When I first started therapy in Florida, my therapist gave me the idea of journaling. I started a journal and wrote in it for a few months, but eventually, it died off. Most of my entries lacked the topic of the incident—the reason why I was in therapy in the first place—but were about Mr. Russ and my friends in Florida. Though, I suppose they were an escape for me in themselves.
With my friends in Florida, I was an actress, pretending that Harrison never did what he had done. With them, I was an entirely different person. With Mr. Russ, I was an entirely different person also. I became so in love with this fake persona that I even created a name for her, well, not created, I stole a name for her. Daphne.
Yes, Daphne was my best friend before she turned on me, and Daphne, my persona, did the same. Daph
The four of us attend the football game on Friday, and it is nothing special. Coldgrove High School lost in a close game, but we left happy anyways. Many people gave me dirty looks, some even saying that I shouldn't be here, which was embarrassing in front of Taylor and Jordan. I'm sure they know what happened, but oddly, they don't show an opinion like everyone else. Maybe they believe me, maybe they don't, if they are whiling to be my friends, then who cares. People are free to believe what they want here, in moderation of course.Jana and I say our goodbyes to Taylor and Jordan before heading to my car. We leave later than everyone else, not wanting to sit in parking lot traffic. Once we are in the car, and all the doors are closed, Jana turns to me. "You didn't seem very into it."I wasn't. I hate to admit it, but I was really hopin
I can't help but watch his lips as he talks. He is like the forbidden fruit, and I just can't have him. Jana nudges me and I zip back to life. "What?""We're talking about fall break if you want to participate in the conversation. I was thinking a road trip, that would be fun."Taylor rolls her eyes. "Jana, you keep saying road trip, but a road trip to where?"She shrugs. "We have time to decide that.""Oh, I don't know if I can go on a trip. I might go to Canada and visit my Dad," I tell Jana and she frowns."That's too bad," Daniel joins in, "because I know a guy who will let us stay at his cabin up north. I've been before, he's friends with my dad. The place is insane."
"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
Harrison was not at school for the last week until winter break. Everyone wondered where he went and assumed his father took the family on an early vacation to some tropical island. They were jealous of him. In the locker room, the girls chatted about how lucky he is to be able to miss an entire week. His father can pull strings, they said.I stayed silent and tried to ignore them, not wanting to feed my ego over the fact that I know the truth.Harrison is in trouble.After my mother went to the station with the USB drive, she called later on to tell me that everything was going well, that there were no issues. We celebrated at Knocks, and in the night, Daniel dropped Jana off at home and came inside mine. My mother was too dedicated to leave work, so I didn't expect her to come back a
"What are you talking about?""It was Harrison's father," he says again, confusing Jana."Okay," I whisper, not sure what to think but forcing myself to push it to the back of my head. "What does that have to do with the station?""We can't trust them. Most of the officers are in agreements with the mayor,Harrison's father. If we give it to someone we can't trust, they'll destroy it, I promise you," he explains. "You have to give it to someone you trust."I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing what he means. "My mother."Jana holds her breath in the back and Daniel keeps his eyes on me. The USB drive is locked in my hand and it feels as if I'm holding a diamond. Everything is
Jana and I walk into school side by side, talking about what happened after Daniel and I left the party. "I can't believe you—you just dived right in, didn't you? Was it—I mean, how was it? Were you okay?"We stop at her locker, and I talk quietly as she gets her things. "It was a little difficult at first, but he was so gentle, so patient and caring. I just...I love him. He really cares about me, Jana. He makes me feel safe and alive and..." I smile, dreaming."Well, I'm happy for you. You deserve it," she says and gives me a side-hug as we continue down the hall. "You two make a beautiful couple, oh, like James and I."I shake my head. "Maybe we're both love-sick puppies"Walking into my first class, I slip past Daphne,
I pull up to Jana's house and text her that I'm here. While waiting I glance up at the sky, hoping it snows like the news said it would. The heat is blasted and the windows are fogged, and it's beginning to feel like winter.Jana knocks on the window and I unlock the door. She slips in and shuts it immediately behind her, almost on her foot. "Jeez it's cold out there," she says while pulling on her seat belt. "Watts better have the fire going."I pull onto the road. "So this isn't some big Christmas party like you said before, right?""No, this one's just close friends.""Good. After Harrison's party, I need a break." Jana stays quiet and I glance over to her. "You okay?"She nods, h
I sit down at our table in the cafeteria, trying to figure myself out. It's been a long day. Daphne kept glancing back at me in Economics and Jana kept texting me about Watts' cousin James, saying that he asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes and then continued to talk about it. I'm happy for her, but how can I smile over Love if the person I love hates me?I don't know what Love feels like, but if it doesn't feel like this, then it will be a disappointment.How can I not love Daniel? He's amazing in every way. He makes my heart race by simply thinking about him. He accepts me, every part of me, and I lost him. I let him slip through my fingers. I used to wonder if Daniel loves me, and now I'm wondering the opposite. Could he love me? I don't know. Maybe I just fall in Love easily.
I stare out the window, watching as the streetlights pass and erase my face in the glass. The image of Harrison standing there is stuck in my mind, I don't know what to think of it, but now that I'm with Daniel I feel better. It's a bit awkward to be so close after our last encounter, but I feel safe.My head rolls to him, my eyes watching his hands as he turns the wheel, turning onto my street. "Is anyone home?" He asks, and I have a flashback to a time before."No. My mom is at John's house.""Who's John?"I look at the house. "He's her boyfriend, I guess. He's the guy that snuck into the house with her."Daniel parks at the curb like he always does and gets out with me as I expect
My heart races relentlessly in my chest as I pull up to Jana's house, my fingers tapping on the steering wheel and my bottom lip between my grinding teeth. I watch as she flees through the front door and hurries into the car, her tight, black dress catching me off guard. "We aren't actually going to the party," I tell her and pull back onto the road."I know, I just want to blend in," she says while pulling her seatbelt on and glancing over at me, "and I see you don't.""I'm more focused on getting the flash drive. God I hope he hasn't smashed it or thrown it away. Just thinking about it...It makes me all anxious. And the fact that we're going to his party isn't helping either. The last thing I need is flashbacks.""You'll be fine," she encourages me. "You've healed so much the past fe
I rush to the cafeteria, to the table, then to Jana. She is sitting with Watts, Taylor, and Jordan, but I yank her up and drag her out, ignoring her "what are you doing" and "Hailey, what's going on" until we make it out of the cafeteria doors. The hallways are sparse with students, and I take her back to where Sam took me, yet he's gone as I expected. I wonder what he's thinking.I let her go and she lets out a weird laugh. "Will you tell me what that was all about? You know, I could have followed you, you didn't have to pull me out.""Shut up," I breathe out, panicking. "Something bad has happened."Her face turns serious. "What? Is it Harrison? Daphne? Did they do something?""Actually, yes, but I need to explain, and before I do,
Daniel called a few times over the weekend, Jana too, but I wasn't answering anyone's calls. I texted Jana and said that I needed to be alone just so she wouldn't come snooping around the house to make sure I am still alive. Daniels, well, I left his to ring, each time forcing myself not to answer."I heard your Dad told you about Florida," my mother grabs my attention as I sit alone in the kitchen. She walks around to the other side of the counter island to face me. "Are you going back?""Yeah. I'm moving back during winter break."She raises an eyebrow. "That's hardly a month away."I nod. "I know. I'll be ready by then. I'm used to leaving quickly anyway." It feels like an extreme case of déjà vu. It feels like I am g