My mornings started early. As a teacher, you learn to adjust to being up early.
However, I was now living in New York and in all honesty, I am living my best life. My next door neighbor is the sweetest lady ever and has a former conman living in the apartment above her. He was kind, I never had any issues with them. I walked outside and to my car, unlocking it to throw my bag into the back. It was almost 7 AM on a Friday morning, all I had to do was push through today to enjoy my weekend.
"Morning, Cooper." I look to my left to see the blue-eyed man that lived above June. I grinned.
"Morning to you too, Caffrey. A little early for you, isn't it?" I asked as I walked around to my driver's side door.
"Never. A morning run, watching the sunrise...can't get much better than that." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.
"You could sleep a few extra hours." Neal shrugged, a boyish grin on his face. "See you later." I got into my car and drove off, mentally preparing myself to deal with kids today.
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I loved my job, don't get me wrong, but there were times where I wanted to be something more exciting. I didn't want to be a nurse or a doctor. There would be way too much responsibility involved and I'd probably never leave the hospital.
I work 5 days a week from 7:30 until 3. It wasn't too much and it gave me time to unwind. Tonight was something to look forward to. Ever since I moved in, June and I always talked over wine on Friday nights. Now that Neal is here, we invite him too.
High school kids are a handful, but at the end of the day, I have a nice group of kids. Are all of them excited about what they're learning? No, however, they're all a sweet bunch.
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I sighed and walked into my house, taking my hair out from the obnoxiously tight ponytail. As much as I wanted to cave in and rest, I decided to go to June's because it was a tradition. We never missed a single Friday, and we continued while Neal ran to the Cape Verde islands. June even left a glass out for him in case he came back. We all sat on the terrace, enjoying the view of the sunset.
"So Haley, how were the children today?" June asked, handing me a glass.
"They're great, some of them rather not read the book chapters I assigned. I can't force them to read it. They were a little distracted today." I told her, taking a sip.
"Distracted by what?" I chuckle and look at Neal.
"There was gossip going around that someone who works for the FBI got kidnapped...You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
Neal smirked, sitting up in his chair. "It's a long story. Basically, someone kidnapped me to help him get into the Pink Panthers. Rebecca told him about me."
"Wait, Rebecca, like intelligent-lying about her identity-crazy about the diamond, Rebecca?" Neal nodded in agreement. "What are the Pink Panthers?"
"They're an elite group of criminals...in a nutshell. But I made Peter promise me that after we take them down, I get my freedom."
My eyes widened, looking over at June who had a similar expression. "Neal, that's amazing!"
"Neal, honey, you can do it!" June had cheered, laughing with excitement. June excused herself, walking back downstairs. Neal and I walked back inside and I notice his smile begin to fade.
"What's wrong?" He was quiet for a moment before he answered.
"Rebecca died today." I felt my heart break for him. I hate what she did to Neal, he cared about her and he really fell for her.
"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question. You ask someone if they're okay, and they say yes instead of explaining what's bothering them. He would do that, but I thought maybe tonight the answer would be different.
"No, I'm not. I really want to hate her for the things she did, but I can't. I really liked her."
"I'm sorry, Neal." A comfortable silence took over, nothing but the wind was heard. "I should go," I spoke quietly, putting my glass into the sink.
"Sorry I ruined the mood." He muttered as he walked me to the door.
"Hey, you didn't ruin anything. You had a rough day and you need rest." I looked at him for a moment, his blue eyes lost the usual sparkle they had. I pulled Neal into a hug, which he accepted. It was something I rarely did, but he was crushed. "I have faith in you. You're going to take down these Panther people and you're going to gain your freedom. You deserve it."
"Thanks, Hales."
"Of course. Let me know if you need anything." I gave him a small smile before turning to go down the stairs, pausing to say one last thing. "And please, get some rest. You look exhausted."
