AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Management?” Hamilton laughed.
“I was going to say assholes, but I guess it’s two sides of the same coin,” I shrugged.
“So you’re saying the lazy ones who blame everyone have great leadership potential,” Aaron said. “Like they could become department heads or university chancellors if they keep it up.”
We all had a laugh over that one, and in no time, Kyle and company decided to shove off and go home to their families.
“You two playing by the rules?” Kyle asked. “No hitting on students.”
“Not me, man, I’m not gonna fall prey to the temptation like you all did,” Aaron laughed.
“Hey, Rick,” Drake said. “How come you didn’t chime in?”
“I’m not dignifying it with a reply. Just because the three of you can’t keep it in your pants doesn’t mean we can’t,” I said sourly. Because obviously the first thing that came to mind was Hailey’s dazzling smile earlier in class and the fact that I couldn’t get her off my mind.
“Somebody’s setting off my cop senses,” Drake joked.
If Drake noticed my hesitation to answer, my guilt must be showing. I thought I was hiding it well. I hadn’t done anything wrong, had never laid a hand on her or spoken an improper word to her. But my thoughts were just as bad. I drained my bottle of beer and left Aaron to finish the plate of wings alone. I had lost my appetite.
CHAPTER9
HAILEY
The luxury was just mind-blowing—my first actual day off in six weeks. I didn’t have to go to the diner or go to class. It was a Sunday all to myself! I slept past seven in the morning. I met my mom for breakfast and heard all about the new guy she was seeing. Just the laughter in her voice and the color in her cheeks made me so happy. After watching her waste away, papery pale and skinny, I was thrilled to see her even four years later as filled out and healthy looking as she was. Loving life, and not taking a moment for granted.
When I hugged her, it’s always for an extra minute because of what I could’ve lost. What I almost lost. The keeper of my past, the witness to my childhood, the person I was closest to on this planet. We talked most days but seeing her and getting to have a meal and listen to her was such a treat for me. I felt like it energized me. She even coaxed me to drink another orange juice for the vitamin C.
I finished my homework, did some more work on the marketing project and put away my clean laundry. After a quick grocery run, I was debating whether to meal prep salads for my lunches this week when Maria called me.
“Hey, girlie, you busy for supper?”
“No, I’m free as a bird. It’s the most amazing feeling. I may take a nap. A real one, not the accidental kind that happens to me when I sit down,” I said.
“You should. But set an alarm because you’re coming to my parents’ for dinner tonight. I’ll even give you a ride.”
“I don’t know. That’s really sweet of you, but you need time with your family, and I can just spend a quiet night here and—”
I was on the fence about joining her family for supper. Her mom was an incredible cook, but I knew Rick would probably be there. I wanted to avoid him, to not see him socially even in a group and partly by accident. The tension was too strong between us, and the stakes were too high. If I sought him out or even let my guard down, I was playing with fire, pure and simple.
“Come on! You have to. If you’re there, my mom will be really nice and not try to make me, like, get betrothed to some dentist from her church.”
“Well, if you really need me to block a betrothal and stand in the way of your arranged marriage, I will, but you have to help me figure out what to do if they start offering us goats and cows for you. I mean, I like those baby goats on YouTube and if some dentist offers me one of those, especially if it has on pajamas, I can’t make any promises. I might give you to him with my blessing,” I laughed.
“Ha ha. You’re so hilarious. No one has offered livestock for me, and it’s not an arranged marriage. They’re just desperate to see me settled down and pregnant. With, like, twins.”
“I’m not sure you’d enjoy that,” I said dubiously. “It would make that trip to Egypt pretty uncomfortable if you were packing around like eighty pounds of pregnancy weight with twins. Imagine the heat and the sweating.”
“That’s not something I want to imagine. I’ll be by to pick you up around five.”
“What can I bring?”
“Nothing. This is my mom, there’s gonna be enough food for a stadium,” she said.
“How about fruit? Can I bring fruit?” I asked.
“Okay, sure, bring some fruit. See you then.”
I ordered a delivery from the store and cut up some mango and pineapple and arranged it on a plate with berries. Then I skipped the nap and spent a ridiculous amount of time showering, doing my hair and painting my nails. Would I normally flat iron my hair and do discount store French tips to go see my friend’s parents? No. Did I think it was stupid to be all ‘Rick Esperanza is off-limits’ and then spend two hours getting ready like I was going on a date just because he would be there? Yes, I was a hypocrite, but I was a hypocrite whose smoky eye was on point. After watching two Tik Toks about highlighter and blush placement, I managed to pull off what I considered a pretty, natural look that had that ironic I-didn’t-make-an-effort glam.
