Weakness (Jay McGuiness Fanfic)

Chapter 8.

[Hailey]

It was a month before I could get my stitches taken out. In that time, my old workplace had handsomely compensated Harry and I for our troubles in order to avoid a lawsuit. I moved into Jem's flat while I sorted myself out and I spent pretty much every day with the boys.

Three months down the line was when things started to get sour.

Jay met a woman named Samantha at a club. She was your typical fake blonde, and she was American to boot. They began dating, much to my displeasure.

You see, Samantha and I didn't like each other. I saw her for what she was: a conniving snake who only wanted Jay for his fame. She saw me as a hindrance to her plans. She took jabs at me as often as she could. When Jay introduced her to me, I couldn't help but wonder what Jay had seen in her.

I lived with Jem while I continued to look for a new job. I spent a lot of time still at the boys' house, even when they weren't there. It was on one of those occasions that I saw something shocking: Samantha with another man.

Maybe he's just a friend. Surely she wouldn't dare cheat on her boyfriend in his house.

I approached the room slowly, making sure to stay out of sight. Samantha really was with another man, and as they got more intimate, I took a picture.

I showed it to Jay the very next day. I didn't know how he'd react, but he had to see it.

"Thanks for showing me this. I'll have to talk to Samantha about it."

She obviously worked her charm on him because he'd forgiven her by the next day.

"We talked about and she admitted that she'd made a mistake. I've decided to give her one last chance to see if we can work it out."

"Okay then. Good luck."

Because Jay was my friend, I tolerated his relationship. Samantha, however, made no attempt to tolerate me. In fact, she hated me even more for exposing her.

"Move over" she said to me one day as I was watching the boys play football in their garden.

"I'm quite comfortable here thank you."

"You're taking up all the space with your fat ass."

"How about you get a chair for yours?"

Jay came over at that point. "What's wrong?"

"This bitch won't move!" she whined. "I want a better view of the match."

"This bitch has ears and my ass isn't moving."

Samantha was fuming. "God I hate you!" She kicked dirt at me and I felt my anger rise.

"Don't you dare kick dirt at me!" I stood up.

"Or what?"

"I'll be forced to get aggressive."

She huffed. "As if you would. You're a pushover."

I laughed and kicked over her handbag. "I'm only holding back because you're Jay's girlfriend."

"Yes unlike you, you sorry excuse for a woman."

Jay tried to stand between us, but to no avail. "Please don't fight girls."

"Tell Samantha that. She's always picking a fight with me. Can't you see that she's toxic?"

"It's her fault babe, she just wants to separate us." Samantha clung to Jay and I rolled my eyes. "She's an evil bitch."

"I'm an evil bitch? That's rich coming from you. You know what, I'm tired of this situation. If you're going to let this continue Jay, then continue without me."

I grabbed my stuff and started heading for the exit.

"Wait! Are you sure you girls can't find a way to get on?"

"I'm dead sure Jay. I'm not going to sit here and get insulted by a fake bitch while my supposed friend watches." And with that I walked right out.

Jay didn't come after me. Perhaps it was better that way. I'd never know, because as far as I was concerned, our friendship was over.

"That's a shame" Jem sighed when I told her the whole story. "You win some, you lose some."

"Yeah, I guess so. This just leaves room for something better to come into my life."

I decided to be intentional about making my life better. I found a good job and managed to move into my own place. I began dating at Jem's suggestion, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Harry and Jem eventually told me that they were seeing each other, and while it was surprising, I was happy for them.

I still spoke to Nathan. He had just gone through a breakup and I provided comfort to him. We never discussed Jay, and we never did more than cuddle sometimes and kiss. It was nice to still have that link, although I kept the door closed to reconciliation. I didn't want to know anymore. My life seemed to be turning out better without Jay anyway.

"Do you want me to come in?" Nathan asked as we sat in his car outside my place. We'd hung out earlier and he'd driven me home.

"No thanks, I think I'm good."

"Alright." He reached over and kissed me. "You know Hailey, I want you to be happy. I don't want you to be my rebound anymore. Find someone who deserves you."

"I want the same for you. Promise me you'll find someone too."

"I will."

We hugged and he kissed me for the last time. I kept his words with me as I moved forward, ready to make my life even better.