"Sign me out?" Sophia asked me the following Friday.
"Haha." I rolled my eyes and headed towards my locker. "Only your legal guardian can sign you out, Soph."
"What's the fun of having friends that are legal if they can't sign you out of school?" She grumbled.
"You have yet to say Happy Birthday." I unlocked my locker and got hit in the face with a balloon. "Damnit Mason."
"How did he get those inside?" Sophia asked as two more smaller balloons floated out.
"Probably charmed the secretary into giving him my combination." I shook my head to hide my smile.
"Just balloons?" Sophia searched my locker for any gifts. "Lame."
"He'll probably give me my present later." I was about to push her out of the way when she gasped. "What?"
"What's this? This is new." She pulled my portfolio binder out and flipped through it before I could stop her. "What's this, Hailey?"
"A portfolio." I grabbed the binder out her hands and shoved it between my English textbook and the locker wall. "So wh-"
"With college applications inside." She whispered.
"They're not a big deal." I grabbed my things and closed my locker after pulling the balloons out fully.
"Does your Dad know you're applying to those schools?" She grabbed the two small pink balloons while I grabbed the big one that had Happy Birthday written across it.
"Just you and me." I told her as we walked to her locker.
"You haven't told Mason or Hannah?" Her jaw hit the floor. "Why?"
"Because I'm not going to get in." I leaned against the wall while she opened her locker. "And if I somehow managed to, I can't go."
"I'm sure you can with scholarships and financial aid." She glanced at me before going back to her locker. "And I could be going to NYU, so we could get an apartment together."
"My Dad wouldn't let me move to the other side of the country." I closed my eyes and sighed. "And Han and I are gonna get an apartment together."
"What about the ones here in Cali?" Sophia asked. "Isn't Mase applying to UCLA and USC on a basketball scholarship?"
"Yeah, that's why I applied to them." I shrugged. "Just in case Hannah decided to move in with Justin."
"Yeah, right." Sophia shut her locker with a laugh. "Like Hannah would rather live with him than you. Sisters before misters."
"They're gonna be married before graduating college with an Associate's." I join her in on the laughing.
"And parents before getting a Bachelor's." She elbowed my side then we walked out of the hall. "And maybe then you'll finally tell Mase."
"If I'm an aunt before Hannah and Justin have a Bachelor's degree each and haven't told him, sure." I promised her.
"Do I want to know what you're talking about?" Mason asked from behind us.
"How much did you hear?" Sophia spun on her heel and stared him down.
Mason immediately held his hands up and took a step back. "Something about Hailey being an aunt and not telling someone something."
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"Soph." I pushed her a little. "He's already scared of you."
"You give me nightmares." Mason told Sophia as he handed me a small box. "Happy Birthday, Hails."
"Aw, someone remembered to say it." I took the box with a smile.
"Happy Birthday." Sophia mumbled and looked over my shoulder. "What'd he get you?"
"I haven't even opened it." I said then proceeded to open the box. "Is this-"
"One of the newer polaroid cameras? Yes." He smiled widely.
"And it's pink." Sophia took the box from me to check out the candy that was in it.
"Thanks, Mase." I bounced onto my toes and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"No problem." He kissed my temple.
"I'm stealing the candy!" Sophia yelled before running past us.
"Those are for Hailey!" Mason chased after her.
*****
"This is how half of the skit things in Sex Ed started." I told Mason as he filled up the little paper cups we used as little kids to wash our mouths.
We were celebrating my and Hannah's birthday and the team winning their first home game of the season.
"More like three fourths." Sophia took one of the cups and sipped it. "Hmm, champagne."
"Don't tell my Mom-" Mason started talking as he finished handing out drinks.
"When would we ever talk to your Mom?" Hannah asked him before taking a sip of champagne.
Justin whispered something to her that caused her to laugh and cough up her sip of champagne.
"You stole this from her office, didn't you?" I asked him as he handed me a cup.
"Yup." He sat the bottle on the ground and we all stared at the sunset. "What's it like being an adult?"
"Nothing's really changed." I said right as Hannah said, "Boring."
"What's boring about drinking cheap champagne out of paper cups with your friends?" Sophia asked us.
"You're right!" I feigned surprise. "Dad could come out here and murder us for not listening to half of the skits!"
"He would yell at us." Hannah shook her head and stood up. "I'm grabbing more cake, anyone want any?"
"Sure." Sophia nodded and Mason stood up.
"I'll help you bring the plates out." He told her as they went inside.
"What's it like?" I sat my cup down by Mason's and turned to look at Justin and Sophia.
"Devil's in the details, Hail." Sophia downed the rest of her drink. "Shit, I gotta pee."
"Not those details." Justin made a face of disgust as Sophia went back inside. "What do you mean, Hail?"
"What's it like being with someone?" I wrapped my arms around myself.
"What?" He laughed. "Hailey, come on."
"I'm serious, Justin." I sighed out in frustration. "I'm the only one in our group who hasn't dated anyone or even kissed anyone."
"Those things don't have to happen while you're in high school." Justin rubbed my shoulder. "It's fine if you don't experience that stuff until college."
"Just like not everyone has sex in high school?" I said it like a question, but we both know it's not one.
"This isn't about me and Hannah, Hailey." He looked away from me as he finished his cup. "We're not like you and Mason."
"Hurt her and they won't find you." I pushed myself off the back patio and slid the back door open right as Sophia was coming back out.
"You okay?" She stopped me from entering the house by grabbing my upper arms.
"Yeah, just tired." I smiled and covered a yawn. "Thanks for the heels again."
"No problem." She returned my smile and dropped her hands before moving around me. "Night."
"Night." I ducked into the house and quietly closed the door behind me.
Mason and Hannah were standing near the remaining cake whispering quietly, and neither one seemed to notice me as I walked back to my room.
I closed and locked my door before locking my window and pulled the blinds down; I just want to be alone for a little bit, so I could work on my applications and samples for the gallery.
It's wrong, I know.
To shut everyone out and lock myself in with only my thoughts to keep me company, but I can't help it. It's just another thing I inherited from my Mom along side her old polaroid camera and romance novels.
Maybe that's why Dad hates me because I'm just like her in every aspect imaginable.
***AN***
Not sure how to feel about Hail and Sophia's conversation. . .
Hope you guys enjoyed!
Let us know what you thought!
~ChasingMadness24