Our Broken Pasts [Editing] | #Wattys2017

Chapter Eight

Hailey

So.

That part about Will being my partner?

Yeah, that just kind of fell out of my mouth. I did not mean for it to happen.

I just couldn't stand the idea of Natalie Simmons partnering with him. Plus, he sat beside me. And he didn't protest when I said we were partners. Actually, he seemed to like the idea. So it was fine.

"You will have the rest of the proof to work on your ideas and make any plans. Keep the volume down."

"So, you wanted to be my partner that badly? You could've just said so." Will was smirking at me, and I liked it.

"No."

"Oh, come on. You just want an excuse to be around me."

"I do not!"

"Do too."

"Do n- you know what? This is pointless. Where do you want home base? My place or yours?"

"Let's have it at your house. My room is too messy. All our work would probably get lost."

"Okay. Work after school today?"

"I have football practice. But you can wait for me. We both know you'd love to admire my skills."

I scoffed. "The only skills I want to admire have to do with your ability to hold up your end of a project."

"Just keep telling yourself that, baby girl."

God, this guy was infuriating.

Will

I could barely focus all through football practice that evening. I couldn't stop looking at Hailey. She was sitting on the bleachers working on homework and she had on the cutest reading glasses.

God, I was going insane over glasses.

"Who's the chick?" Blake Stinson, our starting safety, asked.

"Yeah, she's not your usual type." That comment came from Jordan Hollister. He was quite the ladies man himself, only with leggy blondes, though.

"Fuck off."

"Ooh, touchy. This one must be different." Jordan laughed.

Blake studied me. "Shut up, Hollister. She's totally different."

-

I came out of the showers still mulling over what Blake had said. She's totally different. She was. And that scared the shit out of me.

Looking out to the bleachers, I saw Blake and Jordan talking to Hailey. I took off at a run. Jordan and Blake weren't all that bad, but you could never trust them not to run off their mouths.

"Will, man, we were just talking about you!" Jordan exclaimed.

Hailey blushed.

"Were you?" I turned to look at Hailey. "Whatever they said, it wasn't true."

"So it's not true that you're a guy who's loyal to his friends, has a tough guy exterior but is actually really sensitive and sweet and thinks he isn't worthy of love so he plays the field? 'Cause that's the guy I see, too."

"Um, actually..."

"It's spot on, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, half hoping she didn't hear. I looked up to see her soft gaze on me, those gorgeous hazel eyes staring straight into my soul.

"Anyway, boys, we better go. Nice to meet you." Hailey hopped down off the bleachers, giving Jordan and Blake a quick wave as she pulled me out to the parking lot. Jordan and Blake stood staring after us, waving with shit-eating grins on their faces.