Chapter 42
HAILEY
"Hailey?"
It was like getting dunked in ice water; hearing that voice snapped me back to reality in a flash.
I turned around so fast I nearly got whiplash. Gina was walking towards me from the other end of the corridor, her emerald dress catching the fluorescent lights.
Whoa. “You came?” Yeah, I was well aware that I sounded like an idiot but, in my defense, my brain was currently functioning at half capacity.
Gina arched a brow at me, giving me that look that somehow managed to be both judgmental and affectionate at the same time. "You invited us to the fundraiser? For Mallory? Ring any bells, Captain Amnesia?"
Oh. Right. Yeah, I did. “I…I didn't think anyone would actually show,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the earthquake happening inside my chest. “Don't you have a paper due tomorrow, too?”
That arched brow stayed raised. “When have I ever submitted my assignments late?” She asked and I pressed my lips together. “Since the others couldn’t make it, they sent me ahead as the official Blizzard Belles rep.” This, she added with a mischievous slash of her lips.
“Thanks, Gina,” I said, unable to keep the genuine warmth from my voice.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes like I'd just suggested we forfeit our next game. “Don’t get all mushy on me, Hails. I'm here for Mallory, you know.”
A laugh burst out of me, surprising us both with its authenticity. “Fuck you too.” I said, and she grinned before pounding a light fist on my arm.
But even now, in the midst of this distraction that Gina’s presence had blessedly afforded me, I still couldn’t escape Lively’s words, their echo threading into my blood like it belonged there. Neither could I escape the ghost of his kiss, still lingering on my lips, heating me up from the inside.
“Hey, you good?” Gina’s voice nearly made me jump again. “You’re so red in the face.”
Agh! I slapped my palms over my cheeks. “Uh, yeah.” Now, my cheeks were flaming even more. Shit, shit, shit. “I’m totally fine. It’s just…It’s really hot here.”
She arched a brow back, obviously not buying the half assed lie, but it wasn’t like I could just… tell her the truth. That Lively Summers just kissed me in the damn hospital hallway, and then bolted. Even I was having a hard time believing it right now. It all felt like a fucking dream .
“And I still loved you anyway.” Oh God, I was totally going to go mad before the night was over. It was like a two-factor authenticated attack coming from both fucking sides!
“Hailey? Is everything alright?”
Karen’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. She was standing in the doorway of Mallory's room, concern etched into the gentle lines of her face.
“Ah, yeah, um, I was just talking to Gina,” I gestured awkwardly at my vice captain. “I invited the team so she, uh, came for the fundraiser.”
Karen’s expression immediately brightened, the worry replaced by genuine delight.
“Oh! It’s nice to see you again, Gina!” She ushered us both back into the room with that gentle insistence that I’d always found to be uncomfortable but had long since learned was impossible to refuse.
“Come in, come in. We're almost ready to head down.”
Mallory was already seated in her wheelchair, the pale pink gown arranged carefully around her. Her face, which had been animated while talking to Lively, absolutely lit up when she saw Gina.
“Wow!” she literally screeched, “You look so beautiful, Gina!”
I watched with no small amount of satisfaction as my tough-as-nails vice captain actually blushed, the color creeping up her neck as she cleared her throat. “So do you, Mallory. You look dazzling in that dress. Pink is definitely your color.”
Mallory preened under the praise, her pale face flushing with pleasure. For a moment, she looked like any other fourteen-year-old girl excited about dressing up, not a kid who'd spent more time in hospital rooms than classrooms.
David positioned himself behind the wheelchair, his hands resting on the handles. “Are we all ready for the grand entrance?” he asked, his voice warm with affection. “I believe there’s a princess who has a ball to attend.”
As we moved into the corridor, falling into step around Mallory’s wheelchair, I found myself caught between two realities.
Half of me was there with my family and Gina, listening to Mallory’s excited predictions about what the hall would look like, while the other half was trapped in an endless loop of Lively’s confession and kiss, the words etching themselves into my bones even as surely as his kiss consumed my mind.
“And I still loved you anyway.”
How could he just…throw something like that at me and… walk away ? Without even giving me a chance to say anything about it? Who does that?
You . The thought was an accusation I couldn’t escape. Because, as usual, it was right. I’d done the exact same thing to him back at Blackwater, when I’d gotten on the bus and left him standing there without a chance to say anything. I was that asshole.
“Thank you for coming to see Mallory, Gina,” David was saying, his expression gentle as he navigated the wheelchair down the hall. “It’s great to know that Hailey has such wonderful friends.”
I felt a twinge in my chest at his words, at the genuine happiness in his tone. After all these years of keeping my distance, of trying to be so damn self-sufficient, he was still there, still caring about whether I had people in my corner.
“Oh, it's no big deal, Mr. Hartley,” Gina replied, uncharacteristically awkward in the face of such sincere gratitude. “We’d all have come if the others weren't roped up with tests.”
With each step toward the ballroom, my nerves wound tighter.
The reality that Lively would be in there, probably surrounded by hospital benefactors, made my skin feel too tight.
What the hell was I supposed to say to him after what he'd just revealed?
After learning that his involvement with the hospital, with Mallory, was all because of me?
The double doors to the ballroom loomed ahead, and I could already hear the elegant strains of classical music drifting out. My palms were clammy, my heart racing like I was about to step onto the ice for the championship final.
When we entered, the sheer opulence of the space momentarily distracted me from my internal crisis. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over everything, tables draped in pristine white linen dotted the perimeter, and hospital staff, donors, and patients in their finest attire mingled throughout.
“Wow!” Mallory gasped, her head swiveling to take in every detail, eyes wide with wonder. “It's like a real ball!”
I exchanged an amused glance with my parents, unable to suppress the small smile tugging at my lips. For all her tough talk and sarcastic comments, Mallory was still just a kid at heart—a kid who deserved every bit of magic we could give her.
A sharp nudge to my ribs made me flinch. Gina tilted her head toward the buffet table, where a familiar figure was methodically working his way through what appeared to be every dessert option available.
“He’s here too?” I scoffed, watching as Dylan Langley, the Rink Runners’ vice captain, looked up and spotted us. His eyes widened with recognition, and he immediately started making his way toward our group, plate still in hand.
"Hey, did you guys coordinate this?” I asked Gina, suspicious of the coincidence.
She chuckled, the sound low and knowing. “Why the hell would we do that? We were just the only ones free to attend the thing.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, not entirely convinced, but before I could press further, Dylan had reached us.
“Hey.” He greeted, his tone polite and I swear, by this point, I was getting PTSD from hearing that politeness and if I heard it one more time, I was going to go mad.
“Didn’t think you attended these types of things,” I said and he scoffed.
“What gave me away? Was it the suit?” His mouth curved into a small smile, and I shook my head. “Nah, I thought I’d attend for Lively’s sake. This is the first time he’s inviting me to…anything.”
Oh. I…didn’t know what to say to that, so I just turned to Mallory and our adoptive parents. “Um, so, Dylan, this is…my mom and Dad, and that’s my sister.” I said, clearing my throat as I glanced over at David and Karen whose expressions were very interested.
“Sir, ma’am,” Dylan greeted with surprising politeness, extending his hand. “I’m Dylan Langley, Vice Captain of the Rink Runners, and a friend of Hailey’s. It’s truly an honor to meet Captain Baleman’s parents.”
A friend of Hailey’s, huh?
“What the hell?” I jabbed him in the side with my elbow, my face furrowing into a disgusted frown, but Karen found the cringe funny.
“You as well, Dylan,” Karen replied, a laugh in her voice. “How thoughtful of you to come.”
He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. “I mean, it’s for a good cause.” His gaze shifted to Mallory, and I watched with fascination as his typically stoic expression softened. “And you must be the famous Mallory I've heard so much about.”
My sister lit up like a Christmas tree. “You're Dylan! I’ve seen videos of you on Lively’s phone!” She extended her hand with exaggerated formality. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Dylan.”
He played along, taking her hand and bowing over it with theatrical gallantry that I’d never have expected from him. “The pleasure is mine, Princess Mallory.”
As they fell into easy conversation, I took the opportunity to slip away, muttering something about getting a drink.
I made my way through the throng of people standing around, my eyes scanning the space with a precision that I refused to acknowledge was deliberate.
I wasn't looking for that familiar shock of dirty blond hair, I told myself.
I was just... situating myself. Getting the lay of the land.
But the vicious ache in my chest called me a liar with every beat.
“...not up for negotiation, Lively.”
The stern voice caught my attention as I rounded a corner, making me pause mid-step. I found myself in a secluded alcove, partially hidden by an elaborate floral arrangement.
And just beyond it stood Lively, that familiar shade of his hair duller in the dim lighting of the alcove, with his back rigid with tension.