“Hey Mickey,” his voice softly calling her.
She was walking past the soccer field after school, she turned to find him walking behind her. It’s been a while since she saw him, that dreamy green eyes, his tall figure and broad shoulders, and that beautiful head rested on top of them.
“Hey,” she held her breath for a split second, “I haven’t seen you in a while … where have you been?”
He had his hands in his pockets, his head down, he didn’t reply immediately, “Around … are you heading home?”
She stopped walking, it seems like they were going to have a small talk, “Yeah, are you coming?” she hadn’t seen him at her house either, she wondered if he was going to stop by like he always did before.
He looked up at her, he seemed cautious as he looked around and landed his gaze back at her. “Maybe later … I have something for you.”
She was surprised and anxious in anticipation, what could he possibly have for her after he had disappeared for weeks?
He took something out of his backpack, “I know it’s not much … I tried to get you those tickets I owe you, but I got this instead.”
It was a vinyl, he handed it to her. “It’s signed.”
She gasped, she couldn’t close her mouth after that. She looked at the piece, Harry Styles newest album slipped with a note and his signature on the cover, “Dear Hazel … I’ll see you in my next concert, love … H.” Her squeal can be heard across the field, she jumped and hugged him.
He laughed softly, “I’m glad you like it.”
“Oh my God … how did you get this? Did he really signed this for me?” she was jumping on her feet.
He lifted his shoulder and tilted his head to one side, “It wasn’t easy …” he scoffed, “But I’m still working on those tickets, I’ll get them … it’s a bit tricky because he’s not having a concert any time soon.”
She hugged the vinyl on her chest, “Is that where you’ve disappeared to? Getting this vinyl and looking for tickets?”
They looked at each other, he smiled, “Yeah … and other stuff too … I still feel bad about …”
She touched his arm, “Don’t be … please … I hate to think that you haven’t been coming around because of that, this is amazing Theo, I can’t imagine what you have to go through to get this … I mean … I can’t even …” she laughed.
“Well … I still owe you one … that’s a promise,” he pressed his lips together, his eyes were hoping to get a favorable response from her.
“Thank you,” she smiled, “For trying … for this,” she lifted the vinyl.
“Theo?” a voice came from afar.
They looked to the source, it was Peyton. She was standing near the cafeteria and expected Theo to come to her.
“I have to go,” he said.
“Sure.” She wanted to ask him how it was going with Peyton, but as she could see for herself, they’ve been together as usual since they were back to school. It wasn’t her business, but the question was in the back of her tongue.
“You’ll be seeing more of me again …” he said as he walked away, “Don’t get tired of it,” he laughed and waved his hand before completely turning away.
She curved her lips, “That’s not possible,” she muttered to herself.
When she came home with a vinyl in her hand and a grin on her face, her mom immediately noticed.
“Wow … that is very hard to get I would think …” her mom looked at the vinyl and read the message.
She giggled, still couldn’t believe that she was holding something straight from Harry.
Claire looked at her daughter’s beaming face, the total opposite of how she was when she came home from Goldstone, and felt glad that it finally worked out. “So is everything okay between you and Theo now? I assumed he hasn’t been around because of what happened in Goldstone … I mean … your brother has never been apart for that long from him.” She poured a glass of orange juice and offered it to Hazel.
She took the glass, she hasn’t told her mom about the kiss, it may have something to do with his absence too. “Mom … why do you think Max doesn’t want any of his friends to date me? Or … you know …”
Claire leaned on the kitchen counter, somehow she knew there was something going on between the kids and she had suspected it had something to do with Hazel’s crush on Theo or vice versa. She folded her arms in front of her, “Is it Theo?”
She shrugged and drank her juice, “Not in particular … just any of his friends,” she tried to be vague.
Her mom raised her brows, “But especially Theo, right?”
Hazel grimaced, “Well, I don’t know … it’s not like Theo has any feelings towards me, he has a girlfriend.”
Claire scoffed, “Since when did that have anything to do with having feelings for other people? But no … seriously? Theo is like a brother to him … I think if the two of you have something going on, Max might worry that it may not work out and then things might get a little weird between him and Theo … and you.”
It was the same explanation that Max gave her, she looked down on her juice, “I don’t know anything about relationships … I guess things don’t usually work out?”
“Oh honey … you’ll have one soon, I’m sure of that … I mean I can already see it now, but relationships are more complicated than it seems, not everyone is as lucky as your dad and I … we were high school sweethearts … it’s like we found each other for the first time and it just worked,” she came over and tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear. “Some people may need to meet a few more people before they find the right one, go through a few heartaches and some may need to meet even more.”
She rested her face on her hand and smiled, “You were high school sweethearts, I almost forgot about that … so neither you nor dad has ever been with anyone else?”
Claire shrugged and leaned over on the kitchen island where Hazel sat on the stool, “Well … it doesn’t mean we didn’t have any problems … we might have broken up at one point and we were with other people, but then we got back together and realize we were meant to be together … and then we got married and have two wonderful children.”
She looked at her mom, she had so many questions. She wanted so much to have that kind of connection with someone, at 16 she longed to have someone she could call her own, someone to hold and fall in love with. “Do you think he likes me?”
“Who? Theo? or Lee?”
Hazel raised her eyebrows, “Lee?”
Her mom laughed, “Why are you so surprised? I don’t think a boy would spend so much time with you unless he really likes you.”
“Well … yeah … I mean like me ‘like me’ … he likes hanging out with me, I like hanging out with him too … he’s my best friend.”
Claire pressed her lips together to hold her amusement, she nodded, “The best person to be with romantically is sometimes your best friend … or your brother’s best friend,” she laughed.
“Mom? I’m serious … I don’t think they’re interested in me in that way … but Theo … he …” she couldn’t bring herself to tell her mom about the kiss.
“He went out of his way to get you this vinyl, he’s been eyeing you with Lee for some time now, and he’s had a fall out with your brother at some point in Goldstone about something … I don’t know what it is but I think I have an idea … he doesn’t look at you the way he used to, that’s pretty obvious … but … he has a girlfriend,” her mom touched her nose with her index finger.
“And Lee …” she continued.
“Lee has a new dancing partner, and she’s gorgeous … she looks like a real-life fairy,” she rolled her eyes. “They’re busy practicing for the competition, so I’m pretty much friendless right now … do you want to watch a movie later?”
Claire sensed a little jealousy in her daughter’s voice, she smiled. When all her friends are not around she was flattered to be considered as the next best thing, “Sure … what movie? Do you want to see that movie where the best friend became her boyfriend? What was it called?” she teased her.
Hazel grimaced at what her mother was insinuating, “He’s probably going to date Mischa after the competition is over … but we’re going to the homecoming together though, it’s a good thing Mischa is not from our school.”
“Homecoming with Lee? Hmm … that explains everything … you really are just friends with him, why would you be going to the homecoming with him otherwise? It’s not like it’s a date or anything?” she kept teasing her.
“The only reason why we’re going together is because no one would ask us … we might as well go together, right? I mean … who wants to go to homecoming alone?”
Claire took a glass of water and drank it, “Of course sweetheart … if you say so …” she laughed lightly. “It’s a good thing he asked you first before someone else does.”