The Editor • Hatfilms Book 1 ✔️

Chapter 8: Calling Stephanie

Hey SierraOwls here :) So yeah, IT'S FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY!!! I'm up late to write soe stuff. So here is one chapter. And so soz now, this book will be finishing in 2 chapters time. BUT there could be an epilogue :) Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Calling Stephanie

-Marcus-

I was driving on my little black Honda with the speakers down and my phone in my hands. It’s likely to get caught with your phone while driving but how can you if you’re speeding down the motorway over speed limit? My phone rang a couple of times until my twin sister answered. Placing it onto the seat beside mine, I put it on speaker for me to speak.

“Finally you answered!” I heard a rather manly voice under the speaker.

I raised an eyebrow and said, “Who the hell is this?” My head hoped she was pretending rather than an actual stranger picking it up.

“It’s me you bimbo,” The tone turned into a feminine one and I laughed at Stephanie’s act.

“Okay, calm yourself.” I keep my eyes focused on the road as I talked to her.

“I’ve been calling you like a hundred times now! Why haven’t you picked up?” She asked and I flash my mind to what happened when I saw her. I told her then she needed to pretend to be me for my job since I had a promotion. And after I left, the past weeks were me travelling up Scotland and trying to finish the job and get the salary as possible.

“Sorry, I was just so busy that I forgot about it,” I apologised. “But I finished the promotion job though.”

I heard her sighed through the phone.

“But when are you going to Bristol then?” She asked and I pause for a second why I was even driving.

“Uh,” I stuttered. “Around now...”

“What?! NOW?!” She shouted.

“No I mean... I am but,” I spoke cautiously. “I’ll have to stop in York for a rest though.”

“Have you got an estimate when you’ll be arriving then?” She charged me back answers as I changed lanes on the road for an exit.

“Maybe tomorrow noon I’ll come around the new flat,” I replied back. “I’ll try and call Aria and Hazel to come there tomorrow as well.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there tomorrow then.” Stephanie said before we both said our goodbyes. Picking up my phone, I slid it on my back pocket and turned the car into the exit. There was a sign showing directions.

It said: York 

After turns on similar turns, I looked around my surroundings to have bustling streets and tall buildings. It was turning night and the sun was starting to lower itself under the horizon. Panning around, I spotted a nearby Premier Inn amongst the many buildings. I slowly decrease my speed and entered the car park. The car slowed down to a halt and I exited the car. It was cold and breezy, and the blades of cold air slashed my cheeks.

Locking the car behind me, I grabbed my only bag and headed up to the front reception. The double automatic doors flew open the moment I stepped in front. And despite the fact hot raging air flew into my face, it was rather pleasant since it was freezing cold outside!

I went up to the front desk and asked for a room. Gladly they did have spare rooms, since it was around March and families weren’t roaming around the lobby. The lady gave me the key and I headed up the lift (or elevator) to my room. Silence filled the eerie night as I walked through the dark corridor and found the correct room. I took the keys and unlocked the door. Then, I walked in. The place was especially homely. There was a queen size bed on one side of the wall and a sofa beside the sliding window. Red wooden doors lead to a small bathroom and toilet. I threw my bag onto the sofa and threw myself onto bed.

I groaned. There was so much stress in my mind. Work was stressful. But what stressed me was keeping my only family in contact. Stephanie is the only one I’ve got left: I don’t want to lose her because of money situations.

That was why I took the job promotion. My old job took me down, I didn’t have enough to keep myself alive: such as food and even a place. And I didn’t want to plead for help from my own sis all the time.

However, I had enough now when I got the promotion. I had money to buy a flat near the Yogscast building and work there.

And you may think I’ve done well without anything, but there was one thing I did.

I lied.

I lied to everyone, even Stephanie. I told her I have a flat but I didn’t. I told Hatfilms that I can edit: I can’t. I told the Yogscast I can work there, but I couldn’t: I had Stephanie to fill me in.

How am I going to explain all of this?

“I’m such a wreck!” I groaned into my pillow and drifted off to sleep.

---

I woke up quite late (around 9); with my phone vibrating in my pockets. It wasn’t a call that caused me to go alert, but a message. It was Aria and Hazel.

Aria: Hey Marc, heard from Steph that you finished. Good then, she’d been dying to wear her own clothes for weeks!?

Chuckling from her natural sense of humour, I ruffled my hair and got up. I texted back I was heading to Bristol, and then I went into the bathroom and freshened up as quickly. I was still 3 hours away from the city, so I didn’t bother to change clothes but fixed myself up. Grabbing my belongings with me, I shut the door and hopped into the lift; down to the lobby. There I thankfully gave back the keys and rushed out of the hotel.

And for hours in my car, I drove down the highway with the radio blazing out music. Luckily, time passed so quickly: I find myself already at Bristol, roaming around. I looked at the time to see it was:

12: 15 – noon

‘I should probably stop and eat before I meet Steph’ I thought in my head. Then, I spotted a nearby Starbucks around the corner. I stopped and parked beside the pavement, carefully watching for pedestrians.

Quickly, I got out and crossed the street; into the busy Starbucks coffee shop. With my hands in my pocket, my eyes staring towards the multiple signs: I heard someone calling my name.

“Hey Marcus!” I looked around for the voice and spotted a petite woman; her blonde – almost white – loose. Was she talking to me?

‘Maybe she’s calling for another Marcus’ I thought. But when I had flicked back again at her, she was looking: right back at me. Definitely there wasn’t anybody else here called Marcus except from me.

What was even more weirder for me was my instincts urged me to come to her. Slowly, I walked towards her little table beside the window and I sat down beside her.

“You changed your clothes,” She spoke. “Look’s neat.”

I stuttered, “Thanks...”

“Do you want anything, I’ll pay?” She asked. Okay, she’s giving me free coffee and I don’t even know her?!

“Um not to be rude but...” I paused. Her bright blue eyes glistened with happiness. She looked mesmerising, better than models from those magazines Hazel have. “...nevermind. And sure: latte please.”

“Give me sec then,” She said, before she left the table and entered the long queue.

I may not know her, but she was very nice. We got to know each other better; she said she worked in a company. Some of the things she spoke gave me clueless emotions: but I ignored them. At the end, we walked out and I looked at her. She was smaller than me, but it gave me an angle to look at her beautiful face.

“Thanks for the coffee um, name?” I sounded rude but she just laughed.

“Nice joke Marcus, but of course you know my name: Anya!” She perked up and pecked my cheek ever so lightly. Little tingles vibrated around my face. And I felt myself turn red.

She looked so pretty with the sun behind her. Then I suddenly did something which felt almost completely wrong.

I kissed her.