Dolphin Tale 4

Chapter [19]

"You can stay—"

Spencer Nelson sighed in relief. "That's awesome, guys. I love you so much. Thank you so much."

"—for a week," Lorraine Nelson concluded wryly. "We will let you stay in our hospitality for one week—and one week only—before you must leave us forever. After you have left after that one week, you must not come back anymore. You have betrayed our trust and have lost our respect. I highly doubt that you'll ever earn it back, either."

"One week...?"

"One week."

Spencer sighed. "Please, Lorraine, Sawyer. I made a massive mistake.  I made the stupidest mistake in the whole entire universe. You know those mistakes in which you know the answer—like in a maths test—but you get the answer wrong, anyway, because you didn't read the question properly? Yeah, I made that kind of stupid mistake, and I'm sorry. I truly am."

Lacie scoffed. "Sorry isn't good enough to make up for all the trouble, all the grief, and all the disappointment you've caused them. Can't you see the hurt, the regret, and the sadness in their eyes as they talk to you? Can't you see all of the emotions held within their eyes as they set their eyes on you? Are you not sensitive to other people's emotions? Probably not. You should be ashamed of your actions. You should be ashamed of everything you have done. You should be ashamed of yourself. If you aren't, then you are an idiotic i—"

Sawyer grabbed hold of Lacie's hand. "Lacie," he said warningly.

"—mbecile. That's what you are."

Spencer sneered at her. "Have you ever stopped to think about what you are? Have you? Well, let me tell you this: you're a real little b—"

Lacie rolled her eyes. "Don't finish that word. Trust me, I've been called so many things that were worse than that in my short span of a lifetime. And, coming from a person like you, that's quite the compliment."

Sawyer glared at his father before turning to face Lacie, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Lacie," he whispered. "I appreciate everything you have said."

"It has been, and always will be, my pleasure, Sawyer," Lacie said quietly. She turned back to face Spencer. "Well, do you have anything else to say that will not injure our feelings?"

Spencer glared at her. "Not really."

Sawyer frowned. "Don't you have a phone call to make? To your wife? You were going to end your relationship with her, won't you?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I do have a phone call to make. Please excuse me for a moment." He turned and walked out of the kitchen. He opened the front door and slammed it shut, the whole house resonating with the loud bang that followed.

"Well..." Sawyer looked between his mother and Lacie. "Mom, can Lacie and I have some time alone, please? I need to talk to her about something."

Sawyer's mother frowned but after a while, she sighed, "Okay. I'll be in my bedroom if you need me." She smiled before disappearing down the corridor.

Sawyer watched as his mother opened the door to her bedroom and vanished within. He turned to face Lacie, wringing his hands. He averted his eyes to the timbre floor before sighing and facing Lacie once more. "Lacie, there's something I need t tell you..."

Lacie looked calmly at Sawyer. She nodded slowly. "Yes? What do you have to tell me? Is it important? Is it personal?" Personally, she hoped for the latter, but she severely doubted it.

Sawyer sighed. "It's more personal, hence the reason I asked my mother to leave. I just hope my father takes his time breaking up with his wife."

Lacie wasn't sure whether to smile or frown. "Right..." she trailed off, her eyes finding the floor.

"Right. Um, Lacie... I've been doing some thinking, lately, and I think..."

Lacie lifted her head and looked directly into Sawyer's eyes, attempting to decipher the emotions held within. "And, you think...?"

Sawyer gritted his teeth. "I know I have said this before, but it didn't really work out. This time, however, I think that it will."

"What are you talking about, Sawyer? Give it to me straight. I don't want to follow you on a long-winded, curvy pathway; I'll end up getting lost and confused. I don't want that, okay? I just want a nice, easy straight road. I don't want to travel through twists, turns, and curves, okay? I just want you to give me a straight answer. Okay?"

Sawyer nodded. "Okay." He drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I think I'm falling for you... again. I'm falling for you, Lacie. I'm falling, and I hope that you give me a soft fall. I hope you don't let me land, hard, on the concrete."

Lacie smiled and drew closer to Sawyer. She cupped his chin in her hands and gazed longingly and lovingly into his eyes. "I won't, Sawyer. I promise to give you the softest fall humanely possible."

***

Hazel walked along the pathway. Leaves scattered the path and fluttered around as she walked past. Every now and then, she would glance upwards and look at the street signs. After a while, she saw a familiar street name and turned to walk up the street. A few minutes later, she found herself staring up the Nelson's driveway. She frowned when she saw the man standing on the driveway. He looked vaguely familiar, though Hazel knew she had never actually seen him before.

Then it hit her.

The man standing on the driveway talking on his phone reminded Hazel of Sawyer. The man on the driveway somewhat resembled Sawyer.

But it was impossible, wasn't it? He was gone. Forever.

Hazel shook her head and walked up the driveway, ignoring the man who shot her a look of annoyance and confusion. She paused outside the window and peered through the lace curtains. Hazel could just make out the silhouettes of two figures wrapped in a tight embrace. She guess that it was Sawyer and his mother, Lorraine, because she couldn't think of anyone else.

Hazel took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She waited, but nobody answered the door. She sighed and tried the door handle. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She turned it and opened the door, her eyes falling on a scene she wished she had never seen.

Walking through that door was like exiting her world of hopes and dreams. Hopes and dreams of being with Sawyer. Hopes and dreams of a rebuilt relationship.

She just stared at the two people, wrapped in a tiny embrace and backed away, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste.

Sawyer looked up in time to see Hazel's hair whipping out of sight. He sprang away from Lacie and ran out of the house. "Hazel, wait!" He hoped that she would turn around. He hoped that she would have a million insults to hurl at him. He hoped that she would at least turn around and give him such a fiery glare that his heart would shrivel and die.

But none of that happened. Hazel never turned. She just simply kept on walking.