Chapter 34
HAILEY
Hatching!
"Jesus!" Percie was beyond mad. He strode in my direction while I was rooted in my place. His eyes ablaze with fire, cheeks burned furiously.
"I'm fine." My hands flew to my towel, gripping tightly as my shield.
Before he could reach out to me, the doorbell went off. Who would be here at this time?
"Get dress. Something thick."
"Who's-?"
He glared at me. "Just do what I say!"
I jumped. "Fine." I rolled my eyes, walking back to my room.
I did a quick shower before I changed to my sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" I joined Mom on the couch.
"I'm here to return your car. Your grandpa is okay. He told me that you should call him sometimes. How are you doing? Percie just told me that you left your coat in his car."
I wondered what else Percie told Mom. I didn't want her to worry about me. Then I heard something in the kitchen.
"I'm fine. It's not that I've never been under the rain before." I covered my nose with the sleeve of my sweatshirt when I was about to sneeze.
"This will help."
I looked up at Percie, carrying two steaming mugs. He offered one for me and one for Mom.
"Thanks." I gave him a timid smile.
"Thank you, honey."
I noticed his knuckles were already clean. He may have disinfected it after he opened the door for Mom.
"You're welcome. I'll leave you two alone to catch up."
When Percie was gone, Mom touched my knee. "You okay, honey?"
"I might catch colds, Mom, but I'm fine."
Mom was not convinced. I could see the concern on her face. "That's not what I meant, Hailey."
I pulled my knees closer to my chest. "I'll live."
"But I want you to be more than just to live. I can sense the tension between you two, and I saw his hand. What happened?"
So Percie left that details. "We argued, that's all." I sipped my tea.
"You two still have so many things to learn with each other, but nothing can beat a good talk."
"Thanks, mom." I smiled, feeling relieved that she didn't tell me to stay away from Percie.
"He's a good guy. He wouldn't be this mad if he doesn't care about you, or if you didn't do something to anger him."
"I know."
Percie came back, holding his phone. "Lily, your cab just arrived."
"You're leaving right away?" I asked urgently.
"Yes, honey. Your dad is at home."
"You could have just kept the car at home. I'll take it later."
"I came here to check on you as well." She kissed my cheek. "I have to go before uber charges me double." "Percie, honey."
"I'll send you down."
My mom stopped him. "I know my way to the lobby, honey."
I sipped my tea when my mom was gone to ignore the penetrating gaze Percie had been pinning at me.
When I couldn't hold it anymore, I rolled my eyes. "Just say it, and let's get this over with."
"I'm not mad at you, Hailey."
"You're mad at yourself because you felt like you let me down. I get it." I met his gaze this time. "And hurting yourself felt like the only way to repent yourself, right?"
His nose flared as he shook his head in disagreement. He sat on the armrest of the sofa. "Why the fuck did you not call for a cab when you can't reach me? And why in the "
"I couldn't reach you."
"My phone battery was drained. I was away and kept calling you that I would be late."
"I'm fine, ain't I?"
"I saw you" I felt like it was harder for him to voice out how he saw me earlier. He rose from his seat, his hands on his pocket. "I couldn't even begin to imagine how scared you were alone "
"I wasn't alone." I put the teacup on the side table before I looked at him.
His glared could split me in half. "What do you mean you're not alone."
I dropped my gaze to my hands as my throat had gone dry. "I was with-Remy." My voice was deadly quiet that I could barely hear it.
"What the fuck!" His voice filled with rage, echoing in the entire apartment. "What in the fuck, Hailey? How many times did I tell you to stay away from him? That he's not good for you!" He growled in anger. "Stop cursing."
"Fuck!"
I was startled in my seat, my hands shaking. My tears ran down my cheeks. I was not scared of him, but I realized that what I did would end up hurting him.
The slamming of the door jolted me again. He just left. He left me. So much of communicating.
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Great.
***
I woke up, sweating. My body was burning. My throat was dry as a desert and my nose clogged.
I thought I had a fever. I tried to get from bed no matter how my body felt like a million needled pricking me.
I walked right to my medicine cabinet to find a sticky note with a message.
Take a tablet when needed.
P
My heart swelled. I bit my lip when it trembled.
He came back, but he didn't wake me up. My chest constricted.
I went back to my room after taking the medicine with me. There was a bottle of water on my bedside table. I took the tablet and slept again.
I woke up to a cold hand patting my forehead. I was sick, and I didn't want to get up.
"You need to get up and take some food. You've been asleep all day."
"Lexie?"
"Hey, pretty." She turned on the light.
I sat on the bed, confused. I tried to open my eyes through the gleam assaulting me. "What are you doing here?"
"Your hot of a boyfriend called me that you're sick, and he was pissed off. He cursed every word in his sentence. I barely understood." She sighed. "Remy? Really?"
I met her gaze. "You don't know, and Percie doesn't know" I sneezed.
Lexie pulled some tissue from the box and offered it to me. "I thought you could use some." "Thanks."
"Did he hurt you?"
"Percie? No."
"No. Remy."
I shook my head. "He offered to send me here when I couldn't reach Percie. At first, I was hesitant, but he had a point. Then I realized how would Percie react when he found out Remy sent me home. So I told him to stop the car—" "In the middle of the road, raining? Seriously, where are Megan-well, she was with me. Where is Victoria? And what's the use of the app on your phone?"
I shrugged. "It didn't occur to me."
"And he left you alone?"
"He wasn't impressed. He followed me, but I ran. Then Percie found me."
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"You could have hurt or worse, or a thug could find you. What were you thinking? You have my number, Hailey. I couldn't blame Percie for going ballistic because what you did was stupid."
"Jeez. Thanks." I rolled my eyes.
"Do you know where he went and where he is right now?"
I shook my head.
"Good. He's my friend, and you are too, but what you did was stupid, and you hurt Percie." She rose from my bed and walked out of my room.
"Where are you going?"
"To get some food before Percie hangs me."
I went to the kitchen. Lexie was scooping something from the container.
"Your mom called. I told her you're sleeping. I answered your phone, by the way. It's irritating your parents called you every minute." She placed down a bowl of steaming soup. "Dig up. It's a canned chicken noodle soup." "Thanks. Where's Percie?"
"I'm not in the liberty to disclose?"
"Really?" I rolled my eyes and stared at her in disbelief.
Lexie laughed. "Fine." She rolled her eyes as well while watching me scoop and dug in the soup. "His grandma fell. Well, he slid in the bathroom."
"What? How is she?"
"Nothing serious. The old woman is stronger than an Arabian horse. She has bruises on her ass, but she'll live. She'd be discharged tomorrow. You know how Percie is with his grands. He didn't tell you?" "We didn't get to that part."Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
"He'll be here tomorrow. He's still pissed off, though."
"Thanks for pointing the obvious. I know you want me to feel bad. Well, good news, I feel terrible."
"Good. And of all the people, why Remy for fuck's sake? I don't know the whole story, but they seem to like to have bad blood. You can make up to him, though."
My eyes lit up with hope. "How?"
"He's your first boyfriend, isn't he?"
"Why do I feel that your idea of making up to him is not something I won't agree with easily?"
"Pft! I'm not asking you to sleep with him."
I sighed. Thank god.
"Take your meds and wear something." She swirled her finger. "Not that baggy."
"Where are we going?"
"You can walk, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Duh."
"Good."