Back to Square One

“Congratulations,” I smiled at Hazelyn as we got into the car.

“Thanks,” she beamed.

“So, are you excited?” I asked her as I kept driving.

“Of course I am,” she smiled at me. “It’s a dream come true,” she told me as she gazed outside the window. “It reminds me that dreams can come true, you know?”

I looked at her confused. “What do you mean? You can make dreams come true if you want them to,” I told her.

“If my dream was to fly, I can’t make that come true,” she challenged.

“You can’t. But when you’re on a plane, you’re flying,” I teased.

“Not what I meant,” she rolled her eyes at me.

“When you’re snowboarding. When you’re airborne, doesn’t that feel like flying?”

She was quiet for a moment. “I guess you’re right,” she sighed.

“Nothing’s impossible Haze,” I told her with a slight smirk.

“Dribble a football Dolciani,” she laughed.

I shook my head at her and turned my attention back to driving. The rest of our ride was comfortably quiet, the music filling the silence.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?” I asked as I took a glance her way.

“You can drop me off at the Hill,” she said to me.

“Nobody’s gonna be there.”

She just shrugged. “I’ve lived by myself for awhile now, I think I can handle being alone for one night,” she said, half-jokingly.

“Hazelyn,” I sighed. “Just stay at my place for now. Tristan and Stephanie got their own place, and Nate’s at his place. I don’t want you in that huge mansion alone. Plus you can hang out with Savannah, Caleb and Chelsea more.”

She turned her head towards me and raised an eyebrow. “You care, why?” she asked.

I just shook my head at her. “You just don’t understand. No matter how much crap we’ve been through and whatever shit that we’ve said to each other, there’s just no way that I’d stop caring about you,” I told her honestly.

“Just drop me off at the mansion,” she sighed after a few moments of silence.

I knew that it would just lead to another fight, so I did as told and dropped her off. She mumbled a quick ‘thank you’ before stepping out of the car and made her way up the steps. I stayed on the driveway and made sure she got in safe. I saw the lights flicker on and a few more moments, I saw that her room’s lights were on.

I sighed and drove out of the compound, making my way to my own place.

“Hey, where were you?” was the first thing that Kyle asked me the moment I walked in.

“I dropped Hazelyn off,” I told him as I walked up the stairs to my own room.

“Where?” he persisted.

“Their place.”

“Why?”

“Because she wanted to.”

“Why isn’t she staying here?”

“Because Kyle,” I groaned as I flopped myself on the damn bed.

“Because?”

“Are you really being annoying right now?”

He just shrugged at me and sat down on my computer chair, looking at me intensely. “Do you still like her?” he asked me.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Kyle, I don’t fucking like her!” I groaned and gripped on my hair tightly at the frustration. I saw the confusion in his eyes. “I’m still fucking in love with her! I’ve been for the past 5 years and that’s just sad,” I frowned.

“How’d you win her over five years ago?” he asked.

I just shrugged. “I have no clue. One day I’m threatening her of her reputation, then I started to think everything I found irritating about her was cute and before I knew it, I was head over heels in love with her.”

“Jay, go back to the beginning. Go back to square one I guess we could say. This whole fake relationship thing, I don’t like the sound of it. It’ll just feed on your sexual friction towards each other. One day, you’ll just explode. We got your back bro. Hazelyn just needs to find that part of herself that loved you. That still loves you,” he told me solemnly with a hand on my shoulder. “We got your back bro,” he repeated before walking towards the door. He paused and looked back at me over his shoulder. “Oh, and she deserves the truth about what happened too,” he told me and closed the door.

I didn’t have to ask him what about, because we both knew what it was about.

I groaned once again and smashed my head on my pillow. One, because I’m such an idiot. If I just went after her that one day. If only. Things could’ve been so different. I couldn’t get my mind off the woman that she has become. So independent and strong. She doesn’t need me. That then leads to the second reason. I wanted an excuse to see her. I wanted to see her. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to fucking kiss her. But I can’t.

Or can I? We are technically dating right?

I smiled at my plan and got up from my bed and out to my car, driving back to her place.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Hazelyn hissed as she opened her balcony’s door. “On my balcony? In the middle of the night?”

I shrugged and walked into her room. It wasn’t much different from the last time I saw it. Actually, it looked exactly the same as how it did 4 years ago. Her blue walls covered with posters and pictures. Our pictures.

“Get out!” Hazelyn ordered once she shut the door.

“We really need to talk about how we’re gonna fool our parents with this whole charade,” I told her putting my hands behind my head and plopping myself on her bed. Oh how I forgot the softness of this bed.

“You’re kidding me,” she frowned. “At midnight?!”

I shrugged. “I mean, this is the only time we can talk. I’m practically half asleep in the mornings.” She sighed and sat on the couch on the other side of the room. “I’m not infected with a contagious disease, sheesh,” I frowned as I scooted myself up against her headboard.

“Are you sure?” she raised an eyebrow at me.

“I’m clean,” I assured her. Her frown deepened but nodded anyways. “So?”

“So? You’re the one that showed up on my balcony at midnight demanding to talk to me.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “What are the boundaries of this charade?” She just shrugged. “Am I allowed to put my arms around you? Hold your hand? Or am I supposed to stay at least five inches away from you?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

She looked at me stunned. “Why would you say that?”

“Say what?”

“The last part.”

“Which one? The five inches one?” She nodded. I just shrugged. “I don’t know, you seem to want to be as far away from me as possible.”

She just rolled her eyes at me and sat down on the bed next to me. “Happy now?”

“Don’t be forced,” I told her. “If you really don’t wanna do this, then you don’t have to.”

Her gaze softened. “Ry, I need this as much as you do. I need to get my mom off my back, and T and Kyle had a great point. We can get them off our backs through this. No problem.”

“Then what?”

She just shrugged. “We take it day by day. We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” she told me.

I just nodded. “So, are we making this public? What’s the story?”

She thought for a moment. “Let’s just say that we took a little break three years ago, but then now that we found each other we’re sickeningly in love again,” she chuckled.

“We were not sickeningly in love!” I argued.

“Yes we were. You always made those googoo eyes at me that made me go crazy!”

“Please, you were the same too! All you needed to do was pull that pout out and make those pretty hazel eyes glisten with tears and I was helpless,” I laughed with a wink.

“Oh and you being so helpless without me. Damn that was hilarious,” she laughed.

“Not funny Haze,” I frowned at her with a pout and crossed my arms.

“Aww. No pouty Ryie,” she pouted back at me and grabbed my arms to uncross them. “It makes you look ugly,” she laughed and jumped off the bed.

“But… but… you’re supposed to be telling me how hot I look, I am your boyfriend after all,” I busted out laughing.

She bit her lip. “Don’t tempt me,” she chuckled.

“You’re such a loser!” I laughed and stood up. “You going to sleep now?” I asked her. She smirked at me.

“You think I can go to sleep now?” she asked rolling her eyes.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“You’re so dumb. I can’t sleep anymore,” she huffed as she plopped down on her bed.

“Wanna celebrate instead then?” I asked hovering above her with a huge grin.

“Celebrate what?”

“One, this fake relationship. And two you going to X- Games!”

She grinned at me and shook her head. “I have a full bar downstairs,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

“I like how you think,” I winked at her and she flew out of the room as I stumbled after her.



“Turn the damn thing off!” I heard somebody screech from beside me. I groaned and felt around for my phone, and when I finally got it, I answered the call

“Hello?” I groaned.

“Ryan, where the fuck are you?”

“I don’t know!” I groaned.

“It’s 1 in the afternoon Ryan. Kyle said you ran off last night!”

“I’ll be home in a few ma, bye,” I groaned and ended the call and turned off my phone. I flipped on my other side and was searching for a pillow to hug, but I found a body instead.

Headache, Body. Hangover, Slut. Yeah, that’s about right. But something’s not adding up. I didn’t go to the bar last night, and I didn’t hook up with anybody. I was at Hazelyn’s house, and we were drinking and –

Before I could process anything, I heard a loud screech and I suddenly felt the floor under my body. I hastily got up and saw a horrified looking Hazelyn.