Temptation

Chapter 18 - Hailey

I grabbed my school bag from the front of the house before I left, and taking one last look at the list I’d written myself to remind me of what I needed to bring to school I ran to make the bus. Luckily, when I hopped on, Seb had saved me a seat next to him. I climbed awkwardly into the seat, lifting my tennis racquet and sports bag over the chair and just as I was attempting to wrestle my heavy bag into the seat, the bus stopped. I flew into my seat, and poor Seb got the full force of my bag in his face.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” I asked, pulling my bag away from him. I just knew that my face had gone red with embarrassment. I hate being so clumsy all the time.

“I’m fine, seriously don’t worry about it Hailey,” Seb replied, smiling easily. I felt such a sense of relief then, that he wasn’t mad at me or embarrassed by me. It made me think that maybe I do really like Seb. We spoke about school and work after that and I got off the bus a few stops before he did. I was so glad that it was nearing the end of term, because exams would be over after the first week of the next term.

Surprisingly, Nat and Bri seemed to have eased up on Savannah a bit, but she still looked pale and drawn. I asked Pip if she’d noticed anything different, but she didn’t think anything was wrong. I tried to put it out of my mind because knowing Savannah, she’d talk about it only if she wanted to; she was quite private in that regard.

We sat down together in last period, science, and our kind but clueless teacher played another pointless, vaguely science related movie. Science was always a good subject to talk in, because it was always slack and we never got in trouble.

“Sav, Hailey, what are you going to wear to formal?” Pip said excitedly.

“I have no idea,” I said, “Savannah what about you?”

She looked up from her phone, a visible frown on her face, “Umm I think I’ll go shopping soon, I’m not too sure”.

Pip and I exchanged glances, knowing something was up. Pip quickly moved on to other things, like how Jake was, what she and Jake were doing after school and I’m sure she would have gone on to tell us what she and Jake were going to name their firstborn if it wasn’t for the bell. The three of us walked out of class and said goodbye.

Pulling my school bag over my shoulder, I spotted Angus’s car in the street outside of school. I smiled, and walked over to where he was standing by the front door of the car. When he saw me, his face relaxed and he gave me a giant smile.

“Woah there, turn it down a notch I’m being blinded by that smile,” I joked.

He laughed and took my bag from me. “You got your cast off,” he commented.

“Yeah, thank god,” I said, “But I’m going to miss your cooking!”

We drove away from school and Angus turned to me in excitement, saying, “I forgot to tell you Hailey, I thought that maybe if you wanted to we could go see the new Wes Anderson movie together.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been meaning to see it for so long…he’s my favourite director, that’d be amazing!” I grinned at him.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, “but maybe now we should go to the beach or something”.

I didn’t have a lot of homework, as it was the last week of term, but I did have lots of study to do. Angus probably did as well, but he’s one of those lucky people who didn’t have to study to get good marks, like Savannah or Charlotte. After deliberating this for a bit, I realised I was being stupid and I should just go to the beach with him. “Sure, why not?” I said in reply.

We drove to the beach, just past my house and once we got there, chilled in the sand at the quiet side of the beach. I’m not usually a giant fan of the beach, but I really enjoyed myself. We bought ice-creams, Angus refusing to let me pay, but before we could sit down again, his phone rang.

“Hey babe,” he said into the phone. Angus listened intensely for a bit and then began whispering quite quietly. I strained my ears, trying to hear what he was saying, but I couldn’t make anything out. Finally, he began talking normally again, and then after I’d finished my ice-cream, and his had begun to drip down his hand, he ended the call with, “Love you too, bye”.

“Who was that?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, just my girlfriend,” he said, his tanned skin showing the faint signs of a blush. He must like her a lot. I felt quite odd once he’d told me. Of course a guy like Angus would have a girlfriend, and we were only friends, but I couldn’t describe why I felt so funny.

We walked in silence back to his car, and he asked if I needed a lift home. I said no, although I’m not entirely sure why, I was still feeling a little bit weird for seemingly no reason, so I thought the walk might clear my head. He hugged me and said goodbye, and I started walking home.

I walked slowly, trying to enjoy the lovely streets, but I just wasn’t feeling myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little movement from the bushes across the road. I crossed, very carefully, and brushed the foliage away only to find the smallest golden retriever puppy I’d ever seen. It couldn’t have been more than a month or two old and it had the most precious face I’d ever seen. I’m such a dog person, I fawn over every puppy I come across and this was no exception. I carried the dog with me as I walked, knocking on the doors of my neighbours and asking if it belonged to them. Nobody had claimed it, and by the time I had reached my house, I was firmly resolved to taking it home with me.

“Isn’t that right little puppy, you want to stay with me, don’t you?” I cooed, cuddling the dog closer.

I opened the door and set the puppy down inside. It immediately scampered off into the kitchen, and I followed closely. I made a cup of tea, and took the dog upstairs with me while I thought about what to do with it. I knew that it couldn’t stay here permanently, but I didn’t want to abandon it to the RSPCA. I climbed into bed, and bless his cotton socks, the puppy followed me in. He curled up against my side and fell asleep, snoring gently, and I knew that I had to make sure it was in safe hands.