Fast Forward to us

35- Time With Hailey

Jeremy

Sunsets are beautiful, but little did I ever realize how beautiful a sunset could be at a beach. The sky and the water both had a vibrant color pleasing to the eyes. It was as if I were looking at a painting. And with the smell of the saltwater and Hailey by my side, this felt like the perfect place to be. The two of us sat on the hood of her car watching the sunset. On our way to the beach, we stopped by a taco place and got tacos. Essentially, we had dessert before dinner. My mom probably wouldn't be happy that I was ruining my appetite.

"This is pretty amazing, isn't it?" asked Hailey while licking the salsa off her thumb. "Think about it. Like, we probably would've sat at home tonight doing nothing. Instead, you're out here at the beach with me enjoying these sweet tacos."

The salty breezy air blew against us and brought the scent of Hailey towards me with the skin of our arms rubbing against each other. This was perfect. This was all I needed.

"Guess it pays to have you crash into my bike."

"Yeah, apparently giving you my number didn't work. Crashing into your bike was my next best move."

We both found ourselves laughing as our fingers met for a quick second. If we weren't careful, that moment could've easily lasted a lot longer. My nervous heart couldn't handle that.

"So, what's the deal with Ted," I asked breaking the silliness between us. "Why did you date him for so long? Was he that great of a guy?" For a quick moment, my eyes noticed a light scar on Hailey's arm, but I didn't think much of it.

She sighed not really wanting to give an answer. "Well, at first, he seemed like a great guy. Remember that time some of us sang for the veterans on Veteran's Day back in eighth grade? I was performing a duet with Hector who noticed I could sing. At the time, he was my only friend and tried to get me to come out of my shell. After that day, I realized how much I loved singing. I wanted more of it. So did Ted."

There was another sad sigh while she continued speaking. "He knew how to play guitar. Like, he claimed he was in a band and invited me to be in it. Sure, the band didn't last long, but Ted didn't care. We still hung out. Got to meet his dad. After seeing his home life, I felt bad for him. Thought that maybe I could somehow change him. One day, just like that, he kissed me. And I kissed him back."

"I take it that you weren't able to change him?"

"Nope. The only person that can change him is himself. But it's hard to not feel bad for him. His mom took off when he was six and he was left with his lazy abusive alcoholic dad. Literally, they live in a rundown trailer park. Half the time, there's no water."

"Wait a minute," confusion hit me hard. "I thought Ted lived in that nice house. Wasn't it his party we were at?"

"Are you kidding me?" she laughed. "That's not his house. Like, my dad actually owns that house and agreed to rent it out to Ted this past summer."

Guess you learn something new every day. For about half a minute, a couple of my fingers tapped on the car. Hailey's fingers were creeping their way towards mine. A few chills traveled down my spine and head until I brought my fingers back to my lap.

"Crap, I didn't realize Ted's life sucked that much. You know, I spent the last ten years of my life being afraid of him and wanting to get away. Hell, I'm pretty sure Emma is afraid of him."

A chuckle found its way out of Hailey. "Yeah, Ted seems to have it out for you. Like, what's the deal with that? Wasn't he dunking you in the toilet yesterday?"

"Back in second grade, Emma was a new student and Ted tried to steal her hot wheel. I came along to stop him. Ever since that day, he's been after me. But I guess if anything, I developed a friendship with Emma." 

"I always admired your friendship with Emma." Hailey began playing with my hair, but I didn't mind. "You know, the two of you have something special. Like, when I think about my friends, I always feel a little jealous of Emma. I don't think any of my friends are as loyal or honest as she is."

"Yeah, we do have a pretty special friendship." Looking at the ocean in front of me, a deep breath was taken realizing a couple of things. "But I've been a crappy friend lately. For the longest time, we had this goal of building this racecar. Our goal was to have it finished by now. I guess I just lost interest. I've been more concerned about getting out of high school."

"That's understandable." She continued to play with my hair. "Like, we all grow up. Our interests change over time. I wouldn't blame you. But it does sound like this racecar must be important to her."

"Yeah, it's pretty important to her. Have you ever read that book 'Oh the Places You'll Go', by Dr. Suess?" Looking at her, she nodded as she had read it before. "Back in third grade, Ted ended up kicking me off the swing. I couldn't take it anymore and stayed home. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else would be fine. Of course, for my birthday Emma gave me the book with a key included. After reading that book, I was beyond thankful for Emma. I knew anything was possible and with Emma by my side, everything would be fine. Heck, maybe with the racecar, we could someday go where we wanted to go."

By this point, the sun was down and the moon was out. The night was officially here.

Hailey could somehow feel all the pain that I went through and laid her head on my shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to place my hand over it and feel that face of hers.

"So where do you want to go?" she asked. "Like, we're literally about to graduate."

"I think I have some sort of interest in a music-related career. Three schools have already accepted me, but I can't figure out which one to go to. My future is literally at stake."

"Why can't you decide which school to go to?"

"I don't know. I'm afraid I might make the wrong choice. Like, what if I choose the wrong school and end up with a terrible future? What if my life ends up sucking in the future? I can't tell you how many times I've called this stupid psychic hotline to figure out what steps I should be taking."

Taking her head off my shoulder, she took a sip of the diet soda that came with our tacos.

"How can you enjoy the future when you're not present in the present?" That statement found me dumbfounded. "Like, if you spend all your time right now worrying about which school to attend in the fall because your future is on the line, you're going to miss out on all the unexpected possibilities and opportunities. Those are the special moments that shape your future. Like, you won't have much of a future. You have to live in the present. Live in the moment and take things as they come.

"Looks like we have a special philosopher." We both laughed together. "What about you? You're not worried about the future? You're not worried about which school you'll be attending."

She took a moment to think about my question and sipped on some more soda.

"Like, I'm a little worried, but I know everything is going to work out one way or another. And to be honest, I probably don't think about the future as much as I should. Sometimes, I just do something for the experience. You know, for the thrill. Guess you say it's a bit of a flaw that I have."

"And doing things just for the experience works for you?"

"If it didn't, would we have ended up getting ice cream and going to the beach on a school night the day after a party that my ex hosted?"

Touché. The girl had a pretty good point.

Thanks for reading! Things are getting interesting between Jeremy and Hailey. Remember to comment and vote!

When's the last time you were at a beach?

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Can living in the moment be harmful for Hailey?