The Good That Won't Come Out

That night, there was a knock at the door. Hailey swung it open to reveal Lauren.

"I brought pizza!" she cried.

"Yum!"

Lauren came in and they started to eat.

"So, Lauren, when was the last time you took a vacation?"

Lauren bit her lip and knitted her eyebrows.

"I can't remember!"

"Do you want to go on a holiday together?"

"That would be fun, where should we go?"

"Anywhere but England," Hailey laughed.

"So, Pete asked me out on a date," Lauren giggled.

"Really? That's cool. Just watch out for Pete ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"I love Pete, but he has a short attention span. However, you might be able to break him," Hailey explained.

"You know it."

"So, did Patrick say anything?" Hailey asked hesitantly.

Lauren's eyes turned sad, "no, I'm sorry."

"Oh well, I just have to get back to life in general again. I lived without him before, I can live without him again. So, what do you think about Mexico? Maybe Acapulco?"

"Hai, you are one strong woman. I think that would be a lot of fun. What do you think about bringing Pete?"

"Are you ready to be the third wheel?" Hailey joked. "Really, I don't care, it's cool."

Lauren grabbed Hailey's phone and dialed Pete's number. She chatted to him for a few moments then hung up.

"He said if we go to Cali, he can hang out. They are starting to record their new album and the studio is in West Hollywood."

Hailey raised an eyebrow. It would be weird, going back to where she met Patrick. It would be even weirder knowing he was there. Memories would surround her. Perhaps she would even be forced to hang out with him. But, she had to grow up and move on. Didn't she?

"Sure, let's set a date. I'm probobly going to regret this."

"Oh, you won't! We're going to have a blast!" Lauren cried.

Hailey put in her request to Colleen who approved it. The girls got a rather nice hotel overlooking the beach in Santa Monica for a whole week. Hailey was looking forward to a week away with her friends. When they got off the plane and out of the airport, Hailey took a deep breath and stretched.

"I really love this place. Sometimes I wonder why I stayed in Chicago instead of coming out here."

"Because you were destined to meet me!" Lauren giggled hugging her tightly.

They checked into the hotel and then headed to 3rd Street Promenade. They wandered around for awhile. Hailey stopped and looked at Lauren.

"I want to get a tattoo," she said matter-of-factly.

"You can't get a tattoo without Pete, he'd be hurt," Lauren replied.

"Call him."

Pete picked them up and drove Hailey to a place where he got some art done on himself. They stood in front of the tattoo parlour.

"Do you know what you want?" Pete asked. Hailey opened her mouth to tell him, but he interrupted quickly. "I've got a piece of art for you."

He pulled out a drawing of a bright red heart with crossbones and was exploding blood.

"Did you draw this?" she asked.

"Naw, saw it in a magazine and just sketched it."

"Pete, it's awesome. You know me too well."

Hailey got the tattoo on her lower back. Pete also talked Lauren into getting one. She got a butterfly on her hip. Afterwards, they went to a bar and had drinks. Lauren and Pete decided to use the bedroom. So, Hailey went for a walk. The night was warm and clear. She sat in the sat and stared at the ocean. She felt a twinge of regret for coming to California for her vacation. The place was saturated with memories of Patrick. She couldn't walk down the street without thinking of him. She wondered how he was doing, if he was happy. Without warning, hot tears began to slip down her face.

"God, why can't I forget you? Why can't I move on?" she whispered. She knew that it was over, but when presented with the idea of moving on, she felt empty. She got up and walked back to the hotel. There were no sounds coming from her room, so she knocked on the door and cracked it open.

"Hello? Everyone decent?"

She heard snoring and crept into the room. Thankfully, she couldn't see anything in the darkness. Digging in her suitcase, she found her pajamas. She changed in the dark and slid into bed.