The first day of camp went really well. The kids loved the animals, and there had been no major accidents. Many times throughout the day, I found myself watching the little blond child Luke had brought in this morning. She was a very well-behaved child, always saying please and thank you, and even waiting her turn during snack time when the granola bars were being handed out.
Luke was late picking her up. It was now well past five thirty and he still hadn't shown up. Zoe didn't seem at all perturbed by his absence, but why would she when it had allowed her to meet more animals? I'd taken the small child into my office area after realizing that Luke wasn't going to be on time, introducing her to my newly obtained cat, October. She loved the small black and white three-legged animal, and judging by the reaction from October, the feeling was mutual.
It wasn't until around five forty-five that my coworker Laura came into the office to inform me that there was a fairly distraught man at the front desk looking for a child named Zoe. I rolled my eyes, preparing to scold Luke for being late and thus putting me a bit behind on some things I had wanted to get done before I had to be in the back to assist surgeries.
However, as I escorted young Zoe from my office, the voice I heard up front was decidedly not Luke's. I found myself frowning as I neared the voice. My suspicions were confirmed as soon as I saw his curly light brown hair.
"Ashton?" I questioned. He turned around quickly at the sound of my voice, and I saw his eyes widen in surprise.
"Daeyna? What're you doing here?" He questioned. I felt my lips tilt up in a grin.
"I live here." I answered simply. Before Ashton could respond, another very familiar voice spoke.
"No wonder Hemmo seemed like he'd seen a ghost." I looked past Ashton to see Calum standing in the doorway of the lobby, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"Cally!" I watched as Zoe ran past me and towards Calum, her small arms held wide. Calum grinned and kneeled down so she could give him a proper hug. Ashton watched her for a moment before turning back to me.
"I was told to ask if she behaved herself. She has a tendency to throw tantrums if things don't go her way." He said. I nodded.
"She was absolutely delightful. Very polite." I said, glancing behind him where Zoe and Calum were engaged in some sort of tickle war. "Though, I don't know why her father couldn't just come and ask me himself." I muttered. I thought I'd said it quiet enough that Ashton wouldn't hear, but the way his face scrunched up in confusion told me he had.
"Jack and his wife aren't in town—" He paused mid-sentence, his eyes going wide. "Oh, God. You thought Zoe was—" He didn't finish, instead bursting into laughter. I felt my cheeks redden as realization flooded through me.
Zoe wasn't Luke's child. And now I felt insanely stupid for thinking so. I may not be close to him anymore, but to have thought that he'd gone and gotten a girl pregnant only a year after I left was a ridiculous thought on my part. I may not feel very close to him anymore, but if there was one thing I knew for certain about Luke, it was that he was far too careful to be accidentally getting girls pregnant.
Hell, I remembered him being so anxious the entire two weeks after Halloween, and though he never actually told me why, I figured it out. He'd suddenly become normal again the first day a tampon wrapper showed up in the garbage can next to the toilet. I never confronted him about it, but it made me smile to think he was so worried about it. He needn't have been. Despite the fact that we were far too young then to be having children, I knew Luke would be an amazing father.
"Don't laugh at me, Ash. How was I supposed to know?" I snapped, sobering him instantly. Calum mentioned something about taking Zoe to see the animals again before he walked off, holding her tiny hand in his. "It's not like he walked in, kissed me on the cheek, and introduced me to his niece." I added, glancing at the small girl as she led Cal towards the cattery.
"I'm sorry for laughing, Dae. But you've got to know that he wouldn't get a girl pregnant like that." He apologized. I shrugged, looking away from him.
"How could I know that? The last time he spoke to me, he was telling me to leave. Do you remember that?" I asked, noting how he was frowning at the thought. "And by the look on your face, you remember exactly what I told him in return. So ye ah, excuse me for thinking he might have found someone else."
Ashton and I stood in silence for a few moments before a faint beeping sound interrupted it. I glanced at the small pager clipped to the front pocket on my scrubs and sighed.
"I've got surgeries to help with. I guess I'll probably see you again soon, then?" I said, giving him a small smile. He nodded.
"Yeah, most likely. You look good, Dae. Feels like it's been forever since I've talked to you." He admitted, giving me a warm smile. It had been almost half a year, actually. But who was counting? I smiled in return just as Calum and Zoe came back.
"Thank you, Ash. Nice seeing you. And you too, Calum. And I'll see you tomorrrow, Zoe. Alrighty?" The small girl smiled shyly at me, but nodded none the less. With one last glance at the two boys in front of me, I turned and headed toward the large maroon-painted double doors that each held a plaque stating 'EMPLOYEES ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT'.
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Woo! Life is crazy everybody. First I thought yesterday was Wednesday so I didn't pack for school until late last night and a little this morning.
I'm not at school yet, though I should be! Little ol' me got into an accident, though it was very minor, only involved my car and the guardrail, and didn't result in any injuries. Even the fish are all still alive! It was a rather stressful day though, and writing the last of this chapter definitely helped with a bit of that stress.
Anyways, I hope you all really like the chapter, and please consider leaving a comment or voting for the chapter. It means a lot to me when you guys do that. Hope your week goes well, no matter where you are or what you're doing! Be safe, and make good life choices! Love you all to bits! =))
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Forgiven // l.h. // Book 2 in Bully Series
Fanfiction"We're like the stupidest people ever." "Yeah, we kinda are."
