Too Sweet. | Haley x F. Farmer

ix. 2 willow lane

Athena's POV

"Ah, here we are," Emily announced. I adjusted Leah's position so she wouldn't tumble as we walked. My eyes landed on the exterior of 2 Willow Lane— that's what they called it. It was a charming house overall, but what caught my attention the most was the sun decoration just above the entrance door. It was a cute touch.

"Damn, I think I lost my key; I can't find it in my pockets," Emily cursed, still patting her pockets in a futile search. "Oh, I hope Haley's still awake," she muttered, clearly frustrated.

"We'll find the key next time," I reassured her. She nodded and began knocking on the door, calling out for Haley as she had mentioned, likely a family member of hers.

"Haley! Can you open the door? Haley? Are you awake? Haleeey!" she called out, adding a few bangs on the door. Hopefully, the neighbors won't wake up with all this noise.

"Damn it, I really hope she's still awake, or we'll have to crash at the saloon. We can't be bothering other neighbors at this hour," she stated, sitting down on the staircase and rubbing her face with her palm.

"We could go to the farm, although it's not in great shape right now," I suggested. It would be a few minutes' walk.

"That's actually a goo-" Emily's sentence was cut off as the door finally swung open.

"Emily?"

"Alex? What the heck are you doing at my house?" Emily's eyebrows furrowed as she looked over at the guy. He was wearing a visibly crumpled white t-shirt with an evident lipstick smudge, and he was only in his boxers. My gaze shifted to his face—a typical white boy with a sporty vibe, albeit quite haggard-looking, sweaty as if he had just finished working out. Then an idea popped into my mind.

"Ah, well—" He was cut off mid-sentence by a voice from behind him chiming in, "You could have used your key, you know," she stated with an annoyed tone.

The girl shoved Alex aside and stepped into full view of the entrance. "Kindly move out of the way," Emily announced as she pushed the girl inside the house. "Come on, Athena," she added, gesturing for me to enter.

Without hesitation, I walked Leah inside; she was starting to feel heavy, and I was already sweating from the carrying session. I quickly settled her on the couch and heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'll get you some water; sit wherever you like," Emily offered as she wandered toward the kitchen. I sat near Leah's feet and wiped the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

"Aren't you the new girl in town?" Alex inquired, now putting on his varsity jacket, having also changed into pants.

"Yeah," I replied shortly. I was getting bad vibes from this guy, not just because he looked like a jock, but something about his aura was off-putting.

"That's cool, with your musty farm going on, maybe I can buy a few eggs from you," he chuckled. "I'm Alex, by the way. Nice shirt," he added, earning a furrowed eyebrow from me.

"Idiot," Haley nudged him rather roughly, eliciting a groan from Alex. I noticed her sky-like eyes scanning me from head to toe, sending a shiver down my spine, especially given the hostility in her gaze. Was she upset that we interrupted their lovey-dovey moment?

I faked a cough, wondering if the glass of water was taking forever to fill, but finally, Emily returned from the kitchen, handing me the glass of water which I gratefully accepted.

"To sum everything up, I lost my key, so sorry if we cockblocked you guys," Emily snickered. Alex laughed, while Haley just rolled her eyes.

"Alex, go home, you smell," Haley retorted before turning back to me. "Don't bother me; I'm going to bed," she firmly announced. The message was directed at us, but her intense gaze seemed fixated on my entire existence. Seriously, what's wrong with her?

Haley disappeared into her room while Emily settled on one of the couches. "That was my sister, by the way. And the guy was Alex, her douchebag boyfriend," she explained. I chuckled, recalling the earlier interactions with her sister and Alex.

"She's kind of a bitch," I blurted out, then quickly looked at Emily, hoping she wasn't offended by my comment about her sister. "Pfft! She is!" Emily laughed.

"Alright, it's late. Let's sleep here; don't you dare go back to the farm at this hour," Emily announced as she stood up from her seat. "I'll get the cushion ready, and then we can sleep in my room. You can just leave early in the morning," she added before disappearing into another room.

I heaved a sigh, resting my head on the couch. I could feel exhaustion creeping over my entire body—the mines, the saloon, the drinking—it was all too much. I think my social battery is almost drained. Hopefully, I'll wake up early so I can tend to the farm; Stone must be waiting for his supper.