PERCIE
My classes ended, and I still found no message from Hailey. I rechecked it. Nada.
I walked to the bench where I found her before. Then there she was. She was talking to someone, and that someone just made my blood boil.
I strode in their direction at a long pace. Before I could get closer, Cassie saw me first.
“Hey, Percie. Meet my new friend. We have classes together. Hailey—”
I cut her off and grabbed her away from Hailey. “Stay away from her, Cassie.” I didn’t think it was a coincidence. “I don’t wanna see you talking to her again. You can’t be her friend. That’s impossible. Someone like you who doesn’t have the same interest as hers can’t ever be her friend. You two are like night and day. You can’t fool me, Cassie.”
She glared at me, and I glared back. “Go.”
She grabbed her things and walked away.
I look at Hailey, hugging herself and looking down at her feet. “Stay away from someone like her, Hailey. She’s bad news. She plays a good girl, uses you, then treats you like a dog on a leash. Don’t fall for someone’s kindness. They all have ulterior motives, especially when they just came out of nowhere. Choose your friend wisely.”
“She came over while I’m waiting for you.” She sat down.
I sat beside her, releasing an exasperating sigh. “You have to be very careful of choosing a friend. If there’s a mean girl in high school, there are worse types of people here. You’re too kind and too good to be true. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
“Like someone like me will easily find a friend.” She shrugged.
My brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Socially awkward, nerd, dork—”
Before she could finish, I was already laughing my ass out loud. For the first time in history, I laughed out loud.
society do I belong to, Hailey?
wrinkled her nose.
“What are those?”
those yet in your
like telling
“They don’t exist.”
have weirder
brains, but she whispers to everyone
giggle? ”You’re gonna be a good writer, Percie.”
I nodded.
tightened because Emma said the
walked beside me. When I looked down at her, she was
***
the night to a terrifying voice. It
knocked urgently. “Hailey! Hailey, open up. Are you okay?” I waited for a while. A few moments later, the door
hair was everywhere, sticking on her sweaty face that she was
in your bed. I’ll get you
“I’m okay, Percie.”
strode to the kitchen and grabbed her bottled water
bed, her lower
you
gave her. “Sorry if I woke you up. Sometimes I have a
Hailey. I, myself, get nightmares too. Sometimes in my dreams, but mostly in real life.” I regretted saying those words, but that was the truth.
when
question shocked me.