Highmore Manor

I stormed down the path in my own little world, completely unaware of everything going on around me. The only thing I knew was that I wasn't going back.

I could feel the tears drying on my cheeks and I could imagine how stunning I looked with mascara probably running down from my eyes like a sad circus performer but I didn't care anymore.

I was set on one thing and one thing only: forgetting.

I just wanted to forget everything.

Forget Chase Birchall, forget Jesse Reed, and forget Ryan Batchelor.

Hell, even forget that I'd ever come here.

It took me a while to stumble down the path that lead onto the beach and it was freezing cold all the way down, but thankfully I managed to get down there without injury, or without falling off the side of the cliff like I seemed to be good at doing.

The beach looked amazing, there were people milling everywhere, a few small bonfires dotted around and one humongous bonfire set up further down the beach that basically lit the whole area up in a warm orange glow, plus there were little stands littered around the place providing drinks and food and a stereo system set up on the grassier area of the beach playing some really good music.

I hadn't gotten very far when someone stepped in front of me. I looked up slowly and found myself looking into the pale green eyes of Camilla Lourdes.

"Leave me alone," I sighed inwardly and turned to walk in the other direction but she followed me and stepped in front of me again.

"Hayley," she said sadly, pouting her bottom lip out slightly before grabbing my arm gently and pulling me over to a potable toilet set up on the edge of the woods. She pushed me inside and then rummaged around inside her handbag for a minute.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I watched her dig inside it.

"Helping you, you look terrible, darling," she said, insulting me in the nicest way possible. I sniffled slightly and felt the tears rise up again. She looked up in shock and realized what she'd said. "Oh I didn't mean it like that, I just meant the – you know – mascara tearstains aren't the prettiest look," she said with a sympathetic look, handing me a tissue.

I laughed gently with her and took the tissue off her but didn't use it.
"Why are you doing this though?" I asked.

"Because I'm not the horrible bitch everyone thinks I am – well technically I am but I still have feelings. You've always been so nice to me and you looked like you needed some help," she said with another kind smile that didn't quite seem to suit her face but definitely made her ten times prettier.

"Thanks, I think –" I sniffled again, turning to the little mirror hanging above the tiny sink in the cramped little portable toilet shed. She laughed slightly.

"Uh excuse me, can I – " I heard some random guy ask from outside the toilet.

"Fuck off!" Camilla snapped, shooting a quick glare over her shoulder. When she turned around she found me staring at her with my eyebrow raised and a small smirk on my lips.

"What? First years are so annoying!" she said, sounding like a blonde bimbo again. I stared at her for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. She stared at me for a few seconds as well and then joined in.

When we both calmed down and caught our breath she smiled up at me.

"You know, I should have gotten to know you first," she said simply before offering me her hand to help me down out of the toilet. She surveyed my face and then nodded her approval. She looked at me for a second, squeezed my shoulder slightly and then she was gone, disappearing off into the crowd.

"Thank you," I whispered after her slightly.

"Uh, can I use the toilet now?" a gangly, pimple covered boy with his legs crossed awkwardly asked quietly, staring up at me in fear. I looked down at him for a few seconds and then cracked the hugest smile.

"Sure, go ahead!"

♥♥♥♥♥♥

I was stumbling my way across the sand towards one of bonfire when Callie accosted me.

"Fraternizing with the enemy, hmm?" she asked, grabbing my arm and raising her eyebrow quizzically at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, shrugging her tight grip off my arm and continued walking.

"Oh you know what I mean, I saw you and Camilla disappear off somewhere and then you suddenly come back looking a million bucks," she said sarcastically, walking along beside me and crossing her arms.

"She's not actually that bad, and she was only helping –" I started.

"Not that bad! She's only being nice to get you on her side so it sweetens the deal when you find out about Alex!" Callie exclaimed, staring up at me like I’d growen a second head.

"Oh grow up, Callie, you don't even know if she slept with him or not!" I snapped. Callie's eyes widened in shock and she took in what I just said.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, hey? And did you say helping? What was she helping you with?" Callie asked.

"Ryan, and yes helping, she was helping me with my makeup."

"Oh typical, makeup. What do you mean Ryan? And what was wrong with your makeup?" she quizzed.

"Stop asking so many question!" I threw my hands up. Callie stared at me again and then smiled goofily.

"Sorry," she giggled. I sent her a weird look.

"Come on, sit down and I'll tell you everything – and please don't ever do that –" I pointed my finger at her face. "Smile thingy again, it makes you look stupid."

Callie glared at me and then came and sat down beside me. "God, you're in a weird mood," she mumbled.
A while later I finished telling her all about what Ryan had said to me in the corridor and then what had happened with Camilla as well.

"Oh well that makes sense," she said once I'd finished speaking. "God, Ryan can be thick." We both laughed together.

My weird mood had finally left so I was acting kind of normal again. I decided it was just that I needed to get everything off my chest.

A guy came over then with a tray of beer bottles and offered us them, we both glanced at each other and then took one each and thanked him.

"I wonder if the teachers know they're serving alcohol?" I thought out loud just as one of the PE teachers stumbled into our little circle laughing hysterically and then ran off again.

"Does that answer your question?" Callie asked. We both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Tonight was turning into the weirdest night of my life.

"It is New Years I guess, everyone goes a little bit crazy," I said, taking a gulp from my drink.

"Well, it's your birthday too, how's it going?" Callie asked, drinking out of her bottle too.

I was just about to answer when I glanced over her shoulder and spotted someone walking along the beach in our sort of direction.

"Oh, fuck, hide me!" I swore, diving off the bench and cowering down in front of Callie. She looked at me weirdly and then looked over her shoulder when I started pointing wildly for her to do so.

"Oh shit!" she said turning back around to look at me. "What's he doing here? I thought he wouldn’t be coming back, he was only here for a holiday, he shouldn't be back!"

"I don't think I can face him Cals!" I admitted. She looked down at me sympathetically then grabbed my arm, half pulling me up.

"Come on, we'll go hide in the bushes or something," she said, turning me around and pulling me back towards the woods.

But it was too late.

"Hayley!" a deep voice called out. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Chase jogging across the sand towards us. I turned back around and grabbed Callie's hand.

"Come on, we're going!" I exclaimed, walking as fast as I could across the sand and tugging her along behind me.

"Hayley!" Chase called out again, his voice sounded pleading. He finally caught up to us and grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face him. "Hayley, can we please talk?" he asked.

I suddenly found myself face to face with the guy that had been haunting my dreams for the past week and the one person I had been trying so hard to avoid. I stared straight up into his warm green eyes and almost melted right where I was standing.

How could someone so gorgeous do this to me?

Callie suddenly stepped in between us, pushing me backwards. "She doesn't have anything to say to you!" she spat, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back.

Chase came right back and got right up in her face. It would have been a funny scene, a tiny 5'5" girl facing up to a humongous 6'2" guy like she intended to beat the crap out of him, if I hadn't been so clouded with a whole mixture of emotions.

"Oh yeah, well I don’t think that's up to you to say, you little skank," he spat down at her, his face screwing up so ugly with the words he was saying.

That was all it took for Callie to snap, she lunged at him but not before someone pushed themselves in between her and Chase, putting a hand on Chases chest and one on Callie's forehead, pushing them apart.

"Argh, what the fuck Jesse, get your hand off my head!" Callie shrieked, whipping away from him and rubbing her hand over her forehead like she was trying to get his germs off her. I was just standing there watching everything happen like I wasn't even there.

"Hayley, can we please just talk?" Chase asked, trying to push himself past Jesse to get to me. Despite the fact that Chase was a few inches taller then Jesse he still managed to be overpowered by Jesse, who was now focusing all his attention of keeping Chase away from me.

I was aware now that a huge circle of people had crowded around out little scene, including some teachers who were just standing there watching what was unfolding infront of them without even stopping it.

"She doesn't want to talk to you, mate!" Jesse snapped, holding Chase back like a dam holding back a flood of water.

"Don't call me mate, mate!" Chase snapped back. The tussled for a few seconds before Chase pushed Jesse off him and took a few steps back. Wiping his hand across his top lip. Jesse just stood there in the middle of us staring at Chase, ready to hit him if he came forwards again. I went completely silent.

I coughed slightly and suddenly everyone was looking at me like they'd finally realized I was standing there. I could almost here someone go 'Ohhh, when did she get here?'

Jesse's head whipped towards me, taking me in for the first time since he'd left us at the airport a whole week ago. He took a deep breath and looked me up and down.

"Hey," he said gently, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at me.

"Hi," I replied with a small smile.

"Oh – how touching!" Chase snapped finally, swinging his fist back.
All I could hear was myself screaming Jesse's name as Chase's fist came flying towards the side of Jesse's face and then the sickening crunch as he made contact.

And then suddenly everything was pandemonium.

Teachers grabbed Chase from both sides and wrestled him to the ground. There were people suddenly everywhere in the way and I couldn't see Jesse anymore, I pushed my way through the crowds of people and finally found Jesse sitting up on the sand, someone at his side with a bunch of tissues.

I collapsed into a heap beside him. "Jesse," I gasped.

There was blood running from his nose and there were about a million tissues stuffed in front of his face but he still managed to turn and look at me, our eyes connecting over the white fluff and smile.

"Hey," he said again.