As I walk around, I hear a group of girls laughing. Bingo. Hayden isn’t there but his brothers are, and I stand there frozen for a moment.Come on Olivia, you need your car back.A part of me is thinking of leaving it, once it’s fixed Hayden might give it back to me. But I can’t risk waiting, what if mom needs me. Damn.
I walk over and I feel my legs turning into jelly. Why is this so hard? I still remember the cinema nights we had, the whole family laughed and joked. Mason and Miles laughed they thought I was going to have Hayden's babies. On the outside, I was laughing, but on the inside, I was praying it would happen. Dreams that's all it was, dreams I broke.
As I get closer, Miles stands up, he tilts his head a little to the right, Mason doesn't even look at me.
“Can I talk to you, please.” I quickly point to Miles, so he knows it’s him I want to talk to and not Mason.
“Sure.”
“Alone,” I whisper looking behind him as the group of girls laugh as they say something to Mason.
“Sure, but you know I'll tell my brothers after anyway.” Miles walks and I nod knowing very well he'll tell them everything.
As I walk away from the group, I hear some of them calling me names, and I take a deep breath and look up at Miles.
“You both turned out very handsome.” A small smile hits my lips, and Miles doesn’t say anything. “I was wondering if you could—” I start looking through my bag and pull out the envelope. “If you can give this to Hayden, please.” Putting the envelope between us, all he does is stare at it, and smile. “I'll pay for the rest. I just have to do it slowly.”
“Hayden doesn't want your money.” Miles snaps, and his tone is cold, which makes me look at him. “All he ever wanted was you, he only ever saw you.”
“I know, I know Miles and there's nothing I can do to say how sorry I am. But if you can, please just give him this, and ask when my car is ready to pick up.” He takes the envelope from me as my hands begin to shake thinking back to the night everything changed for us.
“Why? Why did you do it?” Miles asks the same question Hayden asked me.
“I wish?—”
“Olivia, all he wants to know is why?”
I close my eyes knowing I can’t say anything. “All I can say is, it was Hayden or my mom.” I wipe the tears away, and take a deep breath because my emotions are all over the place now. “I loved Hayden, I still love Hayden, and…maybe…I’m sorry…”I quickly walk away from him, not wanting him to see me completely break down.
I’m sorry, will never be enough, I lost my best friend, and my first love all in one night, and there's nothing I can do to change it.
Eighteen
Hayden
Prom Night
I knewmy first kiss with Olivia was going to be amazing, it was everything. I can’t even begin to say how long I’ve been waiting for this. To finally have her, she’s mine, and there's no way I'm losing her now.
“I have something for you when we get back home.” I pull her closer to me as we move to the music. “And before you say anything, it’s a graduation present.”
“Hayden, you didn’t have to. We promised we weren't getting presents.” She shakes her head, and I’m so happy to know she kept her word on that. I don’t want her spending money on me. I’ve never wanted that.
“And I don’t want you to give me anything. You saying yes to being my girlfriend, is the best gift I’ve ever had.” I lean down, and kiss her again, because her lips on mine is now the best feeling in the world.
I look up at the DJ, I had this all planned out, there was a song which she said she heard and loved. She joked she wanted it to be played on her wedding day. There is no better time forme to have this song playing for her than now. I’m ready to give her the world and make her smile every day for the rest of my life.
I smile as the song starts playing, and her beautiful eyes look up at me, and the smile on her lips is the best view in the world. The song,You look wonderful tonight, by Damage.I didn’t even know who they were, I had to google the hell out of them. They are some British group, so I have no idea where she even heard the song, but she loves it, and that’s all that matters to me.
“Hayden, you got them to play the song.” I place my hand on her lower back and pull her so closer that our bodies are touching. “I knew you’d like the song.”
“Well, salty and sweet popcorn has grown on me,” I joke with her. I take a step back from her, and spin her under my arm, then pull her closer to me. “I hope you’re ready to be with me forever.”
“So ready, and I hope nothing changes.”
I lean my forehead on hers, my hand cupping the side of her face. “Nothing will change, I promise. Promise to stay the same, and still make fun of you and the sex stories you read, and I promise to pretend to listen when you tell me about the book, I promise to always buy you a cupcake and a daisy, and the biggest promise I'll make, I will never hurt you.” Kissing her again, I feel her hands move to the back of my neck, pulling me closer to her, deepening the kiss, and the taste of strawberries hits me.
The moment the song finishes she takes a step back and looks around. “Bathroom?” she asks. I point to the door behind her. “Be right back.” She goes to walk away, but I quickly grab her arm and kiss her again. Pulling away from her, she smiles and walks away.
