“Hailey.” She said her name.
“Ros-ie.” The other girl said. Only her friends call her Rosie and something told her this girl was definitely a genuine person.
Since that day the girls became inseparable.
It was around 6 when the girls finally got to their shared condo and ordered a PAPA JOHN’S pizza with wings. Rosie knew Hailey was curious to know the face of the boy who broke her best friend’s heart.
As the girls were grabbing a dozen boxes from the hallway shelf the door bell rang signaling the pizza man was here.
“Here, I’ll get it and you keep looking.” Hailey offered as she stood up from the couch searching through piles of pictures Rosie stored through out her childhood.
Since her parents decided to travel they left Rosie with the pictures and just kept 3 albums that contained their most favorite pictures of her.
Looking back at the pictures of her in high school that Aaron took made her teary eyed.
Since freshman year Aaron was so into becoming a photographer but then he coach saw him pitch a ball and was in awe as he was determined to recruit him on the team.
But what felt like too soon, she got to the pictures of her and James. She had natural blonde hair but would occasionally dye it brown. If the whole break-up hadn’t happen and in some miracle she and James were married those days would have been the best time of her life.
But in some weird way if she wasn’t as depressed as she was when they broke up she would not be walking down the strip in the late afternoon and probably would not have met Hailey.
Wiping the tears that came close to falling she could hear footsteps coming.
“Pizza’s here.” Hailey said jubilantly as she placed the boxes with plates on top of the glass counter.
But as quickly as she placed the boxes down she sensed her friend’s tensed body language.
“Is that him?” Hailey asked taking the picture Rosie had extended out to her.
“Uh, yeah.” Rosie answered looking over more pictures of her and James and even Aaron.
She even found the one Aaron took of them three close up. Aaron held the camera as Rosie was in the middle and Aaron was kissing her cheek. She let out a small laugh remembering they were in the car going to big bear during spring break their senior year.
Just then Hailey gasped, eyeing the picture Rosie held gently in her hands as she made the assumption. “That’s the guy that honked at us earlier.”
“What? No.” Rosie said faintly remembering the two figures in the tinted car.
“Yes, he came up to me during lunch.”
“And what happened?” Rosie asked skeptical curious to know if he and James still kept in contact.
“He asked for my number.” Hailey told her slowly scrunching her eyes as she looked at her best friend for any sign of disappointment.
Rosie’s mouth fell a gaped as she remember Aaron to be a player back in high school. “Oh and did you give it to him?” She asked slowly as well looking down at the picture of the three.
“Yes, but if it makes you uncomfortable if he calls I’ll just tell him I have a boyfriend.”
“Well uh, last time I saw Aaron he confronted me about James behavior after the break-up but before that he would just sleep around. But no Hailey if you find him attractive I should not-” Rosie was cut off mid sentence as Hailey’s phone rang with an unknown number.
“Hello?” She answered.
“Hailey Ramos.” A sexy voice replied.
“Aaron.” Hailey replied back now looking at Rosie with wide eyes.
‘Put it on speaker.’ Rosie mouth, wanting to hear how Aaron was after about five years of no contact.
“Hi, I didn’t expect you to call so soon.” Hailey said causing Rosie to let out a silent laugh.
The remark caused Aaron to stutter for a girl never told him anything like it.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to go out tonight, you know go on a walk down the dock.” Aaron tried to compose himself for his friend was right next to him.
“Well why don’t you stop wondering and ask me.” Hailey smiled giving Rosie a high-five as they could hear Aaron’s nervousness.
James jabbed his elbow to Aaron’s ribs as he mouth ‘this girl owns you’.
“Hailey, would you go out with me tonight.” Aaron asked trying to cover up his yelp when James hit him.
“Sorry, I have a boyfriend.” Was all Hailey said holding the phone between her and Rosie.
“Boyfriend, now if you had a boyfriend you wouldn’t be giving your number out to hot strangers.” Aaron told her regaining his confidence.
Hailey looked over to Rosie asking for help but got nothing but a shrug and a sorry look.
“Text me your address and I’ll see you at 8.” With that said he hung up leaving the girls a thought.
“Rosie, if this makes you feel weird or uncomfortable I’ll call back and cancel.” Hailey told her.
“No, no you should go.” Rosie smiled leaning over to give her friend a hug.
Hailey smiled at her friend’s thoughtful words. “Let’s just eat pizza and I’ll think about if I want him to take me out.”
Rosie laughed at her friend’s idea but loved it either way.
“Now all we do is wait for her text.” Aaron told James going to messages in his phone.
“Thanks man, I owe you.” Aaron thanked slumping down in his brown arm chair replaying the memories of earlier today.
“No problem but next time don’t warn me whether they are Rosie’s friends or not, if she is a hot chick I am not backing out.”
Aaron laughed as his friends methods have not changed since high school.
“I’m serious, didn’t you see what I had to do to get this girls number. Go down on my knees and pretend we were a couple.” Aaron told him as if it wore the scariest thing in the world, but to him it was.
Aaron was not very good at keeping a commitment, he knew it too. He never had to work to get a girls attention they would usually go to him. But something about this one girl made him want to get on his knees and pretend they were a couple.
