Chapter Twelve:When it All Collides
443 Words
" You can only avoid the truth for so long… before it finds a way to crash into you. Loud. Messy. Uninvited."
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The fundraiser buzzed with music, chatter, and the smell of baked goods and hot cocoa.
Hailey wore her best fake smile.
Everyone else saw confidence.
But inside, she was unraveling.
Because Chase was everywhere — charming guests, high-fiving kids, handling the mic like a natural. And yet… they hadn’t spoken all morning.
Not really.
Just polite nods.
Like strangers wearing familiar faces.
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At noon, she stood by the bake sale booth, mindlessly arranging cupcakes when she heard laughter — his laughter.
She turned.
And there he was — with someone else.
A girl. Blonde. Gorgeous. Laughing way too hard at nothing.
She recognized her. Elise something. They’d graduated a year above Hailey.
A flash of jealousy struck hard in her chest before she could shove it down.
Hailey tried to look away.
She really did.
But Chase glanced her way.
And for a second — just one — their eyes met.
And he looked away first.
That hurt more than it should have.
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“Need help?” someone asked.
Hailey turned to see Derek, the quiet guy from the graphic booth, offering her an extra basket of flyers.
She nodded, grateful for the distraction.
He stayed longer than needed.
And she let him.
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Minutes later, Chase passed by and saw them. Saw Derek too close, saw her smile — the same one she hadn’t given him in days.
And he stopped walking.
Just… stopped.
Then turned and walked the other way.
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The rest of the day was a blur.
Booths, announcements, prizes.
But the storm wasn’t outside anymore. It was inside her.
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That night, after the last guest had left and the fairy lights blinked above the empty room, Chase finally approached her.
“I saw you and Derek.”
She didn’t look up. “And I saw you and Elise.”
A beat of silence.
“Did it bother you?” he asked.
She laughed bitterly. “Does it matter?”
He stepped closer. “It does to me.”
“Then why didn’t you come talk to me today?”
“Because I didn’t want to be another thing you flinch from.”
That hit her like a punch to the ribs.
“I never asked you to stop trying,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said. “But not asking... isn’t the same as wanting me to stay.”
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And with that, he turned.
Walked toward the door.
And for the second time… she let him go.
Again.
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- Writer
