Chapter 3

Hailey’s mind raced as they made their way back to Terrence, who was now sitting with half a dozen other people. There was a guy who looked like a total geek; a girl dressed like a Goth; two girls who wore more fashionable clothes than even Hailey wore; a guy in blue jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap – and a football star.

They all waved at Phil and the two well-dressed young women made a beeline for the pair. They kissed Phil on the cheek before turning to Hailey.

“That was beautiful!” one of them said. “What did you say to her?”

“I just pointed out that the way to catch Phil was to focus on something other than what he can do for you,” Hailey said, a sad smile on her face. None of the guys she’d dated – either in high school or in college – had been particularly nice guys. It was always an exchange of services. Hailey got an increase in her popularity quotient and the guy got to be seen with a pretty girl who wasn’t averse to sex.

“We’ve known that for years!” the other woman said. “If we swung that way, we’d have snapped him up years ago.”

“Swung...” Hailey began. “Oh!”

“Don’t worry, we don’t recruit,” the first woman said. “I’m Ann! This is Rachel.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” Hailey said. “You’re just so pretty and ... I’m not helping, am I?”

Both girls laughed.

“We can’t help who we love,” Ann said. “Isn’t that right, Phil?”

Phil smiled and nodded.

“We were miserable,” Rachel recounted. “We were hiding our relationship from everyone – our friends, our parents, our teachers. Phil somehow saw through us. He helped us figure out how to tell our parents and how to be happy with who we are. People shunned us when we first came out. News got around school in no time. People would turn around and go the other direction when they saw us. Then at lunch Phil and this group sat down with us. We’re a year younger; we’re seniors this year. That’s the thing: if Phil accepts you, everyone has to. No one wants to risk being the one that makes Phil say something nasty to them.”

Hailey was taking a drink of whatever it was Phil had got her. It had no alcohol in it but it still tasted good to her. The drink went down the wrong hole and she started to cough. She wasn’t sure Phil had said anything at all nice to her for the majority of the day.

“You’d have to be a pretty big bitch to get Phil pissed off at you,” the girl dressed in all black said.

“You’re not kidding,” the kid in the baseball cap agreed.

Phil gave Hailey a shrug.

“Sorry,” he said in a low voice. “Their opinion of me is a little skewed. I’m not really like that.”

“Uh-huh,” Hailey said, frowning.

Hailey hated to admit it but she had a good time at the club. Phil’s friends were an eclectic mix but all of them had treated Hailey like a long-lost friend. It appeared that, in SouthPointe at least, if you were with Phil you were golden.

It was just after midnight when Hailey’s mother finally called again. She told Hailey she would meet her at SouthPointe Mall at 10 a.m. That would give them time to get their hair done and clothes changed before the party that evening.

Hailey heard people moving around downstairs at 7:30 in the morning. She blinked and looked around the room where she slept. It was a nondescript guest room. It had a neutral color scheme. It had a bed, a long dresser with a mirror and a desk. It was a good size for a guest room. She found she was comfortable as she burrowed in a little deeper. She found the area to be even warmer than her bedroom at home despite the fact that it lacked many of the amenities – the walk-in closet, the bathroom, the lighted vanity – that she had grown used to.

She hadn’t been prepared to sleep at someone else’s house. She had not brought night clothing because she had plenty in her dresser at home. Instead she was wearing one of Phil’s T-shirts and her panties.

She had just drifted back to sleep when a light knocking on the door drew her eyes back open.

“We’re getting ready for breakfast,” Phil said. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Hailey could smell ham cooking and her stomach rumbled.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Hailey answered. She got out a pair of blue jeans and slipped them over her hips. Her hair was a mess but she doubted anyone in the family would care. She figured Phil would probably be dressed similarly. Still, she ran her fingers through her blonde tresses to tame them slightly. It had little effect. She found a sweatshirt in her luggage, removed the T-shirt she wore and pulled the sweatshirt on without a bra.

The Warners were gathered around the table when she entered the dining room. Beth gave her a warm smile and gestured her to a seat. She noticed everyone else in the household had apparently showered and were dressed for the day. She felt like a beggar.

“Did you have fun last night, dear?” Beth asked.

It took a moment for Hailey to realize Beth was talking to her. David Warner had filled a plate with scrambled eggs, a slice of ham and two pieces of toast. He passed it over to Hailey who took it gratefully.

“It was really nice,” Hailey admitted. “Phil’s friends are great. I mean, uh ... well ... my friends wouldn’t have been nearly as nice if I had brought him with me unannounced.”

“Maybe you need new friends,” Phil said.

“Philip!” Beth said, frowning at her son.

“He might not be wrong,” Hailey said. “I realized last night that some of the lessons I had learned in my life probably weren’t the right ones. I met a guy named Terrence last night who said your family is the best. I could see that. I really don’t think my mom would have let Phil stay with us last night if the roles were reversed.”

“We’re just like that,” David said with a laugh. “There are no strangers; just friends we haven’t met.”

“Maybe we should reconsider recognizing strangers as a natural phenomenon,” Phil commented, putting a fork to his mouth. His mother kicked him under the table. He didn’t give any indication that he’d noticed – even though everyone else had. “I’m just saying. I’ve come to understand a few things at college. Some people are just dicks.”

“Philip!” Beth said in a louder voice. The look on her face was thunderous and it was only exacerbated by her husband’s laughter.

“He has a point, Beth,” David said between chuckles. “Some people are just dicks.”

Beth glanced at her husband and shook her head.

“OK, yes they are,” Beth agreed. “That doesn’t mean we can’t look for the good in them. Philip, have you ever met someone with no redeeming qualities?”

“Yes,” Phil answered. He didn’t look at Hailey as much as he wanted to.

“Then you aren’t looking hard enough,” Beth said with a smile.

“If you have to look that hard, it probably isn’t worth bothering,” Hailey cut in. “I think that’s what Phil is saying. If you have to go to such great lengths to find something worthwhile, why would you bother?”

“Exactly,” Phil said.

“I suppose,” Beth said, frowning at her son. “Philip, may I take it you didn’t have a nice evening?”

“I ran into Emily Rayford,” he said. “Hailey rescued me from her clutches but Emily spent the rest of the evening glaring at us. I may have burns from her laser beams.”

Beth’s laughter surprised everyone.

“Don’t you worry about Emily Rayford,” she said.

“I’m not worried about her,” Phil said. “She’s just annoying. You asked if I’d ever met someone with no redeeming qualities. I have.”

“She likes you,” Hailey said, winking at Beth. Even though there was tension around the table, it was still a more pleasant meal than at her house. There she usual ate by herself or in silence as her mother went over reports or fielded phone calls.

“You consider that a redeeming quality?” Beth asked, returning the wink. “You really haven’t spent much time around Philip, have you?”

“Good point,” Hailey agreed. “Thank you all so much for letting me stay last night. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Phil, thank you for taking me around to meet your friends and for bringing me home. I really do appreciate it even if I haven’t always shown it.”

“No problem,” Phil said, taking the last bite of his toast and standing up. “I’ve got some work to do. Let me know when you’re ready for me to take you to the mall.”

He walked down the hall to his bedroom and left Hailey with his parents. There was no way that he was letting Hailey Warren ingratiate herself to him. His mother might like her but he had decided that he would have nothing to do with her after that morning.

“Where do you live at school?” Hailey asked as they sat at the mall waiting for her mother to appear. It was already 10:30 a.m. but Hailey had no notion that her mother would be on time.

“Why?” Phil asked.

“You know, just making conversation,” Hailey said.

Chapter 4 »