Forgiven // l.h. // Book 2 in Bully Series

23. Phone Calls and More

Two weeks. I couldn't believe how quickly time flew by since Luke and I went on that super fancy 'first' date. Since then, the two of us had gone on a total of three more dates, though we'd hung out more times than that. Of course, every time we went out in public with each other, an increasing amount of paparazzi followed suit. Which, naturally, meant more pictures for both the fans to freak out about and the media to blow way out of proportion.

I actually found it quite interesting to see what outrageous stories websites and magazines came up with to get reads from the public. My favorite was the one that claimed an 'insider' told them that Luke and I were expecting a baby, and that's why he was seen out with me so often. I laughed about it now, but when the article first came out, the only thought in my head was whether or not I looked like I was pregnant. Luke had put a very swift end to that, saying that I looked just fine, and they were only trying to get a rise out of people.

I noticed a rise in people visiting the shelter, as well. Apparently word had gotten out about my job here, and that increased the traffic by a bit. It was good, though, because with the increase in people also came the increase in adoptions. So I didn't mind walking around a bit and saying hi to anyone who recognized me because of Luke. If it helped get the animals at the shelter the homes they deserved, I could deal with a few selfies here and there. Yes, even in my scrubs that always had some sort of mysterious stain somewhere.

Currently, however, I was in my office, stressing over a few upcoming events. With the raise in popularity of Winston Hills Rescue Shelter, Dr. Ventri thought it would be a good idea to further our reach and message by attending a few pet and animal expos around Australia. He wanted me to go to two; one in Brisbane two weekends from now, and one in Melbourne the weekend after. Of course, I was expected to bring along a few adoptable animals to each. Which meant I had some planning to do. First, I had to choose the animals. I couldn't bring the same ones to both, because that was a bit too much travelling for one animal in such a short amount of time. And secondly, I needed to make sure I had backups just in case some were adopted before we got that far.

Like I said, it was stressful.

So, when my phone rang, I groaned and rolled my eyes. For the past few days, I'd been getting calls from a few different media outlets asking for comments on this, that, and the other thing. I always said that I didn't have a comment to make and asked that I be left alone. I really needed to get a screen or something for my phone calls so they went straight to voicemail or something. Then I wouldn't have to repeat myself one hundred times over.

"Winston Hills Rescue Shelter, Humane Education Department. This is Daeyna speaking, how may I help you?" I sighed into the phone, leaning an elbow on my desk as I spoke. I didn't get a response. Confused, I looked down at the receiver. It was blinking green, an indicator that I was still on the line with someone. "Hello?" I questioned, pausing to allow the person to speak. Still, nothing. Just as I was about to hang up, a woman's voice spoke.

"Is this Daeyna Larksen?" She asked. The first thing I noticed was that she was American, like me. Which meant probably a reporter of some sort. I rolled my eyes. Sometimes people could be so dense. I'd literally just said that my name was Daeyna.

"Yes, it is." I answered, keeping my tone light and friendly. There was a pause before she spoke again.

"Wow, you sound so different." She breathed, seeming emotional. I frowned, not sure exactly what to say to that. I'd never had someone say anything of the sort to me before.

"I'm sorry, but may I ask what your name is?" I asked. I heard a bit of shuffling around before a click sounded and the line went silent. "Hello?" I looked down at the receiver. This time, it was solid red. The woman had hung up on me. Slowly, I set the phone back down. For a few minutes, I stared at it, waiting for it to start ringing again. Perhaps she'd accidentally hit the end call button. But nothing happened.

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The music festival was back in Sydney. I smiled as I pulled on a pair of shorts, remembering the last time I went to it with Luke. We were going again, and Luke had secured us tickets to some of the bigger band names that would be attending. Among them were Fall Out Boy and Sleeping With Sirens. They wouldn't be playing until later on in the night, though, so we were going to hang out with everyone and do a bit of walking around first. By everyone, I meant the rest of the band, Katie, her fiance, Megan, Taryn, and their dates. Cal also mentioned that he'd be bringing someone, but wouldn't say who it was. 

When someone knocked on my door, October immediately hopped up from her spot on my pillow and began meowing, pacing back and forth. I laughed and nudged her away from the door before pulling it open.

"Come on in." I greeted Luke, giving him a peck on the cheek before stepping out of his way. He came in and closed the door. October immediately began rubbing all over his legs, her purrs loud enough to hear from the other side of my apartment as I tried to find a shirt to put over the black cami I had on. I picked up two shirts and turned to Luke. "Which one?" I asked. He lifted an eyebrow at me, smirking.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to just go in what you're wearing, could I" He quipped. I gave him an unamused look, throwing the shirt in my left hand at him. He just laughed, catching it before it hit him in the chest.

"Stop being such a boy." I complained, slipping the dark maroon t-shirt in my hands over my head. It didn't have any patterns or print on it, but I didn't really care. After grabbing a gold bracelet and pulling it onto my wrist, I snatched my purse and phone from the table and turned to face Luke. He was crouched near the floor, scratching October behind the ears. I smiled and snapped a picture on my phone before clearing my throat.

"If you'd prefer to stay and cuddle with the cat, I can give you the phone number to the nearest pizza place so you don't starve." I teased. Luke stood up, rolling his eyes playfully. 

"As much as I love pizza and your cat, I think I'd prefer to hang out with you."

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Ah! Another update!

Woot! Well, I just made my school schedule, and that starts up on the 28th of September so be prepared for less frequent updates because school is tough and takes up all of my time.

Also, we are nearing the end of Forgive Me. I may have let it slip a while ago somewhere that this was a series. Some of you picked up on that, and I'm gonna confirm it. Yes, there will be a third book. Maybe even a prequel with Kylee. Who knows? But Forgive Me will end at 32 chapters, just an FYI (of course, there will also be an epilogue on top of that, so technically 33.)

Also, we made it into the top 250 Fanfiction stories for Forgive me AND Bully! Though they've lost a few spots since I noticed that, I thought that was really cool. =)) Thanks so much for that!

Lastly, I'd like to say that I wish more of you would do my 1 Year of Bully celebration thing. I didn't want to mention this in the chapter notes because I wanted you to do the celebration because you wanted to, but there is a competition with it as well. When you send in your answers, you are given the option to be entered in it. I won't tell you what the prizes are, but if you guys like my writing as much as you say you do, I can assure you that you'd really like the prizes!

On that note, I hope you all have a good weekend! Love you all to bits and I will see you next time!