BEING HALSEY

CHAPTER 23

I slowly place my feet on the floor and push myself out of bed. I saunter out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. I stare at my reflection in the mirror and frown. I turn on the faucet and wash both my hands and face.

I walk back to the kitchen, grab some cookies and cold yogurt in the fridge and sit on the couch. I'm busy dipping the cookies on the cold yogurt when I notice something sticking out from under the far left corner of the couch. I mindlessly bend down to reach for what appears to be some kind of blue pills packed in a small transparent paper.

No Hal. You have no right to go through Tray's things. Mind your business.

He's not here anyway so my curiosity gets the best of me.I walk over to the couch and reach for the pills. Once my hand reaches the packet, I pause for a moment and look around.

I'm carefully pulling it out when the sound of the front door opening startles me. I quickly push it back under the couch.

Tray stares over at me, eyes wide, as he slams the door behind him. He hastily makes his way over to stand in front of me.

"Hal," he hisses. " I would appreciate if you wouldn't go through my personal things when I'm gone."

He leans above me and pulls my hand away from the packet, his heavy breathing brushing against my ear.

"Sorry," I mumble. "I didn't think it was such a big deal. I just thought it was trash or something."

Tray nods his head and sits on the couch. He grabs my cookies and starts eating them.

"What are you doing?" I ask and cross my arms across my chest.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

He sips the yogurt gazing at me with those big brown eyes.

"I was eating that. It's my breakfast."

He licks his lips and chuckles.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing." He shakes his head. " I don't want you to say I'm rude."

I roll my eyes.

" I know what you were going to say, that this is your house and you're the one who bought the snacks?"

He eyes me up and down and nods.

"My t-shirt suits you." He adds.

I groan. " It smells like rotten fish."

Surprisingly, we both laugh.

I sit next to him.

"It's been a while since I saw you laughing like that. The other day you were dying."

I smile at that. I'm so proud of myself. The emptiness I was feeling just the other day is long gone. It vanished. I'm not sad or angry or confused, I'm just breathing, appreciating life and living a new chapter of my life.

"Pain makes people change and I've changed. This is the new me."

He claps his hands.

"I'm happy for you. Now let me take you home."

Fifteen minutes later, we're inside his car heading over to my house. His hands grip the steering wheel as the car sails through the empty streets. The closer we get, the more nervous i get.

My dad must be worried sick right now. I feel so bad. Punishing him like this. My phone has been off since yesterday. I know for sure that he called the police and reported a missing person.

I look over the window and play with my bracelet.

"Nice bracelet." Tray's says and turns on the radio.

"Concentrate on the road please. I don't want to die yet."

He narrows his eyes and let's out an amused laugh.

"What, you don't trust me?"

I hug my arms to my chest and bit my bottom lip.

"Please just watch the road," I say firmly.

He listens like a little behaved boy and drives calmly.

"Are we close?" Tray asks and laughs.

" No we're not Idiot! We're neighbors have you forgotten?"

" Ooooh, neighbors. You're the girl next door. The one with the long black hair."

I click my tongue and slap his leg.

Silly jokes.

He stops the car a few steps from my house.

"Good luck with your dad." He says and narrows his eyes, peering through the windshield.

I wave and watch as he drives away. I make sure he's out of sight before I walk up the steps and open the door. What I see turns my blood to ice. My heart drops to my feet.

I drop to my knees and scream at the top of my lungs.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹