Before it ends

My bad...

The next few weeks flew by. All my assignments were completed now and me and Hayley had never been in such a good place. We'd never had so much sex either. This last weekend especially. I guess I needed the distraction. Emily told the family she got accepted into a training centre in London. So of course I said that she was moving way to fast, though this met with me being called "an overprotective fascist jerk" who would "totally support her if she had something growing between her legs." ~ not true by the way.
Mum was 100% on board and a whole new person recently. She got a job as a maternal psychologist. I think it suits her. A lot of her patients have postpartum depression. I think it's good for her to talk about these things.
Dan on the other hand recently found out about Grace. He's a little mad I didn't tell him, but he's getting to understand it wasn't my place. He's applied to a college in Iceland. Supposedly, it's a great place to study physical education, he wants to be a football trainer. Plus that's where Grace is doing her treatment. Apparently that's a "lucky coincidence."
*****
"Can I have your fries?" Hayley sits beside me in the school cafeteria.
"No." She sends me a fake glare and I laugh.
"Here." Dan pushes his half eaten tray to Hayley. "I've got practice this lunch and after school. Can you remind your sister?" She nods happily and dumps his food into her tray.
"See ya." I throw him a nod and he jogs towards the locker rooms.
"Hey Lea I'll trade my chicken strips for your burger."
"Done." We swap trays.
"So you share with her and not me." Hayley fakes hurt.
"Yeah well there are somethings I share with you that she's never gonna get."
"Yeah like what?"
"Is that your way of asking for a repeat of last night?" She blushes.
"You can't answer a question with a question Montgomery."
"Just did." She takes a big bite of my burger and I smirk at her weak intimidation.
"Is this seat taken?" I look up to Vee standing with a tray in her hands. She doesn't really address, the whole table. Just Hayley. There's a thick moment of silence... before Hayley plasters on a fake smile.
"No, come sit ." She bats her eyelashes "Do you even have to ask? Ryan this is my old bestie Vee."
"Yeah we've met." And Hayley knows we have. I told her about what happened last week. She seemed surprised, she definitely didn't tell me they were ex- best friends.
Vee places her handbag on the table between me and Hayley. I looked to my girlfriend but she didn't catch my gaze. I smiled tightly and moved up.
"Thanks babe." Vee winks at me and I turn my head away. She may have not done anything to me specifically, but it doesn't take a genius to see she isn't someone I want to be friends with.
"So the devil actually wears prada." She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion and I point to her bag still on the table.
"Oh." She grins "Yeah, and Gucci and Louis Vuitton and Chanel." Hayley giggles at this.
It wasn't even funny.
"So there's a party on tonight." She looks around for a brief second before zoning her attention in on Ms Rhys.
"So Haze? Are you up for it?"
"I don't think so." Hayley shrugs
"We don't go out on school nights." I say.
"Oh come on. You used to do it all the time Haze."
"Haze?" I ask
"Yeah it's a nickname. When Hayley drinks to much she goes through this Haze faze. It's crazy what she'll do or who she'll-"
"You know what, that party sounds great." Hayley interrupts Veronica and shoots her a hate smile.
"Fabulous." I look around the table and see the twins stabbing at their food. Hay and Vee are talking like they've known each other forever. I don't know how Hayley can talk to someone who treats her friends like trash but it's not exactly attractive. I watch her laugh and giggle beside Veronica, it all seems too natural. She laughs without her nose wrinkling, she giggles without her usual boisterous ending. She seems perfect, too perfect.
I get it though. It's like when one of these girls talk to you they either give so much or so little attention, you either bask in it or crave for more.
"We're actually not hungry. We're just going to go." Lea dropped her cutlery on the tray and got up, her sister soon followed.
 I shot them an apologetic smile. Hayley and Vee waved goodbye. It wasn't one of those genuine move-your-hand-from-side-to-side waves. It was the fingers-moving-back-and-forth taunt you wave.
The twins didn't wave back.
"So how did you two meet?" I move to opposite Hayley before answering the question.
"I-umm-I met Hayley in class. She gave a speech and I complimented her on it." Hayley nods.
"Minus the waiting for me at the gate like a stalker."
"Not true Rhys." I throw a fry her way.
"Don't lie Montgomery." She throws it in her mouth.
"You waited for me too."
"No." She shook her head. "I waited for cute, mysterious new guy with no name." I rolled my eyes.
"You went looking for silver and you found gold, sounds good to me." I shrug nonchalantly.
"Well it was by far the best discovery I ever made." I smile and find the sincerity in her eyes. I suddenly have the urge to kiss her. "After French fries." She adds. The urge disappears.
"So Montgomery." My eyes shoot to Vee. "What exactly is your thing? I know your not into sports like Jake and Dan." Nobody else calls me Montgomery. Literally no one else. I've been sitting with the twins for months now and they haven't even tried to jump into this thing with me and Hayley.
"I-umm-I don't have a thing." She narrows her eyes like she's trying to solve a cross puzzle. "And it's Ryan. Just Ryan. Only Hayley calls me Montgomery."
"Well I have nicknames for all my friends."
"Exactly." Her eyes narrow even more. "Just Ryan thanks." No one speaks after that. Not until lunch ends. I pick up my tray and carry Hayley's to the bin, cleaning all the food off both.
"You ready babe?" When I come back to the table the girls are whispering.
"Sure." Vee walks towards me.
"Umm-I-We have next period together. Me and Hayley."
"Oh." Vee's face is pulled into a straight line. "Well we never do the last periods anyway."
"What?" I ask.
"When I was here me and Haze always skipped."
"Well you left." I pull Hayley towards me.
"And I'm back now." Vee does the same.
"Babe let's just go to class." I think it's blatantly clear I do not like Hayley's old friend. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion before they land on my girlfriend. I place a kiss on her forehead and take her hand to leave.
"I think me and Ryan have bio together."
"What?" Hayley turns to Vee again. Great- note the sarcasm.
"Yeah, I'll get to talk to him then, so don't worry. Leave me. I'm pretty sure he'll make great replacement company." She speaks as if there is a hidden meaning in her words. Like she's got the upper hand somehow.
"You know," Hayley lets go of my hand "it wouldn't hurt."
"No." I step forward and she steps back.
"Go. I'll meet you after school." I shake my head.
"I have that thing with Ashley."
"Yeah plus your coming to mine to get ready for the party." I dismiss the fact that no one was talking to Veronica; I dismiss the fact that Hayley never parties on a school night; and I dismiss the fact that this party is going to be a pool of college guys. College guys and Hayley.
"Ryan." She pulls me out of my thoughts. "Don't make this a big deal." She reaches for my hand but I pull back.
"I gotta get to class. I'll call you- or-umm- I'll see you tomorrow." I smile and walk off. I'm not mad at her. I'm just-I don't know. I guess we fell into a pattern. I got too used to it.
My bad.