Holding Back [COMPLETED]

Chapter 5 - "No promises."

Haley nodded like it wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said.

The words were barely heard as her father answered his phone.

"Jerry," he said, "did you get Mr. Walter's case file?"

He left the kitchen and Haley let out a breath. She wasn't sure what was heavier, the emptiness of the kitchen before her parents were in it or after. Forcing herself not to dwell on this fact, she moved back to the front door.

The house around her felt staged. Where there had been signs of a family from the imprints in the furniture - from staying there too long - were now spotless upholstery. The vases were empty, no one bothering to refill them from the last time the flowers died. Haley couldn't remember when that had been. Everything was clean as if a new family was going to stop by any minute to check out the house and replace the splintering one that was currently living there.

Matt jogged down the stairs, right as Haley reached them.

"Ready?" he asked.

Haley grabbed her backpack from the bottom of the stairs and followed him out. Around them, quaint two-story houses lined the street. Lawns were mowed and not a single house broke from the spotless uniformity. For a second Haley let herself believe that the families inside those perfect displays were just as screwed up as hers. That way she didn't feel like the only one hiding behind a lie of pastel paint and three inch Kentucky bluegrass.

That illusion was broken when the door to Jace's house opened and he stepped out, followed by a slender, graceful blonde woman who barely looked past thirty. With a bright smile that showcased her perfect teeth and highlighted her blue eyes, she gave Jace a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Stay out of trouble," she said, her lilting voice half stern, half teasing.

Unaware of being watched, Jace smiled. "You say that like I'm prone to getting into trouble."

"You are your father's son, as talented and brilliant as you may be, you still find ways to cause problems."

"I say that comes from being a teenage boy."

Lovingly, she tapped his nose. "Either way don't make me get a call from the principal."

"No promises."

She laughed, a sound which felt foreign to Haley. Picking up his helmet, Jace jumped off his porch. When his gaze fell on Haley a mixture of emotions darted through his face. The sight of them confused her because along with embarrassment she thought she caught guilt, but for what she didn't know.

He gave her a nod as she pulled the car door open and climbed in. Matt was typing away on his phone and looked up as Haley buckled in. The truck rumbled to life and they left the driveway, Jace speeding off in front of them.

The neighborhood darted by, the scene blurring into a mesh of pinks, light blues, yellows, greens, and lavenders. The sky was a cloudless blue and spoke of an unyielding heat to come. The wind whipped through the open window and playfully tossed about Haley's ponytail.

"How did your project thing go?" Matt asked, glancing over at her.

"Fine. How was work?"

"Good."

The conversation fell to its inevitable death. As they drove in silence Haley thought back to a time when the car would have been filled with their constant chatter, their laughter woven through and music they talked over, loving the chaos too much to turn it off. She wondered if this was a reality that would have always come about as Matt drifted further from her, a job, age, and thoughts of college pulling him away.

Part of her wondered if this was the result of having the noisiest person gone. The one person who had sat between them had been a tether between their ages and their lives. Lettie. Haley's best friend and Matt's lovable lab partner. A bubbly voice that seemed to wrap everyone and anyone into it.

In her mind, Haley figured that same friendly voice was connecting different people together just somewhere else. Actually 1,200 miles away to be exact. The image of the mess of black curls piled onto of a heart-shaped face and a mischief brown eyes floated around Haley. The infectious laugh that made you want to be in on the joke. A warm personality that made you forget there had been a time you hadn't known each other.

"Do you ever miss, Lettie?" she asked, not looking at Matt, afraid she would see the ghost of her friend beside her.

"Yeah," he said. "Do you?"

Haley nodded and leaned her head against the window frame.

"Every day."

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Hey! I found Nemo!

(At the beginning of each author's note I'm going to put these 👉🕳👈 emojis so if you want to drop off any thoughts on the chapter you can!)

Random fact about yours truly, I am a collector of slang. When different trends come along I find the ones I like and use them, even when everyone else has moved on. I'm kind of like a melting pot of slang.

For instance, I use 'oh my' and 'dearie me' like I'm an eighty-five year old lady. The phrases 'straight up' and 'for reals' are some of my main go-to phrases. The words 'bonkers', 'epic', 'cray', and 'legit' will always be with me! Though I know 'savage' is making an exit out of society I have no intention of dropping it, I've grown too attached to it. Also I really want to start using 'jeepers', 'groovy' and 'jinkies' more!

Do you have any odd words or phrases you still use?

I have a couple other ones I use a ton, want to guess what they are?

Hey! You guessed them! Vote, comment, follow!! Watermelon!

Yeah this cat thinks I'm bonkers