A/N: Heyyy! My apologies for the late update. I know I didn't update as quickly as I usually do, but I was working on some chapters that haven't been updated yet. Hopefully, I will create an updating schedule soon, but I can't give you an exact date, because I tend to be lazy over the summer. Anyway, I hope you're ready for a heated scene in this chapter between Andrew and Hailey. There is lots and LOTS of drama... so ENJOY!!
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Today is our last day at the beach. Although I was sad to leave the beautiful beach behind, I was also sort of relieved at the same time. The beach has brought way too much drama and confusion. I’ll honestly be glad to leave.
Zipping up the last of my things into my suitcase, I laid it flat on the bed and let out a long breath, puffing out my cheeks. I haven’t seen Andrew today, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. Right? I mean, it’s okay if he hasn’t come to check on me like he usually does, isn’t it? He’s just busy packing up and stuff. It’s no big deal.
Thinking this, the blaring of MKTO’s “Classic” came from my cell phone rested on the hotel dresser, and I quickly answered when I saw the caller ID.
“Hey Jai,” I said once I answered. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” She mocked, her voice exhibiting fake anger. “You haven’t called me all weekend is what’s up.”
I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. I forgot that Jai could be a little sensitive at times. “Sorry, Jai, I was busy.” Not a lie, but not the full truth. I could never tell her I’ve been making out with the asshole all weekend. She’d freak.
“That’s your excuse? You were busy?” There was a long pause where only her hard breathing filled up the silence. Suddenly, she let out a loud burst of laughter that lasted for about five minutes. Thankfully, she couldn’t hear my sigh of relief over her rumbling giggles. Another thing about Jai, she can never hold a grudge. “Okay,” She finally said after her fit of laughter.
“So… you’re not mad?”
“No, of course not. You’re on family vacation, you should be having fun, not talking to your friends. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to call, but I understand.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Jai. Oh, and, I’ve got some news for you.”
She took in a sharp breath full of excitement. “What is it? Hurry, and tell me!”
“Well… I may or may not have had my first kiss.” I grinned, just thinking about it.
She gasped. “Shut. Up. With who?”
“The asshole…” I trailed off, waiting for her reaction.
There was only deep, deep silence on the other end. For a second, I was afraid she had fainted or something. And then, “OH MY GOD, I KNEW IT!!”
I literally had to take my cell phone away from my ear, she was screaming that loudly. All the same, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Calm down, Jai. They can probably hear you in Italy.”
“I don’t care! You kissed the jerk? Andrew?”
“I didn’t kiss him, he kissed me. There’s a big difference.”
“Not if you kissed him back, you idiot. Oh my goodness. How did it happen? Is he good at it? Does this mean you two are dating now? What about Mason, don’t you still like him? Hailey, talk to me! I’m so confused!”
I laughed again, right as there was a knock on my door. With Jai still screaming in my ear, I walked towards the door to open it. There, on the other side, was Andrew. And I noticed the change immediately. For starters, he wasn’t smiling at me, or grinning. He was just standing there with a dark expression covering his face, such as the one he had when we first met. He was back in his regular black and gray clothing that he wore so much back home, which is unlike the colorful swimwear he’s been wearing on the trip. And finally, my eyes caught hold of the black skull ear buds in his ears and iPod in his hands. At this, my smile immediately faded.
Forgetting Jai was still on the phone, I said to her, still looking into Andrew’s eyes, “Hey, Jai, I’ll call you back later.” I hung up on her before she could protest. She’ll probably blow my phone up later with texts, but at the moment, I don’t care. Staring flabbergasted at Andrew, I spoke first. “Hey,” The word was unsure and hesitant.
Keeping the same blank expression, he said. “Your parents told me to come see how you’re coming along with packing up.” I noticed he didn’t begin with a greeting, and his tone was flat.
I cleared my throat and glanced behind me at my suitcase. “Um, nearly done.”
He nodded once and turned to leave. He walked as if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Before he could get any further, I grabbed his arm. He looked down to where my hand was firmly gripping his skin, and then back at me, to which he narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you doing?” He said in a deep, scary voice.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, scared of the answer.
He tried to pull his arm free, but this only made me squeeze him tighter. “Are you mental? Let me go.”
Surprising both Andrew and myself, I said firmly, “No.” A moment of silence followed, and I gathered all my bearings before continuing. “Why are you being like this? Just yesterday you were talking to me and being nice, and now we’re right back where we started. I don’t understand.”
“I’ve told you before. Happiness is a waste of time, because you always end up right where you started. It’s not my fault you didn’t listen to me.” He glanced down at his arm still being held tightly in my hand.
“The world doesn’t work like that, Andrew. Happiness is the only good thing left in this world, and I’ll be damned if I let you destroy that.” I swallowed and glanced down the hall, hoping that my parents haven’t made it back up yet. They haven’t. In a calmer voice, I continued, “Why are you doing this to me? Some days you’re so willing to put yourself out there, and then others—such as today—you block me out. I like the Andrew who’s willing to share himself with me, the Andrew that had the boldness to kiss me.” I fought back a blush that was rising to my cheeks.
Andrew’s face stayed icy cold, and he took a daring step towards me. “Let me straighten something out for you, Hailey. What happened between us…that stupid kiss was a mistake. I only kissed you, because I felt sorry for you. I wouldn’t be caught dead with someone like you; never in a million years.” By this point, he had successfully brought tears to my eyes, and I did my best to keep them in a little longer. “I don’t like you Hailey. Never have, never will. In fact, I hate you with all of my heart. It’s punishment enough to have you staying with me for the next few weeks, so the last thing I need is your sorry ass lecturing me about your stupid fantasy of the world being all rainbows and butterflies. So do me a favor,” he stepped closer to me, pulling his arm from my now trembling fingers. His face is so close to mine that I could kiss him if I wanted to, but I would never do that, especially after this. Andrew is a douche that I would rather not associate with anymore. It’s better to stay away from him, because all of my assumptions of him breaking girls’ hearts and not caring are correct. “Stay as far away from me as you possibly can.” Andrew finished his heart-breaking words, turned sharply on his heel, and walked down the hallway, slamming the door once he reached his room.
I quickly returned back to my own and slid down the wall, crying. I know, I know. I shouldn’t be wasting my tears on a guy I don’t even like, but his words were hurtful and cruel. I would rather not hear them again. At this moment, I hate Andrew more than anything. I can’t believe I let him kiss me…TWICE! I honestly thought he might like me, what with the way he flirted with me all weekend. Not to mention kissed me. Still, if a guy says something similar to what Andrew has just spoken to me, it’s going to hurt, whether you like him or not. Maybe it’s just me, but guys have a pretty big effect on me.
Beside me, my phone blasted my ringtone, and I was sure it was Jacey… until I saw the caller ID.
Mason Jones.
Quickly wiping my tears and sucking up the pain throbbing in my chest, I took a few deep breaths and answered, making sure to appear calm and collected.
“Mason,” I said when I answered. “Hi.”
He let out a low chuckle on the other end. “Hey, Hailey. Um, how’s your vacation going?”
“Oh, well, we’re at the beach for the weekend over in Wilmington. Actually, I guess you could say we’re not at the beach anymore, because we’re about to leave in a few minutes. Well, technically, we’re still here, so I guess that counts for something. Or maybe—“
“Hailey,” his deep, sexy voice interrupted me. “I’m glad you’re having fun. But, um, I called you for a reason.”
Pinching myself for babbling again, I responded in only a few words. “Right, of course. What’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering…”
You were wondering…? Come on Mason, spit it out!!
“Um, I was wondering if John broke up with Lindsey.”
Frowning at his words, I stumbled a little when I responded. “Um, no, not that I know of.” Why would he be asking about Lindsey and my brother? He’s never cared about their relationship from what I know. Mason is the type of guy who goes through girls like a smoker goes through a pack of cigarettes. He gets what he wants from her, and throws her to the ground, leaving her to be crushed and deserted.
On the other end, Mason released a sigh of relief. “Good. Honestly, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” I couldn’t help but smile when he said that. I made Mason Jones happy!! “Thanks Hailey, I’ll see you when you get back.” With that, he ended the call, leaving a big smile on my face.
Yes you will, Mason Jones. You will most definitely see me when I return to your gorgeous smile and hair that’s worthy of my fingers running through it. I can’t promise you I’ll immediately be your girlfriend, but I definitely promise that Andrew will no longer be part of the picture.
***
We returned to Aunt Karen’s house at around six in the afternoon. I haven’t been more thankful in my life to come home. Well, technically, I guess it’s not my home, but still, it’s nice. Anything is nice after the torturous ride over here.
I was, of course, stuck in the back with Andrew again, but it was worse this time. There was way too much devastation and sexual tension between us. Neither of us even glanced at one another, and we definitely didn’t speak. I was furious with him for saying what he did to me, whereas he couldn’t care less whether he hurt my feelings or not. And that makes me hate him more than anything. I don’t even think anyone noticed the deadly silence between Andrew and I, which shows how little attention we get. That only added to my annoyance.
A few times, Aunt Karen tried to make conversation with us, but we hardly ever responded. And the few times that we did reply, it was short and abrupt responses. For most of the ride, I either planned Andrew’s assassination, took a nap, or texted Jai to finish telling her my story. Of course, now I wasn’t as excited and enthusiastic, and I had to add the part about our argument. Jai had quickly responded with naming Andrew with a few choice words that I would rather not repeat. At this, I almost laughed out loud, but instead I smiled, remembering that I was supposed to be mad.
So yeah, that’s exactly how miserable my ride was. And now, here I am, sprawled out on my bed with my head tucked under my pillow, sobbing silently to myself. I know that I repeatedly told myself that I don’t care about Andrew anymore, or what he thinks of me, but I can’t help it. I mean, the first guy that’s ever kissed me broke my heart to pieces. It’s pretty depressing.
A few knocks sounded on my door, and I shouted for that person to come in, not bothering to mop up my face of tears. Hell, I wouldn’t even care if it was Andrew himself. In fact, I’d love for him to see what he did to me.
“Hailey, honey, are you okay?” I recognized my mom’s soothing voice as she made her way towards me.
I sniffed and brought my head from under my pillow. “Yeah, perfectly fine.” I know that’s pathetic to say, since I’ve got tears sliding down my face and red, puffy eyes. But hey, it was worth a shot.
A concerned look stayed on my mom’s face, and she examined my eyes for any idea of what might be wrong with me. She obviously wasn’t buying my lie. “Hailey, I noticed you seemed a little upset on the ride back home. Whatever it is, you can tell me. Always, always, come to me when you’re feeling upset. I’m here for you.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes with the palm of my hand, and forced a smile on my face. “Mom, it’s just that time of month. I’m a little moody, okay? It’s nothing serious.”
She frowned at me. “Hailey, I want you to be honest with me.”
“Mom! I’m telling you the truth! Just leave the situation alone, I’ll be fine!” I didn’t want to yell at her, I really didn’t, but I’m just sensitive right now and I seriously don’t feel like talking about this, especially with her.
My mom stared at me with her mouth agape. She wasn’t upset that I yelled at her, she was hurt. I would prefer her yelling at me than see the look on her face now. I immediately wished I could take the words back, but I can’t, because according to John Green, “the world is not a wish-granting factory.” Yeah, that’s officially my quote for the day.
“Mom, I’m—“ I tried apologizing to her, but she just stood up and left my room. Great, so now I’ve made my mom upset. I am such a great person. Not!
I collapsed onto my pillow and let the tears run down the side of my face and to my hairline. I closed my eyes as the tears came faster, and after a while, I began sobbing again, trying to muffle out my wails by putting the pillow over my face.
I hate to agree with Andrew, but I’m starting to hate myself too.