Just By Chance

Chapter 6: Truth

🔥Zach🔥

I keep my steps light as I approach her, careful that she can't hear me.

...10 yards...5 yards...3 yards...

I grab the back of her hoodie, stopping fast as I slow down. Holding it tightly so she doesn't run away, I yell in victory—
"YES!!! *gasp* I win! *gasp* You lost! *gasp* I win!!!"

We're both leaning over, our hands holding us up on our knees, out of breath. I glance over at her finish line and estimate that I caught her within 10 feet of the curb!!! Phew!!!

"Dang *gasp* it! *gasp* I was *gasp* so *gasp* close!!" she breathes in between gulps of air.

"Yeah, *gasp* you were! Where'd you *gasp* learn to *gasp* run like that?! *gasp* I almost *gasp* didn't catch you!!"

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I was in track and field all through middle school."

Noticing that she wasn't hyperventilating like a fish out of water anymore, I try to mimic her tactics. "That *gasp* explains a lot."

"We're here." She smiles cheerfully, but weakly, might I add.

"What? Already?!"

"Yeah, it's just across the street." She gestured behind her with her thumb at a soft yellow-painted house.

"Can we go inside? I'm really thirsty right now."

"Yeah, follow me." She lead me inside after unlocking her newly painted redwood door. I followed her a little way down the hallway to what appears to be the living room.

"You can look around, if you'd like. Just don't break anything and it'd be great if you took off your shoes. Would you like anything to drink?" She says this while unhooking Sam's leash and putting his stuff away before moving towards the doorless walkway leading to the kitchen.

"Just some water would be great, thanks."

I looked all around and found that all the walls were completely covered with pictures of friends and family, certificates and medals, and a handful of university flags.

The majority were the picture frames of Hailey and her...sister? I think that would be her sister; she had the same hair color and face shape, so probably. There was also a bunch of a similar-looking boy—her younger brother, perhaps.

Hailey's pictures were of all sorts of events: school ID pictures, middle school graduation, baby pictures (oh god, she was adorable), and mostly pictures of her not knowing her picture was being taken. The same went for her brother and sister.

Hmm. There aren't that many currant pictures of the boy; the most recent one had a date that read 6/25/12, which was about 6 years ago. He looked to be the age of 7 or 8 in that picture.

Oh well. I'll find out sooner or later. Just give it time. She'll tell me when she's ready. Friends don't lie.

Yeah, I quoted Stranger Things.
Eleven is the best character in the whole supernatural genre. Fight me about it.

That's what I thought.

Arghh, I need to finish that episode of Stranger Things that my mom so rudely interrupted last night. Hmph. Telling me to go to bed early won't do anything. Don't parents get that, if given the distractions, we kids won't sleep until at least 11:00pm?

Anyway, I go back to Hailey's pictures. They're much more interesting. In one of those pictures she's unaware of being taken, she's about to fall asleep, laying curled into a ball with Sam as a puppy in her arms. Another shows her 4-year-old self picking a little bouquet of daisies at a park. This one had her laughing on a carousel pony. That one had her looking at a mess she'd made with a bag of flour.