Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Was Never Supposed To Stay : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Hailey's povI tugged at the edges of the dark green and black plaid skirt, smoothing it as I stared at my reflection. This one definitely looked better than the other two I’d tried on.Humming quietly, I strolled over to the dark red blinds that kept unwanted eyes away and pulled them aside to sneak a look outside. That’s when spotted Carmelo.He was slumped on one of those hard benches with no backrest—the kind that made sitting feel like a punishment. He leaned forward, fingers flying over his phone like it was the only thing keeping him alive, boredom plastered all over his face.“Carmelo,” I called softly, hoping he’d glance up.But he didn’t even flinch. His eyes stayed glued to his screen, clearly ignoring me on purpose.What a dick.The thought hit me hard, dragging along images that had no business resurfacing. Sadly, the picture of his hard-on shoved its way back into my head, and just like that, the tiny dressing room felt even smaller.Heat crept up my neck, coating my fac

Hailey's pov"I'm not a crazy driver, Mom!" I snapped, annoyed. If she kept talking like this, Carmelo would have enough dirt to blackmail me forever.She pulled away from Dad, who just chuckled instead of defending me."You ran over a cat last month," she said casually, like it was no big deal."It was already dead, Mom!" I argued. How was I supposed to know? The grey fur matched the road, and I swear it wasn’t moving!Well… maybe it was asleep?Still, who naps in the middle of the street anyway?"I heard it cry ‘Hailey’," Mom said, arching a brow as she handed over a plate of french toast with strawberries and cream."That was... my ringtone..." I muttered, turning to Dad for support. He just raised his hands like he was staying out of it. Of course. I was all alone in this now."Sure it was," Mom said with a snort.I slammed my hand on the horn again and let my head fall back against the seat with a sigh. For a guy, he sure took forever getting ready.Mom and Dad had already left t

Hailey's pov I sank my teeth into the sandwich, biting through bread, tomato, lettuce—and wait… was that ham? I paused, frowning. I could’ve sworn I told the lunch lady bacon.“Easy, babe. You’re going to kill that sandwich,” Cody laughed, sliding a napkin across the table for me to clean the glop of mayo dripping from the corner of my mouth.I didn’t respond. My eyes were glued to the middle of the cafeteria—more specifically, to the blue-eyed demon sitting at the center table. My glare could’ve melted metal as I angrily chewed the not-bacon sandwich.I swallowed and took another bite like it had personally offended me.“The way you’re attacking that sandwich might turn on some freaky horror villain,” Cody joked, munching on a potato wedge.“Cody, shut up,” I snapped, not even looking at him. My eyes stayed locked on Carmelo. I hoped he’d choke on those fries he was shoving into his mouth. And as for Arianna—God, I prayed those fake nails of hers scratched his stupid skin with how m

Hailey's Pov “Gideon drove his brand-new truck to school today, Dad. Can I take mine tomorrow? Please?” Jayson asked, practically bouncing in his seat like he had ants in his pants.Mom gave him a long look as she set a plate of smoky barbecue wings on the table. “And why exactly do you need to bring your truck to school, Jayson?”He squirmed under her sharp gaze. “Because I want him to see it, okay?”I sighed and stabbed at the mashed potatoes on my plate. I normally loved them, but tonight, the buttery scent did nothing for me. My appetite had vanished, and I didn’t even know why."You’ve been chasing that kid’s friendship for years, Jayson. Maybe it’s time to move on," I said flatly.The table fell silent. Everyone turned to stare at me like I’d just insulted the family dog. I glanced up, forced a tight smile, and muttered, “Sorry.”Mom took her seat slowly, watching me with a worried frown. “First day back didn’t go so well?”I shrugged as the image of Arianna clinging to Carmelo’

Hailey's pov “So let me get this straight—Bryan Lopez invited you to the bonfire, and you’re actually considering not going?” Cody spun around to face me like I’d just told him I hated pizza. “Girl, do you have any idea how many people would sell their left kidney for an invite to that party?”I sighed, stomach rumbling as the lunch line crawled forward. “I don’t know. I said yes because Carmelo said yes. But honestly, I don’t even know why I agreed. I’m not… that girl. I don’t go to parties. I don’t even know what happens at them.”Cody gasped like I’d just announced I’d never watched N*****x. “Your forever crush finally notices you, and you’re hesitating? We should be popping confetti and planning outfits, not second-guessing!”I nudged forward as the line moved, muttering, “If this line doesn’t speed up, I’m about to pass out on this floor.”Cody raised a single brow, then the other joined it, shooting so high they practically disappeared under his bangs. I chuckled. Not literally,