"I have no idea what to bring," I say to Jana as I stare at my open suitcase. I called her over to my house to help, and she joins me at my side, also staring down.
"Well, you'll need pajamas for sure. Bring cute pajamas, something sweet, maybe a little girly. He's probably going to see you in them so—"
"Jana, I can't base this trip around Daniel. I'll drive myself insane. What is suppose to happen anyway? It's just a schoolgirl crush."
Jana rolls her eyes. "That is the understatement of the year." She walks over to my dresser and rummages through my pajamas, pulling out a matching top and shorts set. The top is a blue fitted t-shirt with white polka dots and the shorts are white with blue polka dots. My now stepmother bought them for me when I was in Florida. "These are cute," J
The next day, at noon exactly, I struggle with my suitcase and backpack as I hold my phone to my ear, all while managing to walk down the stairs. "Yes mom, and I promise to be good.""Hailey Fonte you tell me this honestly, are there any adults going with you on this trip?"One of my eyebrows raises, then I drop my suitcase to the floor. "An adult? Yeah, there is."Jana gives me a look.Jordan and Daniel are eighteen as they have early birthdays. Technically, I am not lying. My mother sighs. "Alright. Just, please be careful. You'll be back Wednesday?""Yeah, Wednesday night, if everything goes smoothly. I'll call you every day so you know I'm still alive."
I am shaken awake with my head resting against the car, curled up in the very back, almost a piece of luggage. My eyes flutter open, overwhelmed by Jana's face. "We're here," she silently cheers. "Oh, Hailey, it so beautiful up here. Look outside."After climbing out of the SUV, and almost tripping to the dirt, I peer up at our surroundings completely mesmerized. A small, dirt road weaves through the trees and we must have followed it up to the cabin, which is set before me. The dark wood blends perfectly with the forest, and stone details play perfectly with the rustic feel. Long story short, the place is huge and looks quite luxurious from the outside. The trickling sounds of running water tickles my ears, meaning we must be close to the creek."Who is Daniels Father's friend, again?" I question as we make our way up to the front door
Together, curled up on the couch, all five of us watch one of the many horror movies brought by Taylor.Hush, is the first of many, and I don't find it frightening at all, but I still enjoy it. The main character gives me some confidence. If she can survivethatwith her struggles, then I sure as hell can conquer mine.Throughout the movie I find myself glancing over at Daniel, who happens to be sat at the opposite end of the couch. Is he trying to avoid me? Did he finally find out what everyone is whispering about? He sat up front, I was in the way back, I sit on one end of the couch, he sits on the other. Maybe I am thinking too far into it. Maybe heistrying to avoid me. Maybe—"Hailey?" Jana pulls me back to reality and my eyes fall upon the rolling credits. "Taylor an
Rolling over to face away from the sunlight, I yank the covers up over my head. The white duvet glows above me, defusing the brightness, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I was having a nice dream before my excitement woke me. In this dream, I happened to be back in Florida at the beach. It was the beach that all of my schoolfriendswent to after school, large boulders coated in spray paint lead up to a cliff where they would jump off.In the dream, I was sitting in the sand beside Jana. She was tanning and laughing, a beach goddess draped in sunshine. I laughed with her as the waves reached up to tickle my toes. About a second before I woke up, Jana pointed to the cliff and said, "Hey, it's Daniel. Watch."I stared as he dove off like the reckless do, not even shouting on the way down, but enjoying the sensations. My eyes
As Daniel nears I adjust my sitting position as if he's going to throw himself at me. He would crash down beside me and ask for a layer of sunscreen on his back—he would already feel a sunburn coming on. The sunscreen from Jana's bag would be trapped in my fingers, and I would squeeze too much on then nervously try to hide it. Instead of this, Daniel dips down into Taylor and Jordan's bag before pulling out his phone. He scans over the screen before bringing the device to his ear, walking away from me and the lake. I watch for a few seconds as he disappears through the entrance, talking to whoever. Mr. Russ tried to get something out of me before a knock came to the classroom door. He sighed and went to answer, slipped out of the room stealthily to talk to whoever. While he was gone, I wandered around his
Playing the mysterious girl with a mysterious past has been fun—something I haven't experienced in a while—but it is time to let my schoolgirl crush go. Daniel has his own life, own problems, own crushes and I have to get over the fact that I will never be a part of it. I couldn't be even if I wanted.Daniel is the type of guy girls dream of being with, he seems to be perfect. He is incredibly handsome, deliciously tough, mysterious, held back, and overall a teenage girls fantasy. That is what I am, a teenage girl fantasizing. There is a good and bad side to this as well, the bad being that I am wasting my time, and the good being that I am beginning to feel again. It may be just a schoolgirl crush, but it shows me that I can feel this certain way towards guys.It was weird at first, tolikesomeone. I did
Daniel does not come on the hike with us, and I cannot figure out why. It is not like he would share anything with me, but possibly Jordan, so that is our plan. We send Jordan to figure out what's up then we fix it—if we can. I am positive that whatever has Daniel in a mood is beyond anything casual, as showing any emotion at all is not his thing.Maybe him and his girlfriend—the one I imaginarily assigned him—have broken up. Not that I care. . ."He's upstairs in the master bedroom," Taylor tells Jordan as we stand at the bottom of the staircase, "just go ask if anything's up.""Maybe he just wants to be alone," Jordan says, clearly hesitant."Well, at least we'd know then," Jana says. "Let's just find out, and by l
For hours I find myself unable to get even a minute of sleep. I simply lay in bed, turn on my side, turn on my stomach, switch the direction my head is in, turn on my other side, then flip back onto my back. Nearly reaching a point of insanity, I glance at the clock—it reads 2:06—then I get up from the bed and wander down the stairs.Expecting everyone to be asleep, I quietly sneak into the kitchen to search the fridge and pantry for anything to drink or eat. Maybe I am thirsty or hungry. Maybe I am too tired to think properly.The fridge light burns my eyes, causing me to squint. My hands rummage around, sliding jars of jam and bottles of water from one side to the other as if something wonderful is behind them. After discovering nothing sugary-sweet, I grab a bottle of water and sit on top of the counter. I feel the chille