Sad Goodbye, Long Goodbye, Final Goodbye

Anticipation

Monday at school was brutal. Hamilton was coming home and I was stuck waiting until I could see him tonight. I barely paid attention in class and practice was a joke. Luckily, it didn't matter since the season was over and we only had about a month before the end of the year. Summer practices would start the cycle all over again, but for now, we were all phoning it in. When the final bell rang, I ran to my locker to grab my stuff and meet Amber in the parking lot.

"What's the rush?" Lance asked from behind me.

"What? Oh, I'm just anxious to get home," I said.

"Could this have anything to do with your ride?" he teased.

"Amber?"

"Did Amber get a new truck?"

I was seriously confused when Josh joined us.

"Dude, what are you talking about? Amber doesn't have a truck, I gotta go."

I pushed the door open and immediately saw what Lance was talking about. I stopped and he and Josh almost ran into me.

"What the hell, Bree," Josh mumbled. "Oh."

"He's home." I smiled so big then and watched him open the door and jump down from the cab. There was something so sexy about him exiting his lifted truck. Suddenly, I was aware of quite a few people watching him and my heart swelled with pride that he was here for me.

"You got it bad, loser," Lance said shaking his head and beginning to walk away.

"Shut up, freak," I said before Josh passed me. He looked strange, but I ignored it. I practically jogged over to Hamilton and he picked me up in a bear hug.

"Hey, beautiful," he said against my cheek.

"I can't believe you're here!"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Well you did, and I love it!" I squealed as he put me down.

He leaned in for a kiss and thankfully my hands were full so I couldn't kiss him back the way I wanted to and the way I shouldn't in front of an audience.

"Isn't this sweet?" I would recognize that annoying voice anywhere.

"Hey, Julie," Hamilton said taking my stuff from me to put in the truck.

"You must love high school to keep coming back like this," she quipped.

"I wanted to surprise Bryonna," he explained.

"Wow, Bryonna must love surprises. First Josh, now Hamilton. Busy girl."

I literally could have killed her with my bare hands. I knew what she was doing and by the look on Hamilton's face, it worked.

"Julie, can you go be a bitch somewhere else?" I snapped.

She walked off then laughing and I turned to see Hamilton looking on the verge of anger for the first time ever.

"What was she talking about?" he asked.

"Can we just go and I'll explain? It's nothing; just Julie being a trouble maker."

"Is she talking about Josh McLain? I saw him at a party at your house before. Were you guys together? Wasn't that him coming out right behind you just now?"