puppet (remastered) • @mmkay_maya

chapter twentysix

"look, i promise you i'll actually do anything to go again! i can't stay here knowing the people i love the most, apart from you guys, are all having fun together without me!"

"we'll think about it. hailey, you know how we're really loose on you because we know you're a good girl but finding out the things that happened at that party changed our view on you"

"it will never happen again. i promise"

"how are we supposed to believe you?"

"every time i drank, i hurt someone. i hurt Anthony and hannah and elmo! i now don't ever want to hurt them again so i'm never gonna drink again, even when i'm legal too!"

"like we said, we'll think about it. we've got one semester left of school to make our decision. your grades have been surprisingly impressive considering how attached you are to that phone of yours. keep it up and we might just let you go"

i nod and run upstairs to my room.

"what did they say?" anthony asks.

"it's still a maybe but i think i'm getting there"

i lay on my bed with a sigh as anthony places my hands in between his.

"you'll be okay. once you do come, we'd be having so much fun. you could even sneak into my room a few nights too"

"or maybe every night"

"even better"

he brings my hand up to his face and places a kiss on it, then resting it on his forehead.

"you know, i kind of have a surprise. i mean, i'm not sure if you would like it but maybe"

"go on"

"well i've been talking to my brothers and mom a lot lately. more than usual"

"yeah?"

"and i think i've convinced them to move here. i was talking to hannah's dad and we can put the house up for sale since it's now owned by the government and-"

"wait, they're moving?"

"they said they want to for me. they know i won't be able to handle it over there, especially because now that i've got my best friend back, i don't want to ever lose her again" he says as a wide smile appears on my face.

that's something i love about the relationship i have with anthony. we do the same things we did when we were best friends, except it's a little more romantic now obviously.

"so, what do you think? about my family moving?"

"i'm so happy for you!"

"that's it? you aren't upset?"

i was just a little bit because i still don't really like anthony's mom but i don't want to be *that* kind of girlfriend. i can't blame her for leaving either, if i was in the kind of relationship she was in with anthony's dad then i would do the same too.

"no, why would i be?"

he grabs onto my jaw and brings my face up to his.

"baby, you can't lie to me. you really still think of my mom like that?"

"i don't want to think of her like that"

"she's different now"

"i know. ehen you told me what she told you, trust me i was shocked too but i know the feeling of having a parent leaving and i don't know, maybe i'm jealous that your life was a 'lie' when mine wasn't"

"i'm so sorry. i got too caught up in talking about my family life when i didn't even stop to think about how you were feeling during this"

"no no no no it's okay! i've spent so long complaining about how my parents wouldn't let me go to the holiday house so i guess we're even"