|04|

HAILEY's POV.

I tried to sink into what Ryan just said to me as everyone became silent and gathered around us. I glanced at Brielle who was now giving me a smug look, but I was less concerned about her as I directed my gaze back to Ryan's cold-stricken face.

'What the fuck are you doing here?' His voice rang in my ears as it began to pierce my eardrum.

“Ryan!” I started softly, trying to make my voice as calm as possible.

“It's me, Ha-Hailey!” My voice cracked as I stared at him hurt and pained, endeavoring to make him know and remember I was the same Hailey he always fancied about back then.

I attempted to move closer to him and touch him, but he backed off immediately like someone was about to pour acid on him, as I heard the girls begin to giggle among themselves.

Brielle rolled her eyes and scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the wall as she smirked and gazed at us.

“I told you to stay away from me, Hailey, You shouldn't have shown up that ugly face of yours when I didn't invite you here, personally,” He said icily as his words stabbed me straight in my heart.

Everyone began to start laughing, and I didn't know what was so funny in what he just said that made them start laughing.

I didn't care, though, but what I cared about was how Ryan looked me straight in the eyes and said those mean words to my face.

I was speechless, not knowing what to say. He was right when he told me he wasn't the same Ryan he used to be anymore.

“Jeez! See the way you dress to a party like a wretched clown, you should work as a stripper to get yourself money and buy new clothes and probably sexy ones to wear to an occasion like this,” He smirked as everyone laughed again and even Brielle couldn't help but chuckle herself.

I couldn't put up with his hostility as a tear managed to slip down my cheeks.

I stared at him once more in those hazel eyes of his and wondered if he was drunk.

“Excuse me!” I muttered so low that I could barely hear myself speak as I turned around to see the numerous eyes on me.

I started moving when I felt a hand grip my wrist.

“Where are you going?” I heard a thin voice ask me as I turned around to see Brielle staring at me.

“I'm leaving,” I told her and tried to free my grip away from her.

“No way! Don't let what that dickhead said to get to you, please stay a bit,” She begged while I just stared at her face as she pouted at me.

“I invited you, so, please stay on my behalf,” She said while I sighed and finally agreed.

“Everyone, gets back to your partying and stop staring, you're making her uncomfortable,” She shouted at the people still staring at me as they laughed while she rolled her eyes.

“Come here,” She said as she began drawing me to the part where fewer people were and offered me a can of fruit drink.

“I don't know if you take alcohol, so, I brought this instead,” She said while I smiled thinly at her.

“It's okay, thanks,” I smiled nervously, collecting the drink from her as she walked away, leaving me to myself.

I placed the can of drink on the ground, too broken to have a drink.

I saw people continue with their partying when two idiots were crazily making out in front of me, as I got annoyed and stood up.

I'm going home, not with Ryan, who has made it known I wasn't invited to his party or home… Whatever.

I stood up and got to the center of the room and was about to make my way through the crowds.

“You're leaving already,” I heard a disembodied voice chirp behind me, and I turned to see it was Brielle.

'What the hell does this girl have with me?’ I thought nodding my head at her, looking at her skeptically.

“Okay,” She smirked, and something told me something was off with this girl.

Smiling weirdly at her, I turned around just to feel something cold and wet all over me.

I flinched in front of the crowd as soon as the cold water touched my face, making me close my eyes immediately and felt like my whole body just got electrocuted as the coldness of the water vigorously tortured my skin harshly.

I felt some ice cubes escape their way into my jacket doing tormenting justice to my boobs making me flinch back and dipping my hands under my jacket making them fall to the ground as I made a complete fool out of myself while I gasped in shock as I opened my eyes.

Everyone began to laugh, and I faced the person who did this and noticed it was Kyra, one of Brielle's friends, and she just a made a complete fool out of me while she held on to the bucket giving me a mocking look.

Feeling drenched and looking stupid in front of everyone, I turned back to face Brielle.

“Oops! My bad,” She exclaimed, trying to conceal her laughter but ended up spilling them out as she clamped her hands tightly over her mouth.

She was behind this all along, no wonder she was so keen on making me stay behind, so she could make fun of me the more.

I was getting angry, and my blood level rose to the brim in rage as I fisted and released my hands at the same time.

“You Fuc--”

“What the hell did you just do, Brielle!?" A deep voice roared behind us, cutting me off from the poisonous word I was about to drop from my mouth to Brielle as I snapped my gaze towards the person to see it was Ryan.

Brielle looked shocked, not knowing what to say as everyone kept quiet wondering what was going to happen next.

Ryan stepped closer to us in a fiery and dominating attitude as he grabbed Brielle's arm and yanked her to him as he stared coldly at her.

Suddenly, hope began to rise in me as my chest heaved up and down while water dripped from my clothes to the floor, thinking Ryan has finally come to his senses and would stand up for me.

What he said and did next made me go numb and completely breathless.