Too Late | m.c [completed]

Chapter 4-The Truth

Today I met up with Hanna. We're in the food court, nibbling at our pizzas. I can tell something is wrong because she's not her usual self.

"Hanna, what's wrong" I finally speak up. She slowly looks up at me with a frown.

"Hanna?" I ask, earning a sigh from her. "I've been thinking..." she starts. "I decided I need to tell you some thing" she finishes.

"What is it?" I ask, putting down my slice and leaning back in the chair.

"I did some things in the past that aren't good. And if we're going to be friends...then you should know" she looks back down, then up to me repeatedly.

"Go on" I tell her. She keeps her eyes on mine for a while now. "I was arrested before when I was a little younger. Last year, I believe" she chokes out. "For what?"

"I broke into a home. It was supposed to be a prank for my friend but I went into the wrong house. Stayed there until my parents bailed me out"

I furrow my eyebrows. "Is there anything else?" I ask. She nods her head slowly.

"I also got into a fight with someone before...they had to go to the hospital" she looks down now.

I nod, taking in all the information. "Okay" I finally say after a while. "Okay?" she asks.

"Yeah" I shrug. "Well, the second part is bad. But, maybe you had a reason to do so. The first part isn't that bad. It was a mistake. Everyone makes one" I shrug, taking a long sip of my soda.

She smiles. "Wow, you're the first person to ever not judge me on what I did. Like, badly"

"So...how 'bout that weather?"

***

The next morning, my first customer was Hanna, like usual. "We gotta go" she said as soon as she saw me.

"Hello to you too" I chuckle, recieving a serious look from her. Luckily, my dad was here to take my shift.

Before we walked out to wherever she wanted to go, she stopped and turned to the books.

I remember exactly what she said to me. "'I cannot live without books.' a quote by Thomas Jefferson. Him and I have something in common" she smiled then turned back to the door, continueing her path.

We walk for a minute and end up to my favorite café.

We wait in line to order and I notice that this old lady is staring at me from a distance with an old man beside her.

I look back to Hanna, shaking it off.

After we order, we go to the counter to wait for our coffees.

The same couple that stared at me walk over to us and tap my shoulder. "Excuse me?" she asks. "Yes?"

"I just have to say...you two make such a cute couple" she smiled brightly, looking up to her (I'm guessing) husband.

"We aren't a coup-" I start to say but got cut off by Hanna's voice. "Thank you!" she exclaims.

The couple end up walking away and I stand here, standing down at her in confusion.

"Why'd you tell them that we're dating?"

"Because, Michael. You really shouldn't break old people's hearts" she shakes her head, adding mountains of sugar in her cup.

I nod in understandment, even though I didn't get it. I never got what she said. She's a girl with a mysterious heart. And I like that about her.

"Come on" she says, leading me outside of the café. We walk for maybe 10 minutes until we reach a bridge. We cross it and she walks inside this small house. Looks like it's abondoned.

"Come on" she yells from inside. I don't go in. I just stand outside the door, watching her moves.

"I don't wanna" I shake my head, not giving in. "What, are you scared? You have red hair and an eyebrow peircing" she scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sigh and walk inside. She has defeated me. Like always.

She walks toward an open area that has a couch and a wooden chair in it. Everything is dark and dusty.

Hanna takes out her pack of cigarettes and her lighter, flicking the thing. The only source of light seems to be her lighter.

She then puffs out a cloud of smoke, making me gag.

"Hanna, why do you smoke?" I ask, trying to catch a breath of air. "I smoke because it calms me down. But right now I'm already calm. I just like it at times" she shrugs, taking another drag.

"Can you please...stop" and she stops immediatly. But she doesn't put it out. She doesn't put it under her boot and crush the toxins and chemicals. She doesn't. She just holds onto it with her index and middle fingers.

"Why?" she simply asks, like any two year old would.

"M-My grandma used to s-smoke and it k-killed her" I stutter, scared of her reaction from my choice of words.

Hanna put it out like how I pictured it. She threw it on the ground and crushed it. "Thank you" I mumble.

"How'd she die?" her voice cracked slightly. "She got lung cancer. It was caused by her smoking all the time. And she died in the hospital. In my very own hands" I look down, remembering that horrible moment. She took her last breath as I was having a normal conversation with her.

"I swear to God that I will never smoke again"

And she kept her promise. Never touched one again. Until that one night.