Chapter 5
Zayne
It seemed Tatum was right. Rose had mailed me an invitation days ago, and I hadn’t realized I was invited due to my procrastination. But, of course, I wasn’t about to pass up the moment I would see Hailey again.
I liked to think I dressed up nicely, a maroon buttoned-down dress shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks.
I was minutes away from seeing Hailey once again after many years.
Although I wanted nothing more than to pretend, she never meant a thing to me; I would be lying to myself.
Hailey was the love of my life, and if I could get her to see reason, I would be able to claim her as mine.
The last time I shared words with Hailey was on prom night.
After that, we’d seen each other in the school’s hallways, and on graduation night.
We shared a locker, but she somehow managed to avoid me each time she picked up her things.
Every time I would try to talk to her, she would switch paths and walk the other way, or whenever I would visit her home, she would tell her parents she didn’t want to speak to me.
At the time, I was torn. To this day, I’m still not sure why she would hate me so much.
Everything I wrote in the letter was the truth, but somehow it seemed she didn’t care for me, so I had to respect her wishes. As I stood outside of the school’s building, in the muggy heat on prom night, I recalled the look on Hailey’s face.
“Hailey?” I whispered behind her back. She turned slowly as if wary.
We’d been friends since before kindergarten.
Hailey was always meant to be mine. We just had to grow up to the point where we’d both recognize that notion.
When she finally looked at me, the moon cast a soft glow on her beautiful features.
Her lips were tilted upward in a smile, and her big, hazel eyes seemed to be smiling as the wrinkles around them deepened.
As suddenly as the look appeared, it disappeared, “What are ya doin’ out here? Weren’t ya supposed to pick me up outside of my house earlier? What’s goin’ on? Where’s Adrian?”
Her foot stomped against the ground with every word she said.
She crossed her arms over one another and held them against her chest. I was speechless.
I knew I was supposed to pick her up earlier, but I thought this gesture was more romantic.
But, of all the things I heard her say, I couldn’t help but wonder why she asked about Adrian.
He had been inside the building since the beginning of the night.
I answered, hoping to calm Hailey, “Adrian’s not here. But did ya get my letter?”
Her face seemed to drain of all blood as she turned pale. “That was you?”
I nodded in confirmation. Instead of discussing my feelings for her, she grabbed her dress, lifted it just a tad, and took off toward the school’s parking lot.
I stood in shock for a few seconds before realizing that I had to run after Hailey.
I wasn’t sure what was wrong with her but I needed her to understand that we could still be friends if she didn’t return my feelings.
I needed her regardless of my true feelings.
Hailey was the light to my darkness and always seemed to be there, even when I didn’t think I’d need her.
She was the one person who could turn my bad days into the most amazing ones.
I remembered searching most of the night for Hailey but never found her.
I retraced my steps and ended up inside the building where the dance took place.
I recalled pulling a teacher aside and requesting to call my parents but instead, I dialed Hailey’s home to see if she was there.
On the second ring, her dad answered and mentioned Hailey had been home for a long while.
When I asked to speak to her, he told me she never wanted to speak to me again.
It tore at my heart to think that I would separate us for life by revealing my true feelings.
After prom night, I tried my best to talk to her.
I would spot Hailey in the school’s hallways, but she’d skitter and go the other way.
Finally, I would knock on her door at home, but each time, her parents would say she didn’t want to speak to me.
I was at my wit’s end but had eventually come to terms with respecting Hailey’s space.
I couldn’t be the stalker I wanted to be.
Not only was that not the type of person I was but it’s frowned upon.
There was a miscommunication that night, that much I knew.
But, without Hailey’s side of the story, I would never understand why she made the ultimate decision to break ties with me.
And for that, I yearned for my best friend and the love of my life again.
Buttoning the sleeve of my dress shirt before taking a seat closest to the walkway, I glanced around.
It wasn’t a large wedding. Rose opted for a small get-together.
I guess I was one of the lucky ones that got to attend.
I always treated her like a younger sister and cared a great deal for Hailey’s family.
I also figured my invitation was because I stayed in touch with Rose even after the split with Hailey.
In an instant, my eyes landed on the back of a brunette.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I could feel the instant attraction.
It was Hailey. I would bet everything in the world that she was the one I was staring at, well, unless I’m crazy and hallucinating.
I’ve known her for so long that I didn’t think this many years apart would make me forget how she looked both from the front and back.
I willed her to turn around, but she never once looked back, not even when the slow melody of the piano started to play.
Not even when Edward guided Rose down the path toward her fiancée, Will.
It seemed the brunette stood stiff as a board, refusing to take in the sights around her.
Or maybe she was worried about who she’d see at the wedding?
I needed so badly to walk up to her and just simply look at her after all these years.
Once the small ceremony was complete, it was going to be my mission to walk up to her.
Hailey wouldn’t have the audacity to run away from me again.
I promised myself I would finally get to speak my peace, and then if she still didn’t want anything to do with me, I would allow her to walk away.
As much as it would pain me to see her leave again, it would be for the best. What my heart wanted was her and for her to reciprocate those feelings.