah looks surprised and confused for a moment, before laughing. "Oh, of course not. He told me he's celibate."
"Thank God. That would have--"
"But that doesn't mean I'm not a little disappointed," she adds, interrupting me.
"You're gross."
During our run, Leah reveals her devilish plan for tomorrow. She planned an after-finals hangout at the cafe and told everybody but me. It means she's making me face Hazel. Hopefully I don't screw it up again.
~~~
My last three finals are relatively easy. When I get back home, I take a quick shower and put on some new clothes. I spend a few minutes in the mirror trying to figure out what to do with my hair. I hope it doesn't look like I'm trying too hard, because I'm not.
Okay, maybe I am, but it's justifiable; when you look good, you feel good, which gives you confidence.
The sun is slowly setting when I arrive, and I see Leah already inside, talking to Emilia and her boyfriend, Marco. She sees me through the glass, and I open the door. It smells like rain outside, which relaxes me.
"Hey," Leah says flirtatiously. I roll my eyes.
"Did your grades come in yet?" Emilia asks me as I approach them at the
"Nope. Did yours?"
Emilia sighs, fixing the stray curly blonde strands into her bun. "No, not yet. But I think I did alright."
~~~
Hazel didn't come.
She never showed up to the cafe. So I guess this whole outfit was a waste. Driving home, the rain starts to fall. I admire it as the drops slide slowly down my windshield, and my eyes catch on to something.
I'm passing by the neighborhood park, and a bizarre-looking figure sits on one of the swings. I'm about to shrug and keep driving when I realize it looks rather familiar. My car rolls to a stop and I get out of it. Locking the car, I push my keys into my pocket. As I step closer, I notice the person looks . . . dejected. Their head hangs forward, short dark hair falling over their face as they rock slowly back and forth.
It's kind of creepy, but then they move. They lift their head, and I see glasses. Wait, glasses.
"Alex?" I say as I approach them. They turn to me.
"Oh, hi Casey."
Alex shakes their hair out of their eyes and looks at me. They plaster a smile on their pretty face, but it doesn't reach their eyes.
"What are you doing in my neighborhood?" I ask. Reaching the swingset, I take a seat on the swing directly next to them.
Alex looks at me, then at the woodchips in front of us. "I didn't know this was your neighborhood," they say. "I was just . . . I dunno, hanging out."
I look at them. "By yourself?"
"Well, no, with someone. But they're not here anymore."
"Oh," I say. "Where did they go?"
Alex looks at me again. "I honestly don't know. He said a friend was waiting for him and he suddenly left."
I look at Alex, raising a brow. "Is it who I think it is?"
They nod solemnly. "Yeah," they answer. "It's Evan."
I sigh.
Alex continues. "I don't think he meant anything by it, though; he's strictly in the closet. But it still hurts, you know? I feel like I'm just . . . I don't know, some guy he's using to experiment with."
I nod, understanding. "Do you want to be in a relationship with him?"
Alex looks away, sighing. "I'm not sure. But I'd like the topic to not be so off-limits."
I really want to offer my advice, but that would be incredibly hypocritical. So I opt for comfort. "Well, I have something that might cheer you up."
Alex's gaze returns to mine, lighting up a little. "You do?"
"Yeah," I say, standing up from the swing. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
I quickly return to my car, open the door, and snatch the lattes I got from the cafe earlier today, out of my cup holders. Alex looks surprised when I reach them, and I explain.
"I, um, grabbed these from the Cozy Bean Haven," I say, scratching my neck as I hand Alex the cup. "This one was for Hazel, but she didn't show up."
Alex looks at me, a funny smile crossing their features. "Wait, that's really sweet. I can't take this."
I shake my head. "No, it's okay. It's not like I can give it to her now. Plus, she didn't even come."
Alex raises their eyebrows. "I think she'd appreciate the sentiment," they say, pulling out their phone.
My brows furrow. "What are you doing?" I ask as I watch Alex's fingers fly across the screen.
"Telling Evan to come back," they answer.
I squint at them. "You're going to talk to him?"
Alex shrugs, not looking up from their phone. "He's with your little friend. And I think we both need this."
"Oâokay," is all I say.
And they're back within five minutes. The pair strolls from the dark sidewalk over to us, Evan with his arms crossed.
"Hey," he says. "You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah," Alex says. They look at each other, and Hazel's eyes meet mine for a beat longer than normal before shifting to Alex. I just stand there awkwardly, the two cups still in my hand.
"Let's go somewhere private," Alex says, and Evan nods.
But before they leave, I'm elbowed in the ribs. "Give her the drink," Alex whispers. Then the two leave for the swings.
"Oh, um, here," I say, quickly handing Hazel the drink. "Sorry, it's cold now."
Even under the streetlight, her cheeks are pink as she takes the drink from my hand. "You got this for me?"
I look away. "Yeah," I say. "It was for the cafe thing, but you weren't there, so . . ."
"Sorry. My stuff was still at Evan's and I had to get it," she says, bringing the cup to her lips. "Mm, this is still good. I like it cold."
I hope she can't tell how hard I'm blushing.
It appears things went well with Alex and Evan's little talk, because when we tell the two of them we have to leave, they tell us we can just go ourselves and not to worry about them. Hazel and I side-eye each other.
She keeps stealing glances at me in the car, but I pretend not to notice. I don't know what comes over me, but I make an irrational decision.
"What if I just . . ." I trail off, and Hazel looks at me. I lift my arm off the center console, resting my hand on her thigh.
My heart beats a mile a minute, and I refuse to meet her gaze. She's looking at me curiously, and the warmth radiating from her leg to my hand does nothing to calm my heart.
She speaks. "You should keep your eyes on the road. I had an uncle that died from distracted driving."
Glancing at her, I take my hand off and rest it back onto the console. I bite my bottom lip as I stare at the road, trying not to overthink it. But suddenly my hand is being picked up by another and put back onto her thigh. I glance at Hazel again, but she looks out of the passenger window at the same time, pretending nothing is happening. My heart is exploding and there's a stupid, soft, ever-so-slight smile on my face. It's probably unwise to be driving while secretly noting how many times her hand brushes against the one on her leg, but I'm doing it.
God, she gives me so many butterflies.
"How's the family?" I ask. It's a simple question, but I'm aware of how much weight it holds.
"Good," she answers, almost by default, but then catches herself. "My mother makes me angrier by the day."
Hazel explains how her mother is still trying to be more involved with her children's lives. Or, as Hazel would put it, her mother is involving herself in things where she doesn't belong. Her mother apparently was expecting them to be home early today so they could put up their Christmas tree.
Without thinking, I brush my thumb over her skin in a somewhat comforting way. I hear her suck in a soft breath, something that makes my stomach do somersaults.
"Hey, I'm sorry I'm not who you thought I would be," I blurt out, ruining the moment.
Hazel blinks, looking confused. "What do you mean?"
We arrive at her neighborhood, and I stop the car in front of her house. "I don't know how to do this. I'm not . . . I like you a lot, and I'm sorry that I'm not able to show you that."
We're standing outside of the car now, and her house is a few feet away.
Hazel looks away. "I wasn't being fair to you. You're an amazing person, Casey. And I wasn't in a great mood that day. I'm sorry," she says. "I, um, have to go now."
"Uh, waitâ" I say.
Hazel raises her brows and turns back to me, arms folded. "Yeah?"
I take a deep breath. "So, Leah and I do this thing every year, kind of for Christmas, and kind of not . . ."
Hazel nods slowly, waiting for me to continue.
"It's at the state fair. And this year she's bringing Brandon, kind of as a date, and since he's my friend and all, it's gonna be really weird . . ."
Hazel looks at me, her eyes sparkling a little more than before. "Are you asking me to go with you?"
I scratch the back of my neck, muttering, "I mean, if you want to . . ."
A smile spreads across her lips, and gosh, the butterflies are still not gone. "Sure. I'll go with you," she says. The corner of my mouth perks up in some sort of half-smile, and Hazel suddenly leans in and her soft lips touch my cheek. I gasp quietly, her hand lingering on my chest as she pulls away.
My thoughts are nonexistent as she brings her lips to my ear and whispers, "Text me," and then leaves.
"Yeah," I breathe, even though I know she can't hear me, as I watch her slip through her front door.
A/N:
Short chapter again. But I love you guys.
<3