Because of You

Chapter 5: The Iced Coffee

The hallways are empty. Totally empty. Something feels weird, and I spin around, confused at why I'm the only one here. But then I see him. Hayden. He's about twenty yards down the hallway and he's facing me. I yell his name, but he doesn't hear. So I yell again, louder this time. I feel my pulse quick and sweat begins to roll down my neck. I scream for him again, but he turns away from me and starts walking in the opposite direction. I scream louder, tears rolling down my cheeks. And still, he doesn't hear.

I frantically jolt up out of bed. It's 3:59 AM. I'm drenched in sweat and out of breath. What a nightmare. I know it's just a dream, but something about it makes my stomach twist. The feeling of calling out to him and him turning away. I shiver. Knowing I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep, I grab my phone and creep on Hayden's Instagram.

I lay in bed, listening to music and stalking his photos for an hour. I finally get up, drink coffee, pack my lunch, feed Minka, and get ready. I'm groggy from the lack of sleep, but I pick out a cute outfit to hopefully make me feel a little better. I wear my black skinny jeans, black sandals, and a fitted, light pink blouse. I curl my hair in loose, mermaid curls and it cascades down my shoulders and back, all the way down to my hips.

Today is my last day of being fifteen. Tomorrow, I am officially a woman. And while I am excited at the thought of finally being a woman, I'm still full of disappointment from yesterday. Why was Hayden so weird to me? I just don't get it. He was almost flirty towards me on Instagram, but then didn't even look at me in class. Did I do something wrong?

I tell my mom about the situation and how I'm feeling on the drive to school. I'm so thankful that I can talk to her with total security. I know she's always going to be on my side and tell me exactly what I need to hear.

"Bri, I think you're overthinking it. Maybe he just had a busy day or had something on his mind. Don't read into it too much. Take a deep breath and try again today."

She reaches her hand over and pats my leg. Thank God for mom. She always knows just what to say. I stare out the window and watch the sunrise; a mix of pinks and purples. And I realize that Mom is right. I can't let it get me down. I don't have enough time left with Hayden to spend it having a pity party.

**

The majority of my day is boring. Maggie and I talk at lunch about our plans tomorrow for celebrating my birthday, and she teases me with how much I'm going to love the present she got for me.

"Seriously dude, you're going to freak. Like you have no idea," she says as she chews her pepperoni Hot Pocket. "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to tell you -"

Maggie dives into a story about her mom freaking out on her for not taking the trash out, but she loses my attention when I see Hayden walk into the cafeteria. He confidently glides across the large room, keeping his eyes straight ahead like always. The loud echoes of students talking fades into the background and he is all I can focus on. I don't take my eyes off of him. I stare as hard as I can, willing him to look in my direction. But he doesn't.

"Um hello, did you even hear any of that?" Maggie says, snapping me back to reality.

"Uhm, no sorry. Tell me again."

**

I daydream about Hayden during most of my classes, as per usual. I can't get my mind to focus on anything else. Plus, it's hard to pay attention in class when your stomach is completely in knots. How am I supposed to care about chemistry in a time like this?

Walking down the hall to my next class, I see Ms. H walking in my direction. "Bri! Hi honey! How are you? Any birthday plans?" I give her a hug, and tell her about our birthday plans this weekend. She then pulls a birthday card and a Starbucks gift card out of her purse and hands it to me.