MARCH 15TH
I lay in Reids bed, facing the wall. I slept like shit.
I picked up my pillow and hit Reid in the face with it, making him wake up. I told him, "If you don't stop snoring, I'm going to kill you."
He grabbed my pillow and hit me in the face with it back, "If you wake me up one more time I'm stealing that 100 dollar bill in your wallet."
My eyes narrowed, "How do you know I have a 100 dollar bill?"
"I was gonna steal it, but then I remembered that we're friends."
I hit him with the pillow again, "Asshole?"
He started laughing and got out of bed. He walked over to his closet and pulled a sweatshirt out before quickly putting it on. I asked him. "Why are you getting ready? Aren't you and Aero not hanging out for a couple of hours?"
"I'm walking your ass to school," he replied like I was a child.
I sat up and went over to his closet, picking a sweater to borrow. I picked a white one and put it on over top of the t shirt I had been wearing. I told him, "You don't have to walk with me."
"Yes I do. What if another psycho with a gun comes up to you?"
I bit the inside of my mouth. Reid doesn't know about Aero and what he's involved with, and I can't decide what I think about it. On one hand, Aero is his brother and if I had a sibling I would definitely want to know if they were involved in something like that. But on the other hand, it's Aeros life and doesn't directly affect Reids life. Nothing changes for Reid whether he knows or not and it could be better for him to not know.
I shrugged, "Then I'll kick their ass."
He laughed, "With what muscle?"
I went to flex but held up both of my middle fingers instead. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my bag, slinging it over his back.
We started walking and I asked him, "What are you and Aero doing later?"
"We're going downtown. Gonna shop, get something to eat. I'm so excited, we haven't done something like this in years," he smiled, beaming with excitement.
"And how are you and Bruno?"
"Really good. We're going to Amsterdam in June once we have a break from school. I want Aero to meet him, but I think I should spend some time alone with him a few times first," Reid said, a genuine smile on his face. It made me so happy to see him so happy.
I was going to ask him some more questions when he cut me off, "Can you believe some asshole brought a gun to the upstairs party?"
That asshole was Aero. And Ricard. And...all of the rest of them.
"Crazy world we live in," I shrugged.
"Facts. The government is plotting something," A man with pink hair said to us that was passing us from the opposite direction.
We approached the university building and Reid asked, "Want me to walk you back home once you're done?"
"No, it's okay. Just go have fun with Aero!"
He smiled and gave me a hug before I walked inside. I sat down at my first class, taking notes the entire time. I finished class at 4pm today, so I just had to take notes and count down the time until I got to go home, which I'm actually dreading. I'm almost positive my dad will be home and I really don't want to argue with him again.
Not that I'm scared of him. I may not be the strongest ever, but I can be mean when I need to be. Malcolm, my dad. It's just going to be really awkward if he tries to talk to me.
As I was walking to my next class, a familiar guy caught my attention. He was leaning against the wall on his phone, so he didn't see me. I walked over to him and said, "Hey Tomas."
He looked up from his phone and instantly looked really uncomfortable. He put his phone in his pocket and crossed his arms, "Hey."
I poked his chest with my index finger, "Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I haven't been."
"Yes you have."
"No I haven't."
"Yes you have."
"No-"
I cut him off, "Did I do something to upset you?"
He shook his head, "No, you haven't. I'm sorry, I've been a little bit of a dick. Why don't I walk with you to your next class?"
I nodded my head and held my arm out for him to link his arm with mine. He quickly looked around, as if he was looking to see if anybody was watching. He just started walking, without linking it. I furrowed my eyebrows at him as I started walking with him and he said, "Sorry. My arm hurts."
I pursed my lips, "So, I didn't see you at Reids party."
"I stopped by for a minute to wish him a happy birthday and give him his gift, but I didn't stay. His boyfriend Bruno is really nice, though. The two of them just kept talking about how excited they are to go to Amsterdam."
I smiled, "I know, I'm so happy for Reid. With Bruno and Aero back in his life, I know that he's so happy right now."
"Aero is back in his life?" Tomas asked, a little shocked.
I nodded, "They're hanging out later, actually."
We got to the door of my next class. I said bye to him before entering and sitting down, looking around for Carla. I couldn't see her, so I've come to the conclusion that she either dropped out or switched majors.
I sat, bored, for the entire class. When it was finally over, I wasted no time grabbing my stuff and leaving. Aero said he was going to pick me up later once he and Reid were done hanging out, I just don't know when that is yet.
I walked home, purposefully stepping on leaves to hear them crunch. A voice from behind me asked, "What are you doing?"
A frown formed on my face seeing Alessandro. He laughed at this, "Not usually the reaction I get from girls."
I ignored him and turned back around, continuing to walk. I could hear him jog up to me until he was beside me, but I still ignored him. He said to me, "I like you, Hailey."
"Well I don't like you so leave me alone before I kick your ass."
A laugh escaped his lips. He said with an amused tone, "Don't worry, I'm not here to harass you or piss off Aero. But I was doing some business down here and noticed you walking by yourself, figured you could do with some company."
I looked at him while continuing to walk, "I don't need company. Now go away."
"Aero would kill me if I saw you walking alone and something happened to you."
"I will kill you if you don't let me walk alone."
He sighed, "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over?"
I ignored him again, still continuing to walk. I was growing more and more frustrated that he wouldn't leave me alone. Him trying to grab my arm to stop me from walking pushed me over the edge. I pulled my pepper spray out and sprayed it directly in his eyes.
He let out noises of pain while both of his hands went to his eyes. I almost laughed to myself while watching, "Holy shit."
I quickly turned around and started running to my house, a smile on my face as I did so. I entered my house and slammed the door shut behind me. I raked my fingers through my hair while just standing there for a second, my breathing heavy from running.
I felt so proud of myself.
"Hailey Romano," My dads voice called.
I instantly rolled my eyes. I took one step into the living room, and saw him sitting on the couch. I could hear my mom in the kitchen starting to get dinner ready. I was expecting him to start an argument with me, but instead he said, "I'm glad you're here for dinner."
I smiled slightly at his words, going upstairs. I put some of my clothes in my bag for when Aero picks me up later. I love wearing his clothes, but I do need some of my own at his house. We're going to Philadelphia from the 19th-21st. I'm so excited, it's felt like this month has flown by.
After a while my mom called my name from the bottom of the staircase, telling me that dinner was ready. I walked downstairs and sat at the table with my mom and dad. She made spaghetti and I instantly started eating it.
My phone buzzed against my lap and I flipped it over to see who it was. Aero texted me saying, 'Reid and I are eating now. Pick you up at 6?'
I responded back quickly, before my mom yelled at me for going on my phone at the dinner table. We ate in silence for a few minutes before my mom asked, "So how's school going, honey?"
"Good."
"Not that she needs it," My dad said under his breath.
I stopped chewing the food in my mouth for a second. I chewed the rest and swallowed it before asking him, "Was that really necessary?"
"Yes. Because when I look at you right now, I don't see my daughter."
My heart felt like it was being stabbed for a second. My mom spat at him, "Be quiet, Vincent."
I nodded slightly, "It's okay, mom. Dads just saying how he feels. But how about it becomes my turn to do that?"
I could tell by my moms face that she didn't like this idea. She started, "Hailey-"
I ignored her and spoke to my dad anyways, "You are losing your only child because I want a different career than the one you want for me. That is pathetic. Parents are supposed to love their children unconditionally, yet your love stops when somebody doesn't do what you want them to do. So screw your company, and screw you."
His jaw clenched and a vein started popping out of his forehead. I could tell that he was about to start yelling so I quickly put as much spaghetti onto my fork as I possibly could before shoving it into my mouth. My dad started yelling and I quickly ran upstairs to grab my bag while chewing my food.
As I put my bag over my shoulder I could hear him yelling, "Ungrateful bitch! No fucking child of mine should ever act like this! You are not my child any longer and you will never step foot in his fucking house again!"
I rushed down the stairs, walking straight past him. He was still yelling while I opened the door. Before I took a step outside of the house, I turned to face him. I held one middle finger up and said, "Fuck you."
I slammed the door shut behind me, still being able to hear my dad. I turned down the sidewalk, feeling both pissed off and proud of myself. I walked to Reids house, waiting on his front porch for Aero to come drop Reid off.
After about a half hour the familiar car pulled into the driveway. Reid got out and I stood up, walking over to the passengers side. Reids eyebrows lowered and he asked, "What are you doing here?"
I just smiled at him, not wanting to ruin his good day, "Was just excited."
He scanned my face, "You sure?"
I nodded my head and he nodded. He put his hand on my shoulder for a second before walking into his house. I got into Aeros car and his first words were, "You can fool him but you can't fool me. Whats wrong?"
I sighed, "My dad basically kicked me out."
I felt sad about it, but I also didn't at the same time. I felt more proud that I'd stand up to him. It made me smile a bit.
He gave me a sympathetic look. He started driving, his black hair moving slightly from the wind coming from his rolled down window. He looked me in the eyes while saying, "Good thing you can stay with me then."
A big smile slowly formed on my face, causing him to smile also. He turned back to the road and drove us to his house.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, I said, "I saw Alessandro today."
He glanced at me quickly before looking back at the road. He asked, "And what happened?"
"I pepper sprayed him."
He didn't respond for a second, and I just stared at him. His face remained completely blank for a while, until his lips tugged up into a smile.
"Good girl."
Word Count: 2129