In My Shoes | The Music Freaks AU | A Jailey Fanfiction

Chapter 13 - An Intention to Know

"Jake, look. I'm not going to say anything to anybody about what happened on Saturday, and honestly, let's just forget everything that's happened. If we hadn't met that one day, then I don't think either of us would have even noticed each other." She pauses and doesn't continue after a few brutally long seconds.

"You look really nervous, what's going on? Are you hiding from someone?" I ask quietly, scanning the hallway. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual.

"No, Yes- Well...maybe."

"Wait really?" I scan the hallway, but again, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.

I still see Derek Jeeter doing 'parkour' which is almost killing himself and people around him by jumping over trash cans, running into lockers, and ramming into other poor unsuspecting students.

I see Mckenna Davidson and Jace Coltrane making out by their lockers, and there's an assortment of other groups of people. I see goths, pick-me's, jocks, cheerleaders, loners, nerds, and any other cliche stereotype. However, none of them seem to be looking in Hailey's direction.

"Jake."

I turn back to Hailey. She has her arms crossed, and she's giving me a nervous look. 

 "If you want to talk follow me."

I nod, and she turns around, heading in the opposite direction. She stops for a second, scanning the room, but eventually begins heading down the hall. I discreetly follow her, only glancing at her every couple of seconds to make sure I'm still heading in her direction.

She pauses each time she rounds a corner, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to pretend we're both heading in separate directions. I keep getting weird looks from some of my classmates, but I brush them off.

Eventually, she leads me out of the double doors in the back of the school. There are a few groups of students, but they all look high. I'm not surprised, the majority of the people behind the school in the mornings are people who drink or smoke illegally.

As Hailey passes them, I can tell she's trying not to gag. I've become almost numb to the smell at this point. Aaron convinced me to try it, and I was hooked for a few months. That was until my mom found my stash and went ballistic. I swore that I'd never do it again. I intend to keep that promise.

Hailey has almost left the school grounds at this point, and my confusion has increased.

"Hailey, where are we going?"

We're free to talk considering the fact we're in the woods outside the school at this point. She doesn't stop or turn around.

"I'm trying not to skip the first period. Keep walking we're almost there."

My footsteps slow down, and after a few more minutes of walking in no coherent direction, she stops. I can hear the leaves crunch under our feet.

She turns to look at me and she doesn't look pleased. She begins to take a few steps toward me, and I feel my heart speed up.

We're inches away when she stares me in my eyes. I swallow, and I can feel my entire body go numb. I'm paralyzed.

She breaks the silence by sighing and pulling out her phone. She takes a few steps back, which makes me feel a small tinge of disappointment.

After a couple of seconds of scrolling, she stops and aims her phone screen at me. She steps towards me again, and I attempt to ignore the butterflies that have reappeared in my stomach.

"I got a text last night. It was from someone claiming they're your girlfriend."

Silence.

"What..?" I mutter.

I'm so confused. Why am I here? Why is she telling me this? Whose number is this?

"Jake. Your girlfriend texted me last night threatening me."

"What's the number?" I ask. It could just be the guys trolling me. Aaron could have been in a sour mood and decided to take it out on Hailey. He seems to dislike her.

"213-784-0990"

Dammit. It's Lia.

"Uh, so that may or may not be my girlfriend's number but sh-"

"Jake!" She interrupts, whipping her head around to look at me. She takes five steps back.

She looks pissed off now.

"Did you seriously give your girlfriend my number? You don't even know my number! I don't even know who she is!" She snaps. Her arms are crossed and she's glaring at me. 

"No! Of course, I didn't! I don't know how she got it!" I blurt.

"Then how did she get my number?"

I sigh and close my eyes. 

Lia may just be the single most infuriating human on this planet. She was somehow able to track down Hailey's number in twenty-four hours, and not only did she text her, but she also began threatening her. For what? She doesn't even know me and Hailey have met before.

"Hailey. I honestly have no clue. I don't have your number, and even if I did, I wouldn't have given it to her. I don't know how Lia has your number."

Hailey's eyes widen, and her arms fall to her sides.

It's silent for a few moments. All that can be heard are the sounds of nature and my pounding heartbeat.

"Lia? You're dating Lia?"

I turn to look back at her. There's no distinguishable expression on her face. It's a mix between shock, confusion, sadness, anger, hurt, and irritation. 

"mhm."

She looks at her phone screen.

She turns it off and shoves it into her pocket.

"We're going to be late. let's go."

She doesn't even wait for a response. She just brushes past me, not bothering to stop for me.

"Hailey?"

she doesn't say anything. I know she heard me.

"Hailey, get back here."

Still, her movements don't falter, and panic begins to set in.

Without thinking, I launch towards her and grab her wrists, effectively pinning her against a tree.

She looks startled, and I watch as her expression morphs into one of shock.

Her cheeks are bright pink. 

"Hailey, why are you so shocked? Why do you care so much? Why do you seem like you're always hiding something? Why were you crying the day we met? Why did you move here? Why are you so reserved? Why are you so into quotes? Why do you seem to be hurting but never say anything?" I pause.

 "Who are you?"

My questions seem to paralyze her. Her eyes are glued to mine and she seems to be in some state of shock. Her lips are slightly parted, and her eyes are shaking slightly. She looks like she's telling herself to be calm. It looks like she's telling herself it will all be fine, and that I won't know.

However, I intend to find out what exactly this girl is hiding.