by Leah Laurens
Crystal says, “Ooh sexy!”
Hailey smiles. “I’ve never bought myself bedding. It’s like a whole new thing.”
Crystal sees the movies on her nightstand. “You have the Hawking’s docs? Please tell me you’ll let me borrow them? I’ve been wanting to see them forever!”
“Oh, you’ll love them. Go right ahead!”
She grabs the bundle and puts them in her side bag.
Hailey adds, “Oh my coworker is also stopping by and might bring a friend or two.”
***
Jimmy and Joey leave their lunch spot and head toward the grocery store to get something to bring to the party. They stand in the beer aisle with a huge selection before them.
Joey says, “I like to bring something with a strange name or ingredient. It can be a conversation starter.”
Jimmy sees lavender beer. “Isn’t lavender an aphrodisiac?”
“Whoa, that’s perfect.”
Jimmy laughs and grabs two sick packs.
Joey cups his hands around his mouth and announces like a sports broadcaster, “We are getting jiggy with it tonight.”
Jimmy feels like they are back in high school again, having fun, but this time they are old enough and not breaking any laws, so he feels more relaxed. He pays for the chips and beer and says, “You’ve got to carry it, since I paid. Rules are rules.”
Joey side-eyes him but then picks everything up. They head toward Jimmy’s neighborhood, and Jimmy feels nervous for the first time in a while. He pulls up in his driveway and sees Tom is pulling up on the street. He gets out and waves.
Joey walks up with the beer and chips and says, “Let’s get this party started.”
The three of them walk up Hailey’s walkway, and Tom says, “Me and my girl broke up.”
Jimmy says, “Oh man, sorry.”
“Yeah, it sucks.”
Joey adds, “She was kind of a square though, man.”
Jimmy responds, “Not helpful, Joey.”
Tom rings the doorbell, and Jimmy says, “Oh, that’s broken. You got to knock.”
He knocks loudly, and Crystal opens the door with a smile. Tom smiles at her. “Hey, what’s up? I’m Tom.”
She invites them in as Hailey sets out food on the kitchen table.
***
Hailey sees Jimmy walk in out of the corner of her eye and looks down at her chopping. Her stomach does a flip. She smiles and takes a breath before looking up. She says hello first to Tom, then to Joey, and finally to Jimmy, looking each of them in the eye.
Jimmy meets her stare, but looks away quickly, feeling like he might be making her uncomfortable. Joey asks Hailey if he can put the beer in the fridge, and she opens the door for him.
Jimmy sits down on the opposite side of the small living room from Crystal. “You feeling okay? You were pretty toasted last night.”
Crystal says, “Oh yeah, I’m a harmless drunkard. It always looks a lot worse than it is.”
Jimmy laughs. “Okay, good. The band was great!”
Hailey is listening intently to hear if they say anything about making out or losing articles of clothing, but Joey interjects. “So, Tom, what happened man? I thought she was the one?”
Jimmy turns toward Tom. “Yeah man, are you okay?”
Hailey brings over a bag of Oreos, knowing Jimmy loves them and puts them on the table. She opens a beer and casually sits on the edge of Crystal's big chair, feeling more relaxed than she thought she would with Jimmy in the living room.
***
Tom takes a deep breath and tells everyone how he and his girlfriend were having trouble finding anything in common. He talks about how he didn’t really get along with her friends and dreads visiting her family. He comes to realize as he is speaking that his situation is probably a good thing, all said and done.
Hailey and Jimmy are grateful the attention is being directed toward him and not to their complicated past.
Crystal says, “Hailey, do you have any Advil and water? I guess I’m not as young as I used to be.”
Hailey laughs. “Sure.” Hailey gets up and goes to the bathroom to grab the Advil.
Jimmy can see into Hailey’s room from where he is sitting and notices it looks really nice. He starts daydreaming about lying in her bed next to her.
Joey seems to have already taken a liking to Crystal, who is both funny and easy to talk to. He says, “So you guys got wild at the concert? Man! I wish I had been there! Those tickets were hard to get.”
Crystal says, “Yeah, anytime you want tickets, my buddy works at the venue, I’m your girl.” She smiles. “Anybody got a joint?”
Hailey says, “That’s what I forgot!” She laughs, feeling more comfortable.
Jimmy relaxes seeing Hailey in a good mood. He thinks to himself, that’s the Hailey I know. Joey stands up and reaches in his back pocket extracting a metal cigarette case. He dramatically opens it and reveals three perfectly rolled joints.
Crystal jumps up. “And yup, you’re my new best friend.” They walk toward the back door leaving Tom, Hailey, and Jimmy.
Jimmy and Hailey know they should talk about the letter, but that it would be awkward for Tom.
Tom senses there is a lot unspoken issues in the room and he says, “I’ve never been one to bury my emotions with booze, and I pride myself on being level headed, but I’m not opposed to smoking a joint and visiting another planet for a few hours.”
Hailey raises her eyebrows with a grin. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Hailey gets up. “I’m in, if you guys are.”
The guys follow her lead, and they all stand in the backyard and pass around the joint. As everyone lets the effects settle in, Hailey says, “Oh my God! You guys. You have to see the treehouse in Jimmy’s backyard. It’s like the coolest thing ever.”
Crystal says, “Jimmy, will your parents care if we are stoned?”
“They are gone for the day. Let’s go.” As Jimmy leads the way toward the side of his house, he’s thrilled Hailey thinks the treehouse is cool. He lets everyone climb up before him, and they all sit inside and close the hatch on the floor. Everyone’s in awe of the adult size super well-made fort.
Crystal says, “I’m legitimately impressed.”
“What about this?” Joey asks.
He lifts up his shirt, revealing the Oreos which he stashed under it. Everyone laughs and he passes them around.
Hailey says, “What’s the weight limit in this thing?”
Jimmy looks at her now. “Good point. It’s really just made for two people.”
Hailey hears his words, wondering if there is something more behind what he is saying but also realizes they may be in danger. “Well before something happens, I say we calmly exit one at a time.”
Joey says, “Nobody breathe.” He has the giggles and has reached the point where he can’t take anything seriously.
***
They all carefully climb down and head back to Hailey’s. Tom says, “Let’s play a card game.”
Hailey agrees. “Oh, I have a deck of cards!”
Hailey hands Tom the deck when they get inside, and he explains the rules. Joey pulls out the lavender beer and says, “It’s an aphrodisiac!”
Hailey says, “I’ll have one.”
Jimmy immediately adds, “Me too.”
Joey says, “Crystal?” Dropping a not so subtle hint.
“Yeah!”
Tom says, “I’m going to stick to the other stuff, bro.”
Joey laughs. “If I drink two at a time, will I get a mega boner?”
Crystal giggles. “You should try it.”
Joey says, “I’ll just drink this one quickly and see how fast it works. Sorry if my pants bulge.”
Crystal says, “I never did mind a bulging pant.”
Hailey laughs, relieved that Crystal and Joey are flirting. Joey sits down next to Crystal, and Tom is sitting next to him. When Hailey picks up the food from the coffee table to make room for the cards, she comes back and sees the only spot left is on
the end of the couch next to the chair Jimmy is sitting. It makes her happy.
They play cards, and then Crystal says, “You guys, I just remembered that my friend’s band is playing in about half an hour at that pizza bar.”
Hailey says, “That might be fun!”
Everyone agrees they will go after the card game. They play, and Jimmy and Hailey are able to talk to each other during the game. It starts to feel like things are like they used to be. Hailey pokes fun at him, and he teases her back.
When they get up to leave, deciding to get two Ubers, Crystal climbs into one, and Joey pushes Jimmy aside. “I’m going to sit by Crystal.”
Jimmy laughs. “Fine, I’m going in the other car.” He gets in after Hailey and shuts the door. Tom slides in with Crystal and Joey. As they drive, Jimmy is sitting in the middle and doesn’t scoot over to move away from Hailey. Hailey wants to grab Jimmy’s hand, but doesn’t know if he’s feeling the same thing.
As they pass their old high school, Jimmy worries that it might put Hailey in a bad mood, but she says, “Oh my god, remember when you streaked the baseball field?”
She grabs his hand and before she can let go, he squeezes it, and says dramatically, “If only I was half as cool now as I was then.” He turns, meeting her eyes and says jokingly, “It’s interesting that when we drive by our school, the first thing you think of is me naked.”
“Well I…”
Jimmy interrupts. “I know, I’ve been told I should have been a professional streak-er with this body.”
Hailey looks at him, shaking her head. She’s glad they are able to joke around, but more than anything, she is wishing he didn’t have any clothes on right now.
Chapter 11: Putting the Pieces Back Together
As Hailey and Crystal dance to the band at the bar, the guys sit and talk about sports. Hailey is feeling a lot lighter now that she feels the bond restoring between her and Jimmy. She’s also relieved that Crystal is not stuck on pursuing Jimmy. Instead, her attention seems to be on Joey now.
Crystal pulls Hailey to the side of the dance floor. “Joey is really nice.”
Hailey says, “Yeah, he is always like that. He’s just always in a good mood.”
Crystal laughs. “That’s what everyone always says about me.”
Joey walks up, holding three shots. Hailey remembers the mental note she made to herself to not drink too much or too fast.
She says, “Sorry man, I’ve got to pace myself.”
Crystal says, “I’ll split it with you!” Hailey smiles as they happily drink themselves into oblivion and head to the dance floor. Hailey makes her way over to the high table that Jimmy and Tom are busy playing rock, paper, scissors at.
She sits down, staring at the dance floor, relaxed and surrounded by friends. It’s all she wanted. She doesn’t feel any rush to figure out what will happen with Jimmy or try to spark up the romance that she feels when she thinks about him.
Jimmy speaks up. “Hailey, is there any mental trick to this game? I feel like you know the scientific probability of what he will choose.”
Hailey laughs. “Well, according to the laws of quantum physics, if you’re able to pick up on what he chooses at the last minute and go with your gut instinct on what will win, you may be able to travel through time in your mind and beat him.”
Tom says, “And that is why you’re the boss of the office, and I’m the paper pusher because that literally made no sense to me.”
Jimmy says, “It’s not always easier to have a brilliant mind. Right, Hailey? You probably were so bored in high school, hanging around everyone who was still trying to figure out how to tie their shoes.”
Hailey looks at him. “Well sometimes we use books to hide, too.”
Jimmy says, “Yeah but you love that stuff, right?”
Hailey smiles, “I guess so.”
Jimmy feels brave. “Like I was always coming to you for advice on simple stuff like how to handle my first date. You just seemed to get how people worked. I had to make some big mistakes to start to learn the ropes.”
Hailey looks at him, wondering if this is his way of apologizing in person.
He decides not to be cryptic, saying, “I’m so sorry that there was that big lie about you, and that I didn’t realize I should have stuck up for you.”
Hailey pauses. “You know in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have written your college essays. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but now I realize how it’s totally illegal.”
Tom says, “That’s a good point. I used to pay people to do my homework, because it was too hard. I never thought about that.”
Hailey asks, “So we’re good then?”
Jimmy says, “Are we?”
Hailey smiles. “Yeah, we’re good.”
Jimmy sighs. “Well, that’s better than any amount of beer can make me feel. I’ve felt this knot in my stomach for years.”
“Yeah, we should have just talked this through years ago. I’m sorry I didn’t know how to handle it.”
Tom says, “Hey, don’t feel bad guys, I still don’t know how to handle my emotions right now.”
They all laugh as Crystal and Joey come back to the table.
***
Tom says, “Man I have never seen someone ride someone so hard as you rode Jimmy at the office.” He laughs. “I wasn’t about to get in the middle of that. But Hailey, I’ll hand it to you, you can be formidable.”
Jimmy shrugs. “I deserved it. Completely.”
Hailey says, “Well I think I was at least one degree too mean. So, I hope you can forgive me.”
Jimmy says, “No really, don’t apologize. I’m glad you stood up for yourself.”
Hailey raises her eyebrows. “It takes a pretty good person to be able to handle criticism and admit mistakes. I hope I can do that as well as you can.”
Tom says, “Yeah man, that’s probably one of the hardest things to do, in any situation.”
Jimmy adds, “Well, I guess I kept getting my ass kicked being arrogant, so I found it was better to put myself in the other person’s shoes.”
“Is that how you got things better with your mom?”
“Yeah my mom and I butted heads for years, and then I started realizing how sad she was about my dad not being there for her. Or for us really. It’s like he was just an inanimate object around the house when he was there. She was broken-hearted.”
Tom says, “That’s so sad.”
Joey slaps Tom on the back. “Good news is that broken hearts heal, man.”
Jimmy looks at Hailey, smiling as she smiles back.
Crystal says, “Uh oh. I think I drank too much again. I don’t feel so good.”
Joey says, “Aw man, that’s cause you’re like 100 pounds. I’ll get you a water.”
Crystal sits down and holds onto the table. “Is the table rocking back and forth?”
Hailey laughs. “No, honey.”
Crystal closes one eye to try to see straight. “Sheesh, those shots must have been a hundred proof! I’m done for!”
Hailey asks, “Want to call it a night?”
Her friend replies, “I think so.”
Hailey glances at the guys. “I’m taking her to my place, don’t worry. You guys have fun.” Hailey helps Crystal up and walks her outside. Hailey calls an Uber and helps Crystal to take deep breaths. When they get home, Hailey gives her some of the leftovers from her refrigerator to help her absorb the alcohol. As Crystal eats, she sways back and forth, delirious.
She says, “You seem so happy.”
“I’m pretty happy. I’d be happier if you would stop drinking quite so much. Can you do that for me?”
Crystal looks at her and smiles before she hiccups. “I’ll try.” Crystal is overcome with tiredness and lays down on the couch. It’s an all too familiar scene for Hailey in this house. She starts to think of her mother. Her anger returns as she picks up the rest of the food and puts it away.
She thinks about what Jimmy said ab
out his mom, and she decides to ask her therapist what she can do that with her mom. But for now, she’s tired and just wants to go to bed happy. She plays some music in her room as she changes into her pajamas. It’s her first night sleeping in her new bedding, and she feels okay being alone because at least there is a glimmer of hope that the loneliness won’t last forever.
***
Just before Hailey is about to fall asleep, she sees her phone light up out of the corner of her eye. She groggily reaches over for it absent-mindedly and opens the message. She reads it and for a second, wonders if she is dreaming.
It says, “Meet me in the treehouse?” She lifts up onto her elbow and turns on the lamp next to her bed to reread the message. She suddenly becomes more alert, as she realizes she’s actually awake. The message is from Jimmy.
She jumps up and looks in the mirror, checking her makeup. She feels butterflies in her stomach, as she puts on a pair of blue yoga pants with a white crop top. She looks cute, but not desperate.
She texts him back. “I’ll bring the Oreos.”
Crystal is still passed out when she opens the front door and slips out to go across the street. She sees the light on in the treehouse and climbs up. She can’t fight the huge grin on her face as she enters the treehouse.
Jimmy is sitting on the floor playing with a spinning top. Hailey sits across from him. “Wow, so many years, and here we are again.”
Jimmy smiles. “I made it for you.”
“I kind of thought so.” She looks at the Wonder Woman painting and adds, “That’s really good by the way. And thanks for the flowers and stuff at the hospital.”
“That’s what friends do.”
Hailey nods and is silent, wondering if he’s interested in being more than friends. “Crazy how we both ended up back here, huh?”
Jimmy grins. “I dig it.”
Hailey looks at the top, “How long can you keep it up?”
Jimmy chuckles. “That’s what she said.”
Hailey laughs. “I didn’t mean it like that!”
Jimmy bites his lip. “Well, I mean if you want to find out…”
Hailey looks at him and blushes, not having words to express how glad she was to hear him talking like that.
He says, “I mean, this would kind of be a cool place.”