~LOSING IT ALL~
N|B^[I'm sorry guys that I couldn't update this chapter on Saturday. I had been so caught up with work and preparing for my convocation. I hope you guys understand. Thank you so much ❤️]
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23| SPEAKING OF THE DEVIL
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I PEER OUT OF THE PLATE glass window of Weatherrane's café next to me at the parking lot and watch Camille blow out a long stream of cigar smoke.
She's wearing a 'welcome to Weatherrane café' hat, with a matching blue apron thrown over her thick cotton sweater above high-waisted jeans. Jennifer is leaning against the hood of the pinto station wagon, baggy cargo pants legs crossed at the ankle as she speaks incomprehensibly to Milley.
"I'm sorry, Hayley. Jay told me everything." Newt says forlornly from across the booth where we are both sitting to study. Sunlight slants through the window and onto his red frizzy hair, and the riotous strands of curls glitters against the yellowish ray.
I ignore him though, intensively watching the duo outside.
"Honestly I didn't mean to insinuate anything, but, you guys action led me into thinking that." He pauses to draw an hysterical breath. "Jay is my friend, you would've done the same thing if the case was reversed. Irrespective of the outcome, I still think that Dale likes—"
"—Don't even start." I growl at him, pinning him with my favorite sullen look of disapproval. "If you had any doubts whatsoever about Dale and me, you should've confronted me about it. Complicating things with Jay was a dick move. We could've avoided this discussion, but what'd you do, you went ahead to spill the beans much without any backed up evidence."
"I said I'm sorry, bro."
"Don't you bro me." I snap.
"My bad, I'm sorry."
"What's going on here?" Jayden saunters over carrying our orders. The smell of cheeseburgers, fries and coffee hits me as soon as he lowers the tray onto the lumbering table. I slam my Prescott textbook shut, and shove it to a corner with the rest of my notebooks. Newt shuts his Apple laptop in sync.
"Where're the rest?" Jayden ask, slipping into the booth beside me. I snatch up a wrapped burger and hungrily take a huge first bite. Mmmm.
"Jenny and Mill went out to share a quick smoke. Dale says he's been held up in traffic, but will be here anytime soon." Newt narrates in my place. Jayden hums in understanding and tilts to stare outside the window.
"I should go call them in." He suggests, starting to rise again.
"I'll do it!" I interject abruptly, pinning him down with a hand to his hard thigh. Newt and Jayden throws me a surprise look, and I force up a bright smile. "Let me do it. I've something to tell them anyway."
Newt shrugs noncommittally, but Jayden hardens a skeptical gaze on me. What're you up to? His look portrays nonverbally. I repress the urge to scoff.
A tiny rusty bell chimes as I walk through the café's door. Rush of a late afternoon wind whistles around me, and ruffles my hair around my face. I inhale luxuriously and sigh in content.
A muted rattle and clank of a train sounds at a distance, I tilt my eyes to the slightly deserted street and hug my arms around my chest.
"What're you doing out here, Mami." Jennifer teases as she pushes off the hood of the station wagon. I tuck my hair behind my ears and watch them suspiciously.
"You guys did it on purpose, didn't you?" I probe caustically. Camille makes an equivocal sort of face and crush out her cigarette under the heel of her converse. Jennifer throws out her hands in a quizzical pose. I bare my teeth at them in frustration.
"You guys knew that Jayden would go fetch our orders and so, in order to get Newt to confess and come clean about telling Jayden everything, you both had to be scarce." I mock clap. "Bravo guys. Here I thought you had my back, but it turns out that you just wanted me to die of boredom."
Camille kiss her teeth. "C'mon, Hayley, don't be like that. Newt means well."
"Does he?" I peak a brow. "He's staunchly thinks that Dale likes me."
"He does!" They both reply in sync.
"Dale doesn't." I snap hotly. "He's caring and kind towards me, but He. Doesn't. Like. Me!"
Jennifer flings her braids dramatically over her shoulder and crosses her arms. "Are we going to go over this again?" She says sarcastically. "Everyone here knows that he likes you. Have you forgotten the night at Whitley's, he didn't even blink when he said your name. He asks you to go look for apartments with him, he didn't even ask Jayden, he's childhood friend. I just don't understand why you think otherwise. It's very evident, you just have to stop debating. Besides, what do you want to get out of it?" She eyes me shrewdly. "Why does it matter if he likes you?"
I lower my gaze to the cracked sidewalk. Camille sighs in realization beside me. "Don't tell me—"
The sound of an approaching vehicle penetrates through the lumpish air. I turn just in time to watch Dale's Volkswagen Beetle glide towards us, and then slide perfectly into a parking space beside the station wagon. His presence alone makes my head to echo with the pounding of my pulse.
Speaking of the devil!
"What's up, guys." Dale says raggedly in a form of greeting, striding towards us. My breathe hitches as I watch him. Dark denim jacket over white tee and faded jeans clings to the musculatures of his perfectly bronze frame. Bright set of deep brown eyes, and an unruly cluster of dark curls on a finely etched face. Why wouldn't I want this guy to like me? Why wouldn't I like him so much that it hurts? Is it a crime to fall in love with someone else?.
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LOSING IT ALL //HAYLEY PARKER
RomanceHayley Parker's life was hypothetically going just smoothly. She had an amazing boyfriend, and housemates who always had her back. Well, not until Dale Randall saunters into her comfortable and normal life, changing her every perspectives about love...
