Have Hope, Hailey

Chapter Eight

8 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

"Shit... son of a bitch... mother f—" I began to whisper a series of curses, but was soon cut off.

"Do you always just randomly babble curses when you're alone?" A husky voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

Huh? I thought I was the only one in this school hallway...

I looked up and noticed that there was someone standing in front of me. It was a guy, which was quite obvious from the husky voice, but I felt like I had to mention nonetheless. He looked around my age. The stranger wore a friendly smile, and his amber eyes had a sparkle to them. His sandy hair was a bit shaggy but it looked good on him. Overall, he was a pretty attractive guy. He seemed to have a nice positive vibe as well, something that wasn't very common when I met people.

"Only when I'm in immense pain," I managed to say, taking deep breaths in and out to subdue the pain.

It was just a normal school day and I was on my way to the bathroom during class. I couldn't hold my pee in any longer because of my unfortunate tiny bladder. However— with my terrible luck— things didn't exactly play out as I expected them to. Before I even got the chance to reach the bathroom, I ended up hitting my foot on a piece of metal on the floor. That of course resulted in a string of curses. How did a piece of metal end up there of all places? I had no idea. All I knew was I probably had to visit the nurse's office because of it.

Hopefully they do more than offer me a bandage.

The stranger's smile faded away and his expression turned serious. "You didn't... perhaps get hurt by a monster... did you?" The guy asked me. "They're everywhere, you need to be careful." He advised me, his voice now in a whisper.

Is he actually serious? This guy is something else entirely...

"No, it was not a monster." I deadpanned. "I hit my foot on that metal death trap," I pointed to the piece of metal on the floor three feet away from us, "I mean— who the hell leaves a piece of metal in a school hallway anyway?!" I exclaimed. He chuckled to himself, smiling once again. "What?" I asked, confused as to why he was laughing and smiling.

"Nothing, nothing," he answered, his smile growing even bigger. I couldn't help but notice his dimples, they looked cute. He reminded me of a joyful child although I wasn't sure why.

"Well, you made me curious! Now you need to tell me or I'll die." I exaggerated.

"You're just funny, that's all," was his response.

Oh. Funny? How am I funny?

"If anyone's funny it's you." I stated, and crossed my arms. At this point I had forgotten about the pain my foot was in. Talking to this ridiculous kid took my mind off of it.

"Me?" The guy pointed at himself with a bemused expression.

"No, the marble floor." I sarcastically remarked. "Yes, you."

"How so?"

"Why else? Because you think monsters are real." I answered with a chuckle.

It wasn't as if I wasn't superstitious or anything. I often found myself wondering what other greater beings there were besides humans. Aliens were a huge belief of mine, in fact. There were so many cool theories and sightings of them. I even believed in ghosts— spirits had to end up somewhere right— but monsters?

Not a chance.

He crossed his arms with a frown, "They are too." He argued, sounding offended.

"Yeah, and I'm Beyoncé," I deadpanned.