CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Maybe we should both stay home today,” She suggested softly.

“Don’t we have to go to work?” I asked before another bile started to come up my throat.

“Not if you’re puking,” She shook her head as she answered.

My body lunged forward and I puked again, this time painful.

“That’s it we’re staying home, I’m calling work,” Hayley says matter of fact as she got up and got her phone.

“No,” I choked out. “No one of us has to make money,” I says trying to catch my breath, but I puked again.

“It’s fine, Chloe I can take a day off,” She walked out making me alone again.

I flushed the toilet and leaned my head against my forearms holding me up from the toilet.




I heard her on the phone with her boss telling him that she will absolutely be in tomorrow, and I know I’m going to have to do the same thing once I can get off the floor.




Taking a minute to collect myself before I collect myself off the floor and into the living room, and laid myself on the couch. 

Hayley came in passing me a mint, which I gladly accepted and placed it in my mouth, and she passed me her phone to call Jack, my boss, I dialed the number with ease and put the receiver to my ear, after three rings it clicked.




“Hello?” Jack's voice came over the phone.

“Hey Jack its Chloe,” I says taking a deep breath.

“Let me guess, sick again?” He questioned before I say anything else.

“Yeah, but I promise I’ll be in tomorrow,” I says hurriedly.

“Take your time, just get better soon so I can have my star worker back,” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“You got it,” I says smiling a little.

“Alright, see you tomorrow,” He says before he hung up and I was listening to silence, I ended the call and passed Hayley back her phone.

“You’ve been sick like this for three days,” Hayley stated leaning against the doorway to the kitchen with a hot mug of coffee in her hands.

“I know,” I replied breathlessly laying back down on the couch.

“Have you gotten this sick before?” She asked with her eyebrows knitted together, I shook my head.

“Maybe we should go see a doctor,” Hayley says taking a sip of her scalding hot coffee.

“I don’t know, seems too much for something so little,” I says sighing.

“Chloe it could be serious, go get dressed and I’ll take you to the walk-in,” She nodded toward the bathroom.




Groaning I got up and picked up a pair of black skinny jeans, a black tank top and some underwear then headed to the bathroom.



It can’t be that much of a big deal, can it?




I quickly got dressed, left the bathroom and picked up a woolly sweater off the chair in the corner of the room I bought the sweater at the mall after my last shift.




“Okay let's go,” She says picking her keys off of the coffee table.




I sighed following her out the door closing it behind me and she put in the keys locking the door, we walked to her car and I took my seat in the shotgun as she started the ignition.


Back down the side streets, the street lights were still on and it was still very early, I yawned and leaned my head against the cool glass.




I feel like I spend most of my days either held up in the house, or at work, or at home. Even though I’m ‘free’ now it’s not enjoyable without Colby.




“Should we get something to eat or are you going to puke again?” Hayley questioned looking for the closest coffee shop.




“I should be able to eat,” I says quietly.

“Hey how about we go to the diner to-” Hayley started as she drove into the diner.

“No!” I cut her off.

“No I can’t go there,” I began to shake, I’m scared. I shut my eyes as my tears spilled down my cheeks.




“Okay, okay no need to cry,” She says as we turned around to leave my eyes met Lucey’s.




It’s too late, she seen me, but instead of calling Allistair she ran inside her face turned to panic and she pretended she didn’t see us.




I took a deep breath as I watched her become smaller and smaller in the mirror, I slumped back into my seat.




“What the hell was all that?” Hayley asked now that we are back on the road.

“That girl was the one who shot Colby,” I whispered.

“Wait, Lucey shot Colby?” She exclaimed my head shot up to look at her.

“You know her?” I asked surprised.

“Everyone knows everybody in this stupid town,” She says not looking at me.

“So you knew Colby then,” I stated.

“I heard of him, never actually met him until the other day,” She says with a sigh.

“Oh,” Is all I could think of to say.

“I just never expected that Lucey of all people would shoot someone,” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Then again you did steal her boyfriend,” Hayley says looking for another coffee shop.

“Colby says they were only friends,” confusion wrapped around me like a swirling fog.

“Then they must have been very close friends,” She emphasized.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“She was basically always on top of him, lovey-dovey shit but the way I see it now maybe he didn’t feel the same,” Hayley sighed as we drove into another diner.

“He says the only one he wanted was me,” I says in a small tone.

“He isn’t the kind of guy that does relationships but I guess it makes sense if he was waiting for you, Lucey must have been jealous,” Hayley says parking.

“Yeah,” I says back deep in thought.




We got out of the car and we went inside the diner, it smelled like scrambled eggs and coffee and right now sounds amazing; we took a seat in the booth farthest from the windows.




“What are we having today?” She asked rhetorically.

“I think I’ll have a milkshake scrambled eggs and some sausages,” I says, feeling the hunger become stronger.