Summer Lovin'

Chapter Six

(December 2004)

It seemed wrong that I was back at school for the one day before Christmas Vacation but my dad had said I'd missed enough school.

Josie was staying home with her parents and enjoying every minute she had left with her Mom.

I swallowed hard, fighting the tears that seemed to be ready to fall a lot lately. I hated that the Stevens family was going through this.

As my door shut revealing Gabriel, I gave a little jump. "Hey Hailey, where have you been, I haven't seen you around lately?"

I looked at him surprised that he had noticed. We didn't talk at all anymore so, why he was noticing when I wasn't here, was beyond me. 

I shook off the shock and explained. "I went on vacation with Josie and her family."

It was a bucket list trip for Mrs. Stevens because she had decided not to go through another round of chemo. She wanted to feel good for whatever time she had left. I didn't say any or that though, the family wasn't sharing that with the general public.

I also didn't share my own feelings. About how I was devastated for their family and didn't know how to possibly help my best friend, other than being there whenever she asked me to be.

My emotions were all over the place and I would love a shoulder to cry on but Gabriel wasn't that person for me. We didn't have those kinds of conversations anymore, and so I stayed quiet and just gave him a small smile.

All of the things going on with Josie's family had made me rethink a lot of things.

I had realized that life is short and I needed to spend my time and give my energy to those who deserved it. For example, Claire had asked if she could legally adopt me when she married my Dad this summer and I had decided that I really wanted that.

She was wonderful and I was really happy that my dad had found her and brought her into our lives. I had arrived back from Mexico yesterday and went right up to her to let her know, that I would be honoured for her to adopt me. I loved that she had chosen me. It was the first time time that I called her mom, driving us both to tears. In the middle of our emotional rollercoaster she had said, "Hailey, I hope you know that your birth mother is missing out but that's her problem and her loss."

I really loved Claire! In regards to Gabriel, I was more than aware that I needed to spend less time obsessing about this beautiful man child and once and for all, kill those pesky butterflies that he spiraled through my body so easily.

In my recognition of life being short, I had vowed to myself that I didn't need to be begging for scraps of his attention anymore. I had enough people that wanted to spend time with me, he wasn't worth my energy.

Knowing that I need to follow through with my resolution, I gave him a little wave and moved to catch up with my friend Colin as he walked by. "See you around Gabe."

As we walked, I caught myself looking back and was thrown off by the look of longing on his face.

I shook my head at my own nonsense. He probably needed to fart or something. I had to stop manifesting all these emotions, remembering how Gabriel used to be. He wasn't the same person and I needed to pay attention to his actions.

He's a shitty ass friend and you deserve better.