Hayden Gilmore was like the many women in her family who came before her; pretty, smart and addicted to coffee. And growing up in the small, close-knit town of Stars Hallow with her hair-brained mother and bookworm sister, they couldn't have been cl...
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LAZY-HAZY-CRAZY-DAYS
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THE summer was passing in a blur of frustration and pain, two things Hayden had felt an abundance of over a course of six weeks. Her hands gripped tight onto the two perpendicular bars, teeth gritted as she manoeuvred her braced leg forward to line up with the other. But with every step her mind was distracted, filled with all-consuming presence of the boy who broke her heart.
With her mother waiting in the fancy lounge complete with espresso bar and sparkling water on tap, Hayden allowed her physical therapist, Josie to wheel her into the rehabilitation room. It was filled with others like her, some better off, some worse as they used the tools given to try and get better. She wondered if it would work. Could she ever go back?
"—And this is my assistant for the summer. He'll be helping you out whenever you need, okay?" Josie's cheerful voice broke Hayden out of her thoughts and she began to follow the bubbly woman's gaze "T, over here."
As the figure turned from whatever task they'd been doing, Hayden's heart began to pound inside her chest. No, it couldn't be. But then they finally lifted their head, and as their gazes met, what remained of Hayden's world crumbled around her.
He stood before her, hands stuffed into the pockets of his navy slacks before uttered the two words she'd replayed over and over in her minds a thousand times.
"Hi, Mary."
"Tristan?"
Hayden was frozen as she stared at the all too familiar boy before her, numb to Josie excusing herself as she was called away. Her eyes were locked on Tristan, taking him in. Had he gotten taller? Or did she just suddenly feel much, much smaller? Were his eyes always so blue? Was his hair as soft as she remembered? Did he remember her? Did he miss her? Did he think about her as much as she thought about him? Did he even care?
"Hayden--"
His name falling from her lips was like a bucket of ice dousing out the flames in her mind and she was quick to flatten her expression, jaw clenching as she shook her head "What the hell are you doing here?"
