Hazel's POV
After leaving work and being dropped off back home, I felt a weird vibe. Something just didn't feel right. Diggy was acting really odd towards me the entire ride. Was it because he was embarrassed of letting his emotions out to me? But this isn't the first time he has vented to me, so I don't understand.
I almost wanted to text him and ask him if everything was alright, but I didn't. I mean we both have each other's number but we never text each other so it would be weird to just come out of the blue texting him. Am I over thinking this? Maybe I should just text him.
I scrolled to my contacts looking for Diggy or Diggy Simmons or Daniel or something but I couldn't find anything which was weird. He programmed it in his self so maybe something happened. Maybe it's a sign to just leave it alone.
My phone rang, disrupting my thoughts. It was from...
Celebrity Creep Kid
Well that explains the whole not being able to find his name situation. I pressed 'answer' nervously.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey, Hazel." He said. He sounded sort of nervous as well.
"What's up celebrity creep kid?" I said, lightly laughing. "I can't believe you put your name in as that."
"Well you do always call me that, so..." He trailed off, chuckling.
"Well only because you are." I laughed. "But on a serious note, what's up?"
There was a slight pause before he answered. "Okay, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something if you don't mind. It is kind of late, so..."
"No it's all good."
"Okay so that guy you were with today..."
"Oh, Jelani?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Oh, what about him?"
Before he could answer, my door came swinging open. Haley trotted in, pouting, with her hand out.
"Hold on." I said to him. "Haley what happened?"
"I got a boo boo."
"You're too old to be saying that." I said. She's in that really weird stage of growing up.
I examined her hand to see that there was a small paper cut on her finger.
"Can you put this on?" She held up a Spongebob band-aid in her other hand.
I wrapped her band aid around the cut. "There." I said.
"Thanks big sis." She smiled, trotting out of my room.
"Go to bed!" I said in a motherly tone as she left.
I sighed, picking the phone up. "I'm so sorry. But sister duties."
"Oh I understand, trust me." He said.
"Oh yeah, that's right. You do have a younger sister."
"Yup. Okay so about Jeremy-"
"Jelani." I corrected.
"Yeah. Him. He-" he was cut off by what sounded like his mother's voice.
She seemed to be yelling at him about something and he deeply sighed. "Hey, can we talk tomorrow." He said exasperatedly.
"Oh yeah, sure." I said.
"Talk you later. Good night."
"Night." I said. "Wait," I said before hanging up.
"What's up?"
"I just wanted to let you know that what happened with Jonna is not your fault and if you ever need to talk you know I'm always here. But I'll let you go now."
"Thanks Hazel. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
I placed my phone down kind of upset that he didn't get to finish what he was going to say. Now I knew my bad vibe wasn't off. Something is definitely up. And somehow, Jelani is a part of it...
The next morning, I was awaken by my mom telling me to get ready. I was going with her to the hospital today so I got up, got dressed, and we all piled into the car.
We dropped Haley off at the play center before getting to work.
After doing small tasks for my mother, I made my way to Jay's room. Today was her last day before she was able to leave.
I sauntered into her room, walking straight towards the bed.
"Hey girl! How are you feeling?" I greeted with a warm smile.
"Way better actually. Glad that this is my last day. Except I have to wear this cast for a few weeks." She said referring to the cast on her arm.
"It'll heal with time." I said.
She smiled, then laughed. "Look how knocked out he is." She pointed over my shoulder.
I turned to see someone sleeping in a chair beside the door. I must have walked right past him absentmindedly.
He was in a really awkward position and his face was slightly buried in the chair. I almost want to say that he really resembled Jelani...
The door swung open loudly, causing the mystery male to shift and I got a better view of his face.
Not only did this male resemble Jelani, it is, in fact, Jelani.
My eyes widened in horror, confusion, shock, and misunderstanding. I blocked my entire surroundings out, unable to wrap my mind over the situation.
"Hazel?" A voice called out.
I snapped back out of reality, turning towards who was calling my name.
"Sweetheart are you alright?" My mother said with concern.
"Yeah, you okay?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, everything's cool. I just- I have a bad head ache, that's all."
Before my mother could notice Jelani, I pulled her out of the room, excusing myself. I didn't want any drama to unfold.
"Hazel, what's the matter with you?" She asked.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." I assured. "Is there anything you need me to help with? Anything?"
"Are you sure?" She asked again. I nodded.
"Well, actually, there is something you can do." She said, skeptically. She knows something is bothering me and I know she will further interrogate me later.
"Okay."
"Well you can go and help with the people working at the play center." She suggested.
I nodded, making my way to the center. As I walked further away from my mother, tears swelled up in my eyes.
Do not cry.
My tears did not obey; they fell, cascading down my face. Before anyone could see me, I quickly wiped away the tears.
I just can't believe that this happened. It is so hard for me to comprehend. What are the odds? Why would he do something like this to me? To her? Neither one of us deserved this.
I have to talk to her but right now I need to think and get my mind off of things.
I made my way to the center, offering any help.
They asked my to just talk with the kids, make sure they're playing fairly and nicely, etc.
"Hazel!" Haley called out, noticing that I was here.
I walked over towards her and sat criss cross apple sauce next to her. I felt like such a big kid.
"Hey sis." I smiled.
"This is my new best friend." She pointed to the girl beside her that she was excited to see before.
"Hi, love. What's your name?" I greeted.
"Hi, Hazel. I'm Miley!" She grinned, adorably.
"Are you okay?" Haley said with concern in her voice, examining my face. "Your eyes are poof-y and kind of red. Were you crying big sister?"
"Oh no, I'm alright. I'm just sleepy." I smiled.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
She pointed to my necklace. "Daddy loves you, always."
I genuinely smiled at her. "And he loves you too." I pointed to her similar necklace.
For about an hour, we played, talked, and I read a book to them. It really helped me get my mind off of things.
"Brother!" The little girl shouted, looking towards the entrance.
He approached her, crouching down to her level. "Were you behaving yourself, Miley?"
"She was very well behaved." I told Diggy. It really is a small world.
"Hazel." He said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"My mother works here at the hospital. I often come to volunteer and stuff since I want to become a nurse. I'm helping out here at the play center today."
"Cool, cool." He said.
"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
He sighed. "I'll tell you later."
"Nope. We have a lot to talk about now." I said to him. "Wanna take a walk?"
He nodded.
"We'll be back, okay guys?" I said to them.
They nodded, more immersed in the game that they were playing.
"Behave." He said.
We walked out of the center.
"So what's up?" I asked him.
"You're probably sick of hearing about her, but it's about Jonna."
I nodded, instantly feeling bad again. What's with all this cheating going around? I could feel tears welling up in my eyes just being reminded of the situation again. I couldn't cry in front of him though.
"Well, believe it or not I'm here to see her. I don't know why but I just want things to work out between us...it's stupid I know. And there he was, in there again...I'm not sure what I expected..."
"It's not stupid. You still have feelings for her, I understand."
"And this is where what I was trying to tell you yesterday comes in..." He said, nervously.
I looked at him, my heart beating with anxiety. A sudden realization occurred. Why do I feel like I already know what's coming next?
"No." I said. "No, no, no." I ran my hands through my hair exasperatedly. "I think I already understand." I said to him, almost in tears.
"Jay...is Jonna." I said more to myself, realizing what was going on. What are the odds of us being in the same situation...same hospital...it all makes sense now. What he was trying to tell me yesterday in now understood, why he was acting so weird... was now understood.
"You know Jay?" He asked, with wide eyes.
"Yes. We became friends when she came here. I had no idea she was your Jay- or Jonna." I said.
By now we both stopped walking, frozen.
"Jonna cheated on you with Jelani whose cheating on me with Jonna." I said, clarifying the situation.
"I just can't even believe this right now." I cried.
I never would have thought that Jay would be the cheating type. Same with Jelani. And there I was thinking that she didn't deserve to be cheated on when she did the same to Diggy.
I had no control of the tears that began to fall. I covered my face with my hands, trying to control myself.
I felt Diggy place his hands on mine, prying them off of my face gently.
I looked down, unable to look him in the eyes. I hated people seeing me cry. I feel so weak and pathetic.
I went to cover my face again until he stopped me, putting my hands down at my sides. He pulled me into a hug.
A very long, snug, and warm one. I went to let go after a while, but he only pulled me closer.
"He's not worth your tears." He said to me.
I sniffled, feeling like a small child. "And she's not worth the heartache." I told him.
"I know." He sighed, agreeing.
I pulled back. "Look at us. This is not a good start to moving on at all." I laughed.
He wiped the rim of my eyes with his thumb. "Stop crying, I don't like it." He smiled.
"Ready?" He asked.
"For?" I wondered.
"A little payback?" He evilly grinned, moving his eyebrows up and down.
"What kind of payback?"
"Operation expose cheaters 123."
I couldn't help but to explode in laughter. How childish could he be? How was I suppose to take this serious right now?
Talk about comic relief.
"Operation expose cheaters 123?" I reiterated.
"Can you think of anything better?" He asked, jokingly.
"How about operation EC 123. It's short and sweet." I said, feeling immature for going along with this.
"I like." He nodded in approval.
"Wait, why do we even need 123?"
"It sounds cooler and important." He said with a serious tone.
I rolled my eyes. "Come on."
I was about to open the door before his hand fell on top of mine, stopping me from doing so.
"What?"
"We need a plan. What kind of an operation just goes down spontaneously?"
"Okay. So whatcha got?"
"First things first. You go in first. Then I'll go a few moments later. That's when it all goes down."
"We can't just go in together?"
"Too much drama at once." He said, shaking his head.
"Fine. Ok. Genius plan." I said sarcastically. I turned to open the door.
"Wait!"
"What now?" I said exasperatedly.
He put his hand out, ordering me to put my hand on the top.
"On three, operation EC 123." He said, cracking a smile.
"Really, Diggy? Really? This is suppose to be serious."
I looked around making sure no one was around to see this foolery. I couldn't help but to laugh as we whisper shouted "Operation EC 123!"
"So childish." I muttered to him before opening up the door.
I looked to see that she was in the room by herself.
"Everything alright?" She asked, referring to earlier when I walked out.
"Yeah, everything's good. So where is he?"
"He left to get something from the cafeteria. He should be back in a few though."
I nodded, happy to hear that he was on his way back.
I heavily breathed, intrigued to see how all of this would go down. My attention turned to the door that was opening, and my heart skipped a beat.
I honestly wanted to see all their lies and drama get tangled up so that they ended up looking stupid, but it still hurt.
It will always hurt.
No matter how much relief I get from them being exposed, the pain will still be there.
He walked in, the boy who I thought genuinely had feelings for me, the boy who I've been close with since elementary school, the boy who made me feel so special...also the boy who lied and cheated...
I disrupted my thoughts, realizing that I wasn't suppose to be wrapped up in my feelings at the moment.
"I missed you, baby." He said casually, walking over to her bed.
That was like a stab to my chest.
"You just saw me." She laughed. "Babe, meet my friend, Hazel." She pointed over towards me.
He looked back initially surprised that he had walked past someone in the first place, then realizing it was me, his eyes grew and his lips slightly parted.
I stared at him with a blank face, trying to appear as calm as possible.
I smirked, shaking my head, getting up from the chair.
"Hi, Jelani." I said with the most fraudulent grin plastered on my face. I could imagine how shocked Jay was at the fact that we knew each other.
"Bab-" he cut himself short. "Hazel." He said, shocked.
"What was that? Babe? Or were you going to say baby? But isn't that what you just referred to Jay as?"
"Wait, hold up-" Jay's voice called out with a snarky tone.
The door flew open meaning that part two of the operation was going down.
Diggy walked in with the same smirk I had planted on my face.
"And the cheaters of the year award goes to...Hazel would you like to do the honors?"
I did a drum roll on the stand beside the bed. "Jay and Jelani!" I grinned.
They both looked at us confused, shocked, and dumbfounded. What could they possibly say to redeem themselves?
They looked like deer caught in headlights.
"Small world, huh?" I said.
"I think our job here is just about done." Diggy said.
"I'm with you!" I exclaimed, walking towards the door.
After we left the room, we rewarded each other with a high five.
"Well that felt good." He admitted.
"It was definitely interesting. Did you see their faces?" I reminisced, laughing at the thought.
"Operation EC 123 was successful."
"Definitely!"
We walked to the center and Diggy went to sign Miley out, and I stayed with Haley.
"Wait!" Miley's small voice called out and she ran over towards us, hugging Haley.
Diggy came over, smiling at the two.
"They should play date sometime?" He said.
"Yes!" Haley said, agreeing.
"Cool just text me whenever." said.
"Okay." He said. "Come on Miley we have to go."
"Nooooo." She said, pouting.
"You guys will see each other soon, okay?" I assured.
"Today?" Miley asked.
Diggy laughed. "How about your birthday party next Saturday?"
"Yay!" She exclaimed.
"Aw, hold old are you turning?" I asked.
"I'll be seven!" She said proudly.
"Then we'll both be seven!" Haley said.
"Well, I'll see you then?" He asked.
"Yeah, of course." I smiled.
After my moms shift, we heading out to the car. We made our way into the house and I immediately went to my room, closing the door. I just wanted to lay down and wallow in my misery.
"Honey, he is not worth your tears." My mother's voice called out from the doorway.
I looked up at my mom who knew me all too well.
"I was once a teenager too. I don't know what happened between you two, but I know you're both very nice kids and you will work this out."
"Mom..." I started. My eyes averted to the floor. "He's dating another girl." I barely made out, almost in tears again.
"What?" She said, barely audible. She came and sat next to me on the bed, placing her arm around my back.
I placed my hands over my face, lightly sobbing.
"Oh honey, don't cry." She said, rubbing my back gently.
"I'm okay mom." I said, wiping my tears.
"You sure?"
"Yes, mom."
"Your father would have had a talk with that boy." She laughed.
"Oh, I know." I agreed, genuinely laughing. I wiped the rim of my eyes.
"Let me know if you need anything." She said, getting up to leave.
I nodded, laying down on the bed, when my phone vibrated.
Celebrity Creep Kid The party will be at my place (address) next Saturday from 2-5:30.
Me We'll be there. What does she like?
Celebrity Creep Kid She really likes Spongebob and Diego
Me Ok cool!
Celebrity Creep Kid See ya then
Me See ya
Celebrity Creep Kid U good ma?
Me Yes, are you?
Celebrity Creep Kid Getting better (especially after operation EC 123). Talk to me if u need to.
Me Lol same to you :)
Votes and comments are highly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed. I hope it wasn't too bad, I'm not sure if I write well with dramatic scenes lol.
Idk about you all, but I'm ready for Hazel and Diggy to date already!
Hehe soooon, vote for the next :)
S/O to Nerdy_Dria for your idea!