"Hey honey ..." her mom greeted her as she burst into the door and slammed it behind her."Hey sweet ... heart ..." her dad stuttered when he realized his daughter stormed right past him at the stairs with a frowning face after her Saturday night out with her boyfriend.Eduard looked at his wife in dismay."Uh oh," Claire said."What? What do you mean 'uh oh'?" Eduard jogged to the front window and saw Lee's car slowly moving away from their house. "I can't see his face ... see this is why I told you she shouldn't date until she's 23."Claire peeked upstairs from the bottom of the stairs trying to listen if she could hear anything from Hazel's bedroom. She looked worried.Eduard rested his hands on his waist, "You're gonna have to find out what that was all about ... 'cause I ..." he raised his palms, "I have absolutely no idea how to handle a teenage girl ... never did."She made a face at him, her husband was a good dad but this was definitely out of his league. "I'll handle it ...
I wish I could fly, I'd pick you up and we'd go back in time ...She woke up with that song ringing in her head. The first thing she remembered was how awful last night had been, and the feeling lingered in the morning.She turned on her phone. Messages from Jan came flooding in. She didn't know Hazel wasn't coming to the party and she wondered why. Apparently, she checked with Lee and found out what happened between the two of them, and felt bad for not calling her as soon as possible.'I'm coming over' was the last message Jan texted her, and she was right in front of her door less than 30 minutes after she woke up.Back then we didn't know, we were built to fall apart ...How true those lyrics were as she told Jan everything that happened last night between her and Lee. She fell apart. Though Jan looked hungover, she was listening intently to her best friend who was going through her toughest time yet.Jan had gone through her own breakup a few times already, and Hazel had always b
Showing up at school on Monday was hard. She didn't know how she would feel if she had to bump into Lee. Her eyes were still swollen from the crying that occurred every time she thought about the breakup. So she put on sunglasses to hide them.She kept her chin up, her back straight, and pretended like it was just another day at school. She dressed up more than usual because Jan advised her to look her best so that when Lee saw her, he would be reminded of what he was missing. Though she didn't feel as good as she looked, she wasn't even sure if she looked good at all because of how terrible she felt inside.Jan slapped her butt after they got to her locker, "You got this babe, he wanted you to move on ... maybe you should show him how fast you can do it." Then she walked away with a wave.It was easier said than done. For Hazel, she didn't really want to move on, she wanted Lee to stay. 'This doesn't change anything' whatever that means. He's not her boyfriend anymore? Right?She had
They were half running to the parking lot looking over their shoulders until they finally got to Marlon's Tesla.Hazel wiped the tears that were still wet on her face, "Did anybody see you?"Marlon turned on the car engine and glanced at the rearview mirror, "Yeup ... definitely ..." he laughed lightly, "Yeah some people saw me alright." His blue eyes met her eyes for a brief moment, he smiled before backing up his car."We have to go back then?" she said."Nope ... too late for that," he kept driving further from the school. "Anyway ... obviously we need to get away from there today ... get some air, sort things out," he opened the roof window and looked at her again, "Right?"She wasn't sure at first, she looked back at the school that was getting smaller and smaller as they drove further away. "Where are we going?""Atta girl!" he shouted and tapped the steering wheel with his right palm, "Anywhere you want, baby!"Hazel curved her lips, he was amusing her, "Why are you doing this?
Hazel was learning something new about herself. She learned that when she's high, it's hard to focus on anything. She couldn't even follow what Marlon was saying to her if it was more than two sentences in a row. He had to repeat his words slowly and she would laugh because it sounded funnier than it actually is.She learned that it took a lot of effort to walk in a straight line and that she couldn't stop smiling. And they laughed at nothing and everything at the same time. They must've looked like two stoned teenagers being playful with each other by the empty beach, which is exactly what they were.Marlon spread the blanket on the sand for them to lie on. They could feel the sand warm against their backs through the thick sheet. All the world seemed to pause around them, the sound of the breeze soothed their ears."I don't think I can get up after this," she said."We don't have to," he said with his arms folded behind his head."How long does this last?""As long as it does ..."T
It was a little over 10 PM when Marlon arrived home after his dinner at the Williams. Stepping into his villa mansion was dragging, the house was dark, quiet, and cold. So much different from the warm and cozy family home he just left from. 13th West Lexington Hills was not a home, it was just a luxurious building where he goes to sleep.He hung his keys on the key rack, his eyes wandered to see if anyone was around. The house staff was nowhere to be seen, his mom was probably in her room too. The place was back to the way it was after the party on Saturday which left a trail of chaos and turned it upside down. But he was used to it.He walked into the dining room to get some water from the fridge. That's when he saw his mom laying unconscious on the floor, her glass was inches away from her hand, and whatever liquor inside it had spilled beside her."Mom!" he rushed to her. He kneeled next to her to check her breathing, and then her pulse. This was not the first time he found his mom
Five total miscalls from Lee last night, and a text message asking her where she was because her mom called and she was worried about her. He didn't say HE was worried, just her mom.'I've called my mom, I'm on my way home, thanks for asking' was her reply before she turned off her phone for the night. The text was read when she checked in the morning and he didn't text anything else.How did it come to this? He was her best friend before he was her boyfriend. They literally texted and talked to each other every single day. Now, this was all that was left of one whole year of getting to know a person, falling in love, get so attached to him, this letting go phase is cold and awkward and sad.She went to school the next morning feeling like a new person. The day before was hard but she realized that maybe in time she can get used to it. Lee very much still occupies her mind, intensely, she missed him, she missed the way she feels when she was with him. But maybe he was right. She will
"You could've called me last night," Hazel said as she handed him the ice pack.He glanced at her for a second and proceeded to put the ice pack on his ribs. He winced."You know ... whatever made you leave your house ... you could've called me," she persisted. She took a bandage and poured some antiseptics on a cotton ball then began to dab it on the open wound on his face.He pressed his eyes shut holding in a grunt from the sting. He opened his eyes again and looked at Hazel like she was an alien. He didn't know what to say to her. She was kind to him, the kindest anyone had ever been towards him."Sorry, did that hurt? I'm used to doing this for my brother, he gets cuts all the time after a game ... this looks pretty bad, maybe you should go to a clinic and let them take a look at it," she was diligently looking at every laceration on his face."No, I'll be fine," he took the bandage from her hand and tried to put it on himself. Their closeness made him nervous all of the sudden.
Okay ... let me wrap this up for you ... I decided to finish high school at Pinehurst Valley because ... well ... because I wanted to be close to Hazel for another year at least. I've never had a friend like her before and ever since Eli ... she's the one thing that made my life seem livable again. We spent the rest of the summer in Goldstone with my dad's charity program. We worked with under privilege children in the nook and cranny of the city. We volunteered at the nursing home. Hazel loved that one because I had to perform every week for the elderlies, they loved my singing, apparently, they think I was adorable and reminded them of their grandsons. Made me feel less special knowing there are at least 7 kids that looked like me. The whole program went well. She got extra points for her portfolio. So did I. Though it didn't matter to me because I know I'm not going to Uni after this. I'm concentrating on my new channel which Hazel had agreed to help with. She loved that to
She finally came out of her bedroom looking fresh out of the shower. Her mom felt a heavy burden just lifted off her shoulder. Hazel was feeling better. There was still deep sadness on her face but she forced a smile and said 'Hi' and gave her a long hug. The day was getting dark and Claire's relief was short-lived because Hazel was on her way outside to meet the boy in a designer hoodie in his white Lamborghini who looked like he hadn't had a good sleep in days."He's been waiting for an hour," Claire said.She had turned on the light on their porch so the two of them can have a good talk on their new balcony swing. Claire poured a generous amount of red wine into her mug and peeked outside their window and saw the two kids embracing each other warmly."Hey, baby ... how are you doing?" he said and kissed the top of her head.She shook her head and started to cry in his chest."Oh ... I'm so sorry ...""No ... I'm sorry ..." she said and held her tears back. "I'm sorry I missed your
Claire was leaning against the door frame of their entrance with her arms folded in front of her. He waved at Theo as he climbed into his car with all his stuff in the backseat. The boy had been crying, she could clearly see it on his face. She could still remember what it was like to be young and in love and heartbroken. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Theo had told her everything. She appreciated his honesty though she was disappointed at the same time. But he was devastated, Claire knew that people sometimes underestimated how deep the emotional scar is for boys. Some men couldn't really recover from the hurt they feel in their younger years. It only goes to show how Theo really felt about Hazel. She wanted to understand the situation though she can see how much it had hurt her daughter too. She let out a sigh as his car drove further away from their house. Theo was going back to Gastonbury after many attempts to apologize to Hazel. She had closed her doo
The party was held at The Silver Tongue, the most exclusive club in Goldstone. As the son of an A-list celebrity, he spared no expense and went all out for the celebration. He booked the whole third floor for the event and invited everyone he knew in the city. Including Mandy and Dennis. As soon as Marlon and his entourage arrived, the party began in full swing. The music was loud and thumping, and the dance floor was packed with guests showing off their best moves. Marlon was the center of attention, surrounded by his friends, who were all dressed in the latest designer clothes and jewelry. The bar was fully stocked with top-shelf liquor, and bartenders were serving up creative cocktails in elaborate glassware. The party-goers were drinking and toasting Marlon's big day, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. He wasn't in a particularly good mood that day, a big part of it was because he hadn't heard from Hazel since she went back to Chestnut. As if she had disappeared from t
Theo sat on his bed, his head buried in his hands. He couldn't believe the mess he had gotten himself into. He loved Hazel with all his heart, but he had lied to her. He couldn't even remember how it had all started. He left his girlfriend in Gastonbury because he knew he wanted to spend the summer with the girl that got away. The moment he saw her at the dance, he was instantly back to where he left off and his girlfriend just disappeared in the background. Grace ... her name ... his girlfriend. It was never serious with Grace. It was never serious with any of the girls he had been with after Peyton. Subconsciously, he was trying to move on from losing Hazel because he was too much of a coward to fight for her in the first place. He knew it would have to be Hazel. He had taken their relationship for granted for years, but they were just kids. One year apart from her had only made his feelings stronger and he had ruined it for the both of them when he couldn't stop himself from fa
It was a nagging feeling. That's what she had. It was bothering her and she couldn't ignore it any longer. Sure ... she needed to get her stuff to better prepare herself for the summer program. But Theo will only stay for so long and she needed to be with him, at least to explain in person how her summer is going to be.She wanted to stay in Goldstone, it was her initial plan before Theo came along. The nagging feeling told her to go back to Chestnut to see if their new relationship was going to last beyond that summer.She didn't tell him she was coming back, she wanted it to be a surprise. The minute she arrived, she went straight to Theo's house.He was surprised or more like shocked to see her. The look on his face was not what she expected. His eyes bulged wide, his face was drained of colors, and his mouth gaped open."Micky?" his voice was almost inaudible.She laughed, "Yeah ... who do you think it is? I wanted to ask you if you're surprised ... but it's pretty obvious," she r
He had planned to ask Hazel at the end of her stay in Goldstone, but he found himself asking her on the first day she arrived. The thought had been haunting him for weeks since he left Chestnut for his family therapy. The only thing stopping him from executing his original plan was his unexpected friendship with Hazel. He would consider anything not to lose what he had with her. Having her around made him feel excited and energized to do whatever it is he was planning to do. Being with her made it easier for him to forget how fucked up his family situation was. Every day spent with her was joyful. Even Dr. Seymour told him that he made huge progress since the last time he was in therapy. Marlon knew it had a lot to do with Hazel. He introduced her to his YouTube team and let her hang out when they were working on their next project. He wanted her to be interested. He wanted her to want to be involved. He wanted her to change her mind though neither of them had made any decision, Ma
She remembered the first time she arrived in the city of Neon Lights. This time she arrived in style, in a white Lambo with one of the most eligible bachelors in town. He was high, she was laughing, and the music was loud but Goldstone was louder. Hazel had underestimated how famous Marlon really was. It's different in Chestnut where she was used to him being her 'buddy', her celebrity friend from the Big City but Marlon never felt too big for her. In Goldstone, he's a Rock Star. People recognized his car. There were literally fans asking for autographs and pictures with him. She could hear people calling his name while they walk on the sidewalk. Eating out in fast food restaurants was not an option, they would have to go to Hotels or fine dining or have food delivered to his penthouse. "You should try going out in public with my dad," he said and put on his sunglasses at 8 PM. "Worse?" she assumed. He shook his head a little, "You can't," he tilted his brow. "He has bodyguards
Marlon took a drag of his cigarette while leaning on his car. He glanced at the pair after a while and muttered, "For fuck's sake." It's been 15 minutes since they said they were saying goodbye to each other and every time he looked over his shoulder they were kissing passionately on Hazel's porch. They finally stopped when Hazel's mom stepped out of the house. They hugged and her mom said something about not drinking, don't do anything illegal, and calling her once they get there. Things his parents never said to him. He dropped his cigarette on the ground and put it out with his Givenchy sneakers. "Drive safely, young man," Claire said to him when walking Hazel toward his car. "I mean it ... it's a fancy car, and I know what it can do ... but not while you're driving my baby," she tapped on his Lambo. "Yes ma'am," he gave her a two-finger salute. "How about we video call you all the way to Goldstone so you can see how slow I drive?" he teased her. "That's not a bad idea, actua