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~ Day Dreams ~
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~ Chapter Thirty Seven ~
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~ Hide & Seek ~
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~ Eighteen-Years-Old ~
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~ Hazel's POV ~
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The pastel green-blue Volkswagen Beetle trunk and interior is loaded up full of all my belongings from home. Before arriving at the beach, I said my goodbyes to Forest, Emma, and Gus.

Shoes sink and shoelaces slither through the thick sand of Seaside main beach. Maneuvering as quickly as I can towards Honey and Jordan before I get swept away by the strong wind. The wild, ocean wind blows through my apricot hair, a mess of waves in a half-up and half-down hairdo down the length of my back. The salty air of the ocean circles around my nostrils and mouth, as the sun is high in the sky amongst the fluffs of the white and greying clouds above.

An endless sea of people crowd the beach by either sunbathing, dancing to faint music in the background, taking photographs of themselves or their friends, or the ocean view. I spot Honey and Jordan amongst the swarm of people nearby a shady willow tree, mine and Jake's willow tree, and make my way towards them. Both Honey and Jordan have no idea what I look like with red hair, so I do not want to scare them half to death.

"Hey guys," I said bitting my lower lip to calm my nerves.

Honey spins around to face me, "You made it... woah," Honey pauses, her eyes gaping when realizing my carrot hair.

"Damn, babes," Jordan calls next to Honey with one hand on his hip and the other combing his fingers through his black silk hair. "So, this is the real Hazel Summers, huh?" Jordan said in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, I guess. Surprised?"

"Yeah, why would you ever dye such beautiful red hair?" Honey said, crossing her arm across her chest.

"Thanks, I guess ha... and I don't know..." I trail off, glancing at the ocean view as greying clouds begin to form an army of endless dark clouds. "But it feels good to be me again."

"I'm glad to know you know who you are now," Honey said, her voice in a daze. Her eyes follow mine off into the distance of the ocean. "They say we're in for big storms this semester. The storm looks angry already."

"Well, we best better hurry up our booties and get some ice-cream before it's too late," Jordan says in an eager tone of voice.

"Dude, are you kidding me. You work at the joint and you get free ice-cream so calm down 'grumpy pants'," Honey teasers Jordan with a wide grin.

"Shut up smart ass, and I'm not a 'grumpy pants'," Jordan said with both of his hands on his hips.

"Shut up dumb ass, you're acting like one now and being all... 'grumpy'," Honey says.

Jordan and Honey continue talking and strolling towards Frosty's Ice-Cream Parlor. I follow close behind and listen to their conversation and smile in the process.

"I am not," Jordan said.

"You are too," Honey said.

"Babes, I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, dude."

Jordan walks ahead of Honey and me in a 'mood', Honey sighing next to me.

"What's the matter with Jordan?" I said, glancing at Honey over my shoulder.

"I pushed Jordan too far over the edge this time. He is still a bit sensitive about, you know..." Honey says in a whisper and exaggerates with her hands, "...The whole Weston thing. Because when I told him the truth, I think it broke his heart and he's still getting over him," Honey said kicking the sand with her leather black boots.

That must have been hard for Jordan to take in the news...
Bowing my head, unable to scheme a reply as I follow Honey in silence.

* * *

Strong air conditioning drifts throughout the ice-cream parlor, causing goosebumps over my porcelain skin. The three of us order our ice-cream cones and wait inside the crowding parlor. Once we receive our orders, we amble outside towards the willow tree again and lay underneath shadows of the branches with ice-cream in hands.

"Jordan, I'm sorry about Weston. I know he meant a lot to you," I said with sympathy lingering within my eyes.

"Thanks but I'm okay... really," Jordan gives Honey and me a small smile. "It has made me realize that I need to focus more on my career as a fashion designer and not care about boy drama. Especially if their straight."

"Well, I did warn you, dude," Honey said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"I know and I should have listened but that's enough about me," Jordan says, raking his free hand through the silk of his black hair. "Anyway, tell me how you ladies' Summer breaks went?"

"Well, Ethan asked me out. Can you believe it! We went on a few dates and his Swedish accent is to die for," Honey giggles at the memory, "We talked and talked for hours about traveling the world and hiking and attempting mountains. And when we graduate Ethan wants to go back to Sweden and he wants me to go with him."

"Wow! That is great. I'm sure it'll be a blast," I said, feeling happy for Honey.

"Yeah, I'm certain it will, and how did your Summer go 'Summer'," Honey mocks me in a joking manner.

"Very funny. Well, as you can tell I washed all the blonde out of my hair and I'm red again, unfortunately," I add, mumbling underneath my breath as I finished my ice-cream cone, "And I saw my evil stepmother in a mental asylum but funny enough she was not so 'evil' anymore," I said without a breath of air.

Breathing in a deep breath and continuing, "So, my not so 'evil' stepmother said my professor, Mrs. Samuels is my aunt. My mother's sister, but I don't know how to approach the situation?"

Both Honey and Jordan glance at each other then back at me in confusion as Honey says, "Wait why would your 'evil' stepmother tell you that information?"

"I guess she desires redemption," Jordan said simply.

"Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But how do I tell my professor that I'm her niece?" I question and stare at both Honey and Jordan, waiting for one of them to smooth my arising anxiety.

"When the moment feels right and you'll know for sure just like the situation with Jake. Considering that you're back to Hazel now."

My heart sinks with the mention of Jake and all the lies I have told him. It hurts to know how much of a stranger I have become to myself and with all the lies I allow to pile up by the second.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure how to approach the Jake situation either," I breathe a heavy sigh, dropping my gaze to my hands, "I planned to avoid him if not forever but he thinks I'm dead anyway and I will like to keep it that way."

"So, I want both of you guys to promise me something..." I pause as both Honey and Jordan finish their ice-creams. "That you will both keep my secret and lie that Summer has dropped out, moved away, or something," I glance between both Honey and Jordan and plead with my eyes. "I will just hide and wear hoodies so no one knows it's me and I will go back to my old life. Being a loser."

There is silence for the longest time, listening to the strong winds winding in the distance of the beach underneath the willow tree. I stare into the horizon and watch the sunset as I spot Jake not that far away from us. My heart begins to beat at a rapid-fire rate and my breath hitches at the back of my throat, unable to breathe a word.

Jordan clears his throat, bringing me back to the living. "No, I won't have any part in this. This is crazy talk," Jordan said, shaking his head.

Honey hesitates for a moment, "I agree but I'll help, however, eventually you need to tell him the truth, or someone might beat you to it and blurt out the truth."

I consider what Jordan and Honey said but I am determined not to ruin Jake's life because of my recklessness. He needs to be saved from my darkness. I will not let him drown with me...

Glancing up from my despair, I notice people around us start leaving the beach due to the oncoming storm and lifeguards directing everyone towards the exit. In the corner of my eye, Jake Gilbert Rivers, my Jay, wanders his way towards us three, staring straight at me in his lifeguard uniform. Panic scorches throughout my entire body like electric vaults. The electricity
kicks me into gear as I hind and seek towards the Volkswagen Beetle. Attempting to escape the very thing I am afraid of... the truth spilling out!

I hide behind a thick tree trunk and puff due to the short marathon I just endured. There is enough added distance between Jake, Honey, Jordan, and I so I am unable to listen to their conversation.

Sighing in relief and once I observe my surroundings again, I escape towards my car. Unlocking the driver's side door, I jump into the vehicle and roar the engine to life and add even more distance between Jake and me. That was too close... I have to be more careful. I cannot let him know me. I will not let Jake drown...

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Roaming the empty corridors of the college, my wandering thoughts overload my brain and cause a headache to arise at my temple. Without paying enough attention to where I was going, I walk straight into someone.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," I said as a pile of books tumble onto the wooden floorboards.

"Don't worry about—" Mrs. Samuels said, staring at me. Well, more noticing my red hair.

"Hazel, is that you?" Mrs. Samuels questions with a confusing expression as the fallen books still remain scattered across our shoes and the floor.

"Hey, Mrs. Samuels..." I ramble to myself and fiddle with the sleeves of my sweater.

"Oh, you look... different," Mrs. Samuels said, resting her hands on the side of her hips and adds, "But a good different. Remember, you can call me Anne, dear. By the way, I'm loving the hair. It suits you."

"Right, sorry, and this...?" I point towards my apricot waves of hair. "It's actually my natural hair color. I dyed it blonde because I was embarrassed by it," I bent over grabbing Anne's fallen books off the ground, and pass them towards her.

"Oh, thank you, "Anne takes the books from my hands and smiles. "You know you shouldn't be embarrassed, you should be proud to be different because different is okay. That's what I tell myself."

"Thank you, and I have finally stopped pretending to be someone I'm not and finally be who I really am," I return the smile towards Anne as a lump in my throat forms, remembering that Anne is my long-lost aunt. Well, so says my 'evil' stepmother that is not so 'evil' anymore. I guess it is now or never...

"Hey Anne, you know when you said a while back that you thought you knew me?" I swallow the lump growing in my throat and contain myself, "I have recently found out t-that you might be my... my aunt." I want to run for the hills but I cannot, not from the only blood-related family I have left.

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Please, tell me in the comments what you thought about Chapter Thirty Seven? 🙈 I'll be greatly appreciated, thank you, you very kind soul!
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~ Chapter Thirty Seven ~
~ Dedications ~
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HeliiBoh
DebMorey
PeterPetruzzella
CaitlinWoodward9
DaniJones_14
ChloeMayerhofer
savvvy1998
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You guys should totally check out PeterPetruzzella short story! Lighthouse. It's amazing!
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You guys should totally check out ChloeMayerhofer story! Fallen! It's awesome!
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C.Morey 🥕 xoxo
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