No Hard Feelings

nine

N I N E

ANDY COMES INTO their life like a storm.

At least that's what it feels like to Hadley.

She's used to Dexter coming over for dinner, or dropping by at nearly midnight to talk to her about all sorts of things, or asking her to sleep over at his house to watch some movie or two in their living room couch, only to accidentally fall asleep with popcorn bits all over them.

She knows it's these things that make everyone think they'll end up together in the end, but they've never made a big deal of it. It's these things that make up their friendship and taking them away would be like taking the essence of their friendship away.

And that's exactly what it feels like to her when Dexter, for the third time this week, rushes out the shop as soon they close up.

"I'm bringing Andy to Jim's tonight," he tells her, "She badly needs to get a taste of their double fudge milkshake."

"Have fun," she tells him, knowing he would even without her saying so.

He's been taking Andy to places for the past three nights now. He'd leave as soon as his shift ends and show the next morning wearing a smile that can put the glare of the summer sun to shame.

He's skipping out the shop faster than she can properly say goodbye, his steps light and quick and alive. She watches his retreating back until he disappears from view before looking back down at the book she's reading.

She's been doing some advanced reading for some of her classes the coming semester. She'd looked up some recommended textbooks for their curriculum and convinced her mom to buy them in advance.

She tries to concentrate, but just when she's finally starting to forget about the whole thing with Dexter spending increasingly more time with Andy, Taylor comes out of the stockroom and sidles up next to her. He crosses his arms over the counter and deliberately gets into Hadley's personal space.

"Did Dexter leave early again?" Taylor asks her.

"Yes," she says but immediately edges away from him, refusing to look up from her notes to humor him.

She knows what's coming next, but she still can't help but feel exasperated when he goes and says, "Are you really going to let some girl steal him right under your nose?"

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she snaps the book shut and gathers her things, arranging her notes in a neat pile. "If you have enough time to tease me about Dexter," she says, "then I'm guessing you have time to man the counter and take care of closing the shop up."

"I'm not kidding," Taylor says, straightening up when she makes a move to leave. "I mean, let's be real. Ikaw mismo. You yourself expect that you guys will end up with each other in the end, don't you?"

Hadley doesn't bother to answer this, just shakes her head and slips out the counter, clutching the textbook to her chest. "Tell mom I'm leaving early to study where you can't bother me."

He calls out for her to wait, but she ignores her, pulling the door open and letting it swing shut behind her to drown out his voice. She isn't really mad at him so much as she's peeved.

She'd be lying if she said she isn't anxious about Dexter choosing Andy over her, but she knows it's unfair for her to feel so. She knows this, but she can't help it. She can, however, choose to ignore these negative feelings.