The One that got away

Prologue

"Hailey...you have to tell him how you feel. You're never gonna get another chance. It's graduation...it's the last time we're all going to be together so do one last crazy thing before we leave for the wider fields of life. Please Hailey. Go tell him how you feel," my best friend Jessica begs.

"I can't," I moan and she glares at me.

"Why can't you?" she demands. She's tried to convince me many times but for some reason I just can't. 

"What if he doesn't feel the same? What if he laughs at me?" I ask voicing my fears to her.

"We both know Joshua is too much of a gentleman to laugh at you. That's beside the point though. Sometimes I wish you could see you and Joshua from everyone else's point of view. You guys are practically a couple already. You always make googly eyes at each other and finish each other's sentences and don't forget how you fight like a married a couple! And remember the time what's his face tried to take advantage of you? Josh basically lost it! You two are cuter than most couples here!" she shouts before finishing her speech.

Everything she says does make complete sense but even so my fears and insecurities stop me from agreeing with her. "I don't know Jess."

"What don't you know? You have to risk it to get the biscuit! And if, by some weird freak of nature, he doesn't feel the same you'll never see him again! And it will definitely be a form of closure but don't worry, I'm sure he will," she tells me before giving me a hug and slowly I find myself being calmed down by everything she says.

I let out a long sigh before making the decision. "Okay...I'll do it. After the ceremony," I tell her and she immediately starts happy dancing.

"If you and Josh date we're not going on our road trip are we? Wait! We'll just take him along with us! Oh this'll be so great!" she says happily and I smile at how willing she is to change things around to make me happy.

"Relax...let's just go take our seats okay?"

The ceremony itself feels as if it just won't end. Various people give speeches but the only one I manage to focus on is Jessica's since it's actually kinda funny, and I know she'd kill me if I didn't listen. She gets to give a speech since she's Valedictorian. For everything else I zone out and focus instead on Joshua Reily. 

Who is Joshua Reily?

Well only the boy I've been crazy about since I was 14 years old. 

4 years is long time to go on feeling that way about someone which is why Jess is right. I owe it to myself to tell him so that I can move on with my life, with or without him in it.

                                                                      *****************

"Hails!" Josh exclaims before picking me up and spinning me around causing me to giggle. Clearly he's just as excited as I am to be done with high school.

"Why hello to you too," I say when he puts me down.

"So Henry's speech?" he says with a grin.

"Oh god...I could barely keep my eyes open!" I exclaim.

"I noticed."

I widen my eyes and feel myself getting embarrassed. I guess I wasn't as unnoticeable as I thought I was. "People must've thought I was so disrespectful!"

"Nah...it was hardly noticeable since practically everyone else was falling asleep too." 

"Poor Henry," I say making Josh laugh. It is sad though, because who wants to see an entire crowd fall asleep during a speech you took the time and effort to write.