One Chapter Ends

Chapter Twenty

closer than sisters

one felt the echo of pain

as the other cried with the agony

Hazel hated sunny days when she felt miserable. It was like the world was mocking her. 'Look how happy the day is!' it said, the sun shining relentlessly down, the birds chirping, white clouds scudding across a clear sky.

She sat in her room on her bed, typing out the run lists for the musicians and writers who would be performing the next day. The Orange Suns had already signed up for four songs and they would be followed by three soloists: one cover artist and two originals. On top of that, she had ten amateur authors and five poets who would be reading their work aloud over the course of the day.

Having realised that the writers wouldn't be able to be heard over the music outside the store, she'd been forced to stagger their run times. Each writer had been given ten minutes to read their work aloud; each poet, five minutes. There were three or four of them scheduled in between each musical act.

She tried to focus on her work and only her work, but her traitorous thoughts kept wandering elsewhere. Her parents had been acting strangely toward her lately. It almost felt like they were stepping on eggshells around her, which only made her feel even more fragile.

And Theo. Brian must have given him the manuscript and her note by now – had he read them yet? Or had he just chucked it away, note and all?

If he did, thank God I made a copy of the story, she thought, bitterly.

Finishing off the run list, she took off her reading glasses and rubbed her stinging eyes. Too much screen time.

Liar.

"What'cha writing there?"

Hazel froze, her fingers splayed across her eyes and slowly turned in her seat.

A young woman stood in the doorway, dressed in ripped black jeans, shabby Converse and a blue T-shirt. Her dirty blonde hair was cut to her shoulders, framing a freckled face with a slightly pointed chin. Blue-grey eyes sparkled wickedly above a long nose.

Without another moment of hesitation, Hazel shrieked and, dumping her glasses on the desk, jumped up and flung herself at the newcomer, who roared with laughter.

"Oh my God!" Hazel cried, pulling back and hitting her on the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too," Natasha grinned. "I've finished all my mid-semester assessments and I don't have classes for a week, so I decided to come up and visit you. My parents are on holiday, so I'm staying here with you guys until I go back."

Hazel – realising she was wearing cotton pyjama shorts and an old Taylor Swift Red Tour T-shirt – suddenly felt self-conscious and pulled at the bottom of her ponytail. "That sounds awesome. I'm really happy you're here, Nat." She tried to smile.

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "You look awful."

"I do not," Hazel protested.

"You're wearing pyjamas."

"It's Friday," she retorted weakly.

"You're not at the bookstore. It's 2pm."

"I closed it early today."

"And came home to get changed into your PJ's and sit on your laptop?" The look in her eyes of shrewd suspicion changed to one of concern. Natasha put her hands on Hazel's shoulders. "Babe, what happened?"