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I froze in disbelief when all the memories from the previous night had come back to me in a sudden blow. A few parts were a bit hazy but I still knew what I had done. Granted that I was a bit relieved with the fact that I had not slept with the man but—
I had spent the whole night with the opposite gender!
A man!
And not just any regular old male.
No, no.
I, Hallie Talin, spent a whole night with—
Darius McKnight!
Seeing that he was still resting peacefully on the bed looking like a model, I quickly jumped out of the bed making sure that all of my belongings were with me before existing the room. I winced hearing the creek of the door but when no noise came from the other side I continued my escape plan. Just as I was about to leave, something caught my eyes.
It was the nasty, day old macaroni on the floor. It was the mess I had created the night before when I had told Darius to not cook for another woman.
Oh for goodness sakes!
Could I go a moment without having to remember the embarrassing events that that happened the previous night? Was that too much to ask for?
Feeling utterly embarrassed and guilty I place my things gently on the floor careful to not make even the slightest peep. Taking light steps I go to the kitchen finding a rag and napkin to clean up the mess. Once the mess was cleaned up and the floor was spotless, I drag myself out the door and rush to my room.
A thought processed in my mind that kept me worrying. 'Does Darius know who I was last night?'
I am positive he doesn't even know his next door neighbor is a girl. Every time I would cross paths with him I would make sure to keep my head down to not catch his sight. I mean he couldn't possible recognize me if he saw me again. I look totally different then I normally do with the dress and the makeup. However, with the way my face felt I could already tell I look like a mess right now even without looking in the mirror. I mean my dress already formed wrinkles that were not there last night and my face felt as if there was icky goo on it.
I look at my phone to check the time when I get flooded by messages and miscalls.
Shoot!
I forgot I went with Ava and Beth to the party. They must be so worried. Almost instantly, I press the call button to Ava and not even a second later I hear her frantic voice.
"Beth, it's Hallie!" Ava calls on the other side of the phone. I hear hustling before both of my dear friends begin shouting at me.
"Where were you? Do you know how worried we were?" They say simultaneously in a loud voice making it clear to me that they were clearly not happy.
"I am so sorry guys. I didn't mean to worry you. It was just-" I stopped. I couldn't possibly tell them that I got drunk or that— I had spent the night with Darius. Goodness! It would hurt Ava deeply. She had trusted Beth and I by telling us her feelings for him and I completely disregarded them even if it was unintentional. I had promised myself that I would forget about my crush on Darius for Ava. Never once did I tell her about my past crush on him in fear that it may hinder our friendship or create a drift between us. She and Beth were my first friends and no useless feelings for some boy could ruin that. I couldn't tell them.
I couldn't tell her.
"I wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to ruin the night for you guys cause I saw that you were having so much fun so I left early taking a cab. I forgot to inform you guys and just woke up now. I called you the moment I saw your guys calls. I'm so sorry, please forgive me." I softly say through the phone.
They don't immediately respond. "Hallie, we're sorry that we didn't realize that you weren't feeling well. It's our fault that we left you alone and took you to the party in the first place. Beth and I are really sorry." In her voice, I could hear the guilt and sadness.
"No-no please don't take the blame. It's my fault that I didn't tell you."
"No-no it's our fault. We were to careless. Are you feeling any better Hal?
"I am feeling much better and it was my fault so please sto-"
A small giggle is heard on the other side of the phone which I recognized as Beth's.
"Okay guys how about we agree that we were all wrong before I go mad with us going back and forth saying that 'I was wrong and that it was my fault'. Hallie we're just glad that your okay and next time just tell us. We want you to have fun too. If your never feeling well just tell us, we don't always have to go to a party. How about next Friday instead of going to a party we all watch a movie together and Hallie can pick. Now instead of saying sorry let's get dressed and go to the coffee shop to eat breakfast and catch up before we all go to work together."
I smile saying okay and goodbye after telling them that I would meet them at the coffee shop after I quickly get changed and shower.
Instantly after I put my phone on my desk, I rush to the bathroom and quickly get ready putting on a tan hoodie with sweats before exiting my room making sure to lock the door. I wanted to get far away from Darius as I could without in any way making contact with him.
If I stayed away for a while without him even getting a glance at me, then he will forget all that had happened. I know that barely anyone knows who I am at this college, not like how they all know my sister. So, there is absolutely no way he will remember me after a few days. It's not like he even knows I am his neighbor. I have absolutely nothing to worry about.
I am positively sure about it.
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'The Steamy Coffee Shop'
I read the name as I entered the shop away from the cold autumn breeze. Shivers run through my body due to the sudden temperature change from freezing to warm.
"Hallie! Over here." Beth waves her hand. I walk over and sit next to Ava and across from Beth. They smile at me before handing me a cup filled with hot coco.
"We ordered for you already so that you wouldn't have to worry about it." A small smile washed over my face as I thank them. They wave off my thanks saying it was nothing.
"Okay guys I have to tell you something!" Ava jumped up and down her seat squealing non stop. Beth looks at me with a curious look making me realize she didn't know what Ava wanted to tell her.
"Woman, stop your squealing and tell us already." This causes Ava to huff and she mumbles under her breath something that sounded like 'impatient much'. Beth rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything.
"Okay, okay I will tell you. Someone said that Darius was spotted at the party last night. Darius never usually goes to parties but he did this time. Can you believe it? I could have bumped into him if I knew where he was. I could have started a conversation or something with him afterwards to spike his interest in me. Maybe he would have asked me out on a date and we could have become girlfriend and boyfriend. Then, after a couple of years we could have gotten married and I would become Mrs. McKnight. We could hav-" Beth cuts off Ava's rapid speaking with her hand over her mouth.
"Woah! Slow your roll woman. Your speaking crazy right now and are making absolutely no sense. Goodness gracious your gonna scare the man off rather than reel him in. Heck! I think I am scared for Darius. You already are planning your future with the man when he hasn't even talked to you yet. Let's dial it down a few notches."
Ava blushed and looked down at her hot coffee in her hands. "It's not my fault I like him." She mumbled as she drummed her fingers on her cup.
I stay silent for a moment feeling guilty that I still had not told my friends what had happened last night. A hidden force was preventing me from doing so.
Fear.
I am positive that what happened last night was irrelevant and I had nothing to worry about if I were to tell them, but I was not sure how they would react. Would they believe me if I said nothing happened between us?
No one is going to know what happened last night. I have nothing to worry about. Darius probably already forgot that some weird girl spilled macaroni on his floor and stayed the night at his place. Ya, that sounds about right. I have nothing to worry about.
Nothing at all...
And yet I had to keep reassuring myself constantly.
"Hallie! What's wrong? You're biting your nails and you only do the when you scared or nervous."
I snap out of my daze and realize that Beth was right. My fingers were in front of my mouth and I was nervously biting them completely unaware of my actions. 'I really needed to break this habit.'
"Oh-no don't worry it's just the school work is really getting hard and I'm worried that I may fall behind nothing else." Beth slaps my shoulders so suddenly that I almost fall flat in the table.
"Dude your like the smartest girl I know. Don't worry about it. Even Ava can agree your like the smartest person in the school. Heck! Your the smartest person in the whole world, right Ava."
Ava nods. "She is right Hallie. You should not worry to much. Stress can affect you negatively. If you ever need help just know that we're always here. But, I already know you will do great in all your classes without even trying." My eyes brighten as I smile at them while indiscreetly rubbing the shoulder that Beth had slapped. That woman can slap for sure.
"Thanks guys."
For the next hour, Beth and Ava catch me up on all the stuff that happened last night at the party. Apparently, Tracy, the popular girl of our school and a close friend of Bree's, broke up with her boyfriend Trever. Trever was a well known boy around college for his charming looks and Tracy was like the popular girl. They have been dating for a few months but had started a huge argument at the party and seemingly Tracy said she was only using him to get someone else. Trever got furious and ended up storming out of Dylan's house after calling Tracy some unmentionable names.
Hearing this information made me realize why I never wanted to get in a relationship anytime soon. They always ended badly and cause so much heartbreak. I have never been heartbroken but I have seen people become completely shattered when breaking up with their companion. So shattered, that it almost seems as though they have lost a part of themselves. A part that could never be found. I don't think I could handle that much pain. My mother had already left me and I can't afford to lose someone else who I hold dear.
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I constantly looked at the clock as it drew near to the end of the day. Working for five hours straight has gotten me weak and tired.
Just five more minutes Hallie and then you can go home and eat the left over pasta from two days ago. Simply just thinking about the pasta made me even more hungry than I was before.
"Alright you girls you guys can go home now. Thank you for the wonderful work ladies. Have a good night and remember to stay safe okay." Mrs. Pot says in a low, scratchy voice. She was a sweet middle aged lady who runs the cafe by herself after her late husband had passed away a few years ago. She is an amazing boss and is very understanding, not to mention she gives her workers wise advice. She was also the one to introduced me to Beth and Ava for the first time. After a few unpleasant conversations here and there with each other in the beginning, we all became great friends.
"Bye Mrs. Pot!" We say in unison before exiting the shop.
The walk back to the dormitories was long but I soon find myself standing in front of my dorm room. I reach inside my pocket to get my key out but I realized it was open.
I was sure that I had locked the door before I left. I must have not correctly locked it since I was in such a rush. I got to be more careful or something bad could happen.
Stepping inside my dorm, I turn to close the door but a sudden hand grabs my waist as I let out a terrified scream. I get pushed up against the door making me unable to move and a hand covers my mouth preventing me from screaming.
My heart beats rapidly as I try to decipher who was in front of me but the darkness stopped me from doing so. My wide eyes stared directly at the figure feeling their breath hit my neck and slowly move towards my ear in a timeless pace.
"Who told you to leave?"
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Who plans out a life with their crush even when you've never even spoken to them *blush* (guilty)
Also guys I wanted to say don't bash Hallie for not telling Ava about what happened because you have to realize the one thing she fears most is someone leaving her. These are her first real friends and she does want to lose them. She isn't trying to steal Ava's 'man' or intentionally hurt her. So, please don't insult Hallie.
thank you for the love and support
sayonara