A week later....

A week has passed and I see the change, honestly speaking, it has not given me a good feeling at all. I've been getting an eyeful lately from most of Danny's admirers, Sam and I haven't really talked and I'm getting the feeling that he's upset with me, and to speak the truth, I can't get over my last encounter with Roman.

The disappointment in his eyes, the resignation in his voice has honestly haunted me and no matter how much I try, I can't forget it or will get over the guilt I'm experiencing.

I feel all types of wrong and the sense of really disappointing him, weighs heavily on my shoulders.

This is the reason why I never wanted him to come back, to never come back to my life, because this is what happens, I can't get a grip of my emotions and everything almost, and I mean almost revolves around him. He doesn't understand how big his presence had made an impact in my life, how important he was and that, he was the only one who my heart never doubted or questioned for just being there.

Roman is just, Roman I guess.

I close my eyes, leaning my head against my locker, taking a deep breath as I tiredly think of the day ahead. I surely need a break from all these emotion consuming events. I need a clear head and I need to do it alone.

Yes, I need to catch a break.

With this in mind, I lean back from the locker and take out my phone. I don't even waste time in sending the needed message to my dad, he should understand my need without many words shared. I know that he's still going through his own stuff but this message is important and I need a response.

Placing my phone back in my pocket, I open my locker door to exchange books, only for something to fall out. Glancing on the floor, I see that it's a note which I pick up yet decide to read once I'm done.

You finally did the right thing. You set him free. That's all he ever needed.

The note says when I finally read it. It neither has a name nor letter at the bottom, to give me a clue of who might have sent it to me. Searching with my eyes around me, in view a few catch my eyesight. Colt, Beverley, Ingrid and Sam.

No, Sam is not this note type of person, he'd tell me his thoughts in my face and wouldn't do something so shady.

The other three, I can neither confirm their actions, yet their behaviour towards me regarding Roman has irked me in some kind of way. They've shown me their view, their thoughts on what they think about even the smallest of an interaction between Roman and I.

Whether they'd go to this level and send me such a note, I wouldn't know yet what I do know, is that they've been watching.

Gosh, I really need that break.

I squash the piece of paper, throwing it in the bin. I walk away, with a set of eyes on me.

His breath warms the side of my face, the trail of his kisses down from my neck to my shoulder, knocks me out of my daydream. I turn to him, taking a good look at him for a few seconds before leaning into him and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He says, kissing my temple.

I don't say anything for awhile, just needing him to hold me." Nothing."

He pulls back, trying to search my eyes for an answer but I trail my eyes to the floor, as they moisten and I feel emotional all of a sudden. He doesn't let me get away with it when he tilts my face up, so I'm looking at him again. "What's going on, you don't look okay."

" I...."

"Yeah?" He encourages me to continue.

" I'm not okay, I'm so tired." I feel myself saying, whether from what exactly I have no clue.

I close my eyes. Right then his fingers go through my hair and he rests his forehead against my own." You need to take it easy baby, you need to rest." He says.

"Mhm." I nod.

He pulls back to look at me again and just when our eyes connect, the sound of footsteps and voices near, interrupts us. I sigh, rising up to my feet with him following suit.

"Stay here, I won't be long." He says, glancing at his teammates who've just entered.

"No, no. I don't want to be a distraction." I try lighten the mood, though I can't even hold a minute's smile.

"You're a good distraction." He closes the distance, placing a kiss on my forehead. He sighs right after. " I hate seeing you like this." He mumbles against my skin.

" I need to go, I've got a lot of assignments to do." I peck his cheek before collecting my bag and phone, getting ready to leave .

I throw a small smile his way before heading out, leaving him to his late practise.

As time passed after having left Danny, I find myself a good distraction in my schoolwork. I put all left energy into it, placing every other mind consuming thing at the back of my head. I've even gone as far as finding a nice spot at the back where I'll be alone.

Avery had meant well with wanting to keep me company but I kindly refused it. I needed the time alone to think and to work. And that has been working so well until I hear my name announced through the intercom.

" Hazel Lovett, you are needed in the office!" This never happens to me.

As I head on out to go to the office, I glance at Avery who wears a questionable look on her face. I gesture with a nod towards my stuff, silently asking for her to keep an eye on it.

I am almost never called to the office during this time, so for them to even call me must be quite important, urgent even. Upon reaching the office, I hear a small voice ask if I'm here.

My feet quicken their pace in curiosity and when I do get there, right at the doorstep I see something I least expected, rather someone.

" Rosy?"

••••••

Rosy had won their hearts already and earned us a free pass to the school library as late as it is now. Time has passed yet I don't mind, because this little girl alone has given me a reason to smile.

I was more then shocked when I first saw her in the office, still in her school uniform and carrying her school bag. How she was able to even catch a bus and still manage to make it here without so much as a scratch amazes me?

She's such a smart and precious young girl, she is capable of making your heart melt in her presence. makes you melt in her presence. I watch her draw and get lost in her own little world, during my watch over, I am reminded of a younger me, when I had no worries but just the comfort of knowing I had people I love, around me.

Looking at her, I find myself praying that she stays like this, that as she grows up and meets many challenges, she'll overcome each one and will always remain on top. She deserves her hearst's desire.

"That's very pretty." I compliment one of her coloured in drawings.

She smiles up at me.

" Rosy, thank you for coming to see me and I love that you are here."

"But I shouldn't have come right?" She says sadly, her tone jabbing at my heart.

"No, you can come see me anytime you want, I just think that at a time when your mom says it's okay."

"But I've been asking mom for so long now and she only said soon. I wanted to see you again." She pouts, pleading with her eyes for me to understand.

"You're so adorable." I say, lightly pinching her cheeks. Let me tell you something, I love spending with you and you what?"

" What?"

"When your mom is not busy and if she agrees, I'll come visit you and we can have the whole day to ourselves." Her eyes light up.

" We can go get ice cream?!" She asks excitedly.

" Ofcourse. We can even watch a movie, eat lots of candy -"

" Rosy!!!" A frantic voice calls out, making our heads to snap up at their direction.

The first person I see coming towards us in large strides is Mrs Black, followed by one of the hostel guardians and Roman.

"Mommy!" Rosy rises to her feet and runs to her mother, who collapses to her knees, arms wide open, ready to receive her daughter.

The sight of Rosy running to her mother's arms and being embraced with so much love, does something to my heart. It makes me miss my own mother and that warmth a motherly embrace provides.

"Oh my baby. Don't you ever do that to me again." Mrs Black says, almost crying out.

" I'm sorry mommy, but I wanted to see Hazel" Rosy .

Everyone looks at me.

"Mommy, can she come visit us soon because we made plans already."

"Ofcourse, she can, you don't even need to ask, she's welcome to come any day. Just as long as she's not busy right?"

"Okay." Rosy says, this somewhat not convincing her.

" I think next week is okay." I speak up.

"Really?" She perks up at that.

"Mhm." I nod.

"See, so no more of this, making me worry so much." Mrs Black lightly scolds.

" I'm sorry mommy." Rosy says, feeling ashamed.

"It's okay baby, just as long as you are safe. That's all that matters." Her mother response, placing a kiss against her temple, relief washing off her face.

" I think it's time we go now." Roman says, speaking up for the first time since he arrived here.

"Yess, yes. We should go now." Mrs Black rises to her feet. " I'm sorry about all of this." She apologises to me and the guardian.

"It's okay. I loved every moment with Rosy." I smile when Rosy whispers something in her mother's ear before pulling away from her arms, and she comes running to hug me.

Surely I receive her in time, having gotten to my knees again.

"Thank you Rosy for coming to see me." I smile at her.

" I'm glad I came and I'd do it again. Just don't tell mom." She whispers in my ear , making me chuckle.

This little girl....

"Please don't make each other sad again." Rosy says when she looks at me, glancing between Roman and I .

I'm not given time to respond when she rushes off to her mom, who nods in thanks before she heads on out with Rosy.

I find Roman already looking at me.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." He says before starting for the door.

"What does that even mean?"

" I don't know you enough now, to keep promises, especially to kids." He turns around and walks away.

That hurt, his words truly did hurt me.

Taking a seat on one of the chairs, I notice Sam and Avery standing by the door, watching me.

They must have seen everything.

I turn away from them, with my heavy heart.

•••••

"Come on." She's said this for the 15th time now.

I shake my head, burying myself further in my blankets.

She's pleaded, demanded and even threatened me but to no avail, I've not agreed.

Tonight, the school's basketball team won a game and to celebrate, the captain has decided to host a party at his house. With him being one of the few that knows how to throw a party, almost everyone I walked past, couldn't shut up about it.

Danny and his friends have already gone, he'd wanted me to come along but I kindly refused, just like I'm doing to Avery, who surprisingly hasn't given up already.

All I want to do is stay in bed.

" Hazel." She sits next to me. "Don't think I haven't noticed how miserable you've been lately."

" I'm fine." I mumble.

"Yeah and I don't like your cousin." She says sarcastically.

I roll over to my other side, facing her. " Why don't you just ask him out already?" I ask.

"Uh no, never gonna happen." She says.

"You're wasting time, some girl just might come and snatch him away."

"Stop changing the subject." She says, looking a little disturbed by what I've just said.

"Now as I was saying, you looking like this, is like me being deprived off of seeing Sam everyday"

"You're obsessed."

"It's the first thing that came to mind!" She tries defend herself.

"Mhm, yeah sure." I say, not believing her one bit.

"Anyway, it's not good for you to be cooped up in here like this, when life is happening out there."

"You mean out there with those grabby drunk dudes, sickening couples, vomit, unnecessary fights and -"

"And, and, and that's the beauty of it."

"Yeah, I don't see it." I shake my head.

"Well picture this, me finally walking up to Sam, grabbing his shirt and kissing the living daylights out of him."

My mouth hangs open, while I watch her come back to earth from dreamland.

She turns to look at me.

"Okay I'm coming." I jump out of bed.

"Wow, so all I had to mention was Sam and me confessing to him, to get you out of bed?"

"No, you're going to do it and I'm actually going to be a witness. You'll be like my own live soap opera, with a happy ending of you two, driving off to Vegas to get married."

"Yeah, keep on dreaming." She throws over her shoulder as she walks on to my closet.

"Again I say, you're obsessed."

All dolled up because of Avery, who wouldn't let me out of the room until she ' destroyed ' my face, we were ready to go and ready for a night out.

I might have wanted to stay in bed but I needed some fresh air, and if a night out will serve as a distraction, I'm all for it.

"Oh, uh I need to start somewhere, come on." She says, dragging me along by arm.

"Where are we going?"

"A place where something important needs to be done." She mumbles.

Her tone takes a turn, making me frown in suspicion now.

I let myself be led through the hallways right to where the auditorium is, surprisingly Sam is there by the doors, standing there as if waiting for someone.

He paces up and down by the door, until he notices us.

"You actually did it." He says to Avery, sounding surprised.

"Told you I would." Avery mutters.

"Uh hello, what's going on here?" I ask.

Avery let's go of my hand as Sam comes over to stand in front of me.

" Sam, what's going on?" I repeat.

He doesn't say anything for a while, but his eyes are speaking.

"You don't deserve the silence anymore, you've hurt for too long. It's time for it to stop." he says in a soft tone, his eyes expressing so much emotion I can't get a grip of which one to take.

I open my mouth to say something but he takes my hand and starts leads me inside the auditorium.

Sam being like this and the sudden mystery has me on edge and I don't like that. When we step in, he gestures for me to go ahead which I do, only taking a few steps in the darkened room.

" I'm sorry. " I hear him say behind me before I hear footsteps rushing off and then the door slams shut.

Did he just lock the damn door?

I spin around, all my senses going on high alert.

" What the heck Sam?!" I call out in the silence. " Sam you'd better let me out or so help me - ," I'm cut off by the lights switching on.

I huff, making a promise to myself that when I get out of here, I will kill him.

I turn around with intention of looking for an exit, but my eyes deceive me, when they shift their focus on a figure who sits at the edge of the stage.

" He won't let you out!" That voice.

I start descending down the stairs, my steps slowing down when I reach the middle of the room and in clear view of him, who's head tilts up to look at me.

Roman.

**********************************

Oh oh, both of them in one room.

Lets hope they wont strangle each other. Lol.

So our Sam is quite sneaky, mhm.😏😏😏😏😏.