HALE

0.7 Friends Are For Tracing IPs

Chapter 7

"I call dibs, we're eating at TGI Fridays!" George announces, Oscar jumps on his back

I swear these are still kids.

"It's not even Friday" Connor says, his face scrunched up in confusion

"That's just the name of the place" I tell him and try to resist the urge to roll my eyes

"Whatever" he says

I walk beside Derek as we go to sit on some benches to chill before we eat, the game of Laser Tag made us all tired.

Ever since school has begun I have been surrounded by a group of people with positivity. They weren't awfully popular but they knew a few people here and there, I was happy around them regardless. When I was with them I could forget about my family troubles, my past and my 'unknown caller'. I was glad I finally had friends but bummed that it took me so long to find them, I fit in, they didn't care that I was the only girl and neither did I.

"So Hale, how come we only see you around this year" Derek asks me

"Well I had no friends I guess...I just used to stay in the library" I explain

"I thought you were friends with that Tanya girl with the big chin and the pepper nose"

"Yeah, God forbid." I say chuckling at his remark, thankful I wasn't still friends with pepper nose

"What happened to you guys anyway?" He said, laughing with me

"You don't know?" I ask him, eyebrows furrowed. My face is the definition of confused right now.

I thought that bitch told everyone

"Well, I heard things but I'd rather hear it from the girl herself" he tells me nonchalantly

I contemplate for a moment whether if I tell him the whole thing or just a brief description of it.

Brief will do, I hate burdening people with my sob stories.

"We were friends A couple years back, best friends you could say" I began to say, using my hands to illustrate quotation marks when I said best friends,"She came to my house one day and realised that I had two dads, she was rude about it and poked fun at me, she told people at school and then yeah, I now have severe trust issues and no friends" I tell him, i instantly feel relieved, finally able to tell my side of the story.

"Wow, why is pepper nose so salty! You must have been though a lot, on your own too" he says, his voice encouraging

I giggle and then turn silent, realising that I did go through it on my own, yeah Cass was always there for me, but what could she do if she doesn't go to my school, I'd still be walking round the corridor looking like a complete repulsive loner if it wasn't for these guys.

"But hey Hale, you have us, we consider you one of us now so don't ever say you have no friends again, I took a blow then!"

I look up at him, my cheeks twitching up into a warm smile.

Derek is taller than me and quite skinny, with his long brown hair and tanned skin he looked as if he could be a model, I'm lucky to have a friend like him.

"Thank you Derek, it really means a lot" I tell him

He laughs at me

Is there something on my face?

"What?" I ask him

"Don't get all soft and mushy on me now Hale" he chuckles and I join him