Dog Walker

Chapter 18- Fear and Hope

I don't know how long I sat there, next to my car in the rain, but by the time anyone noticed, I was shivering and coughing, and I still wouldn't get up.

Peter had run over to me and was crouching beside me, concern obvious on his face. "Hails, come on, you have to get up."

I shook my head. "Why?"

"Because you look a mess and you'll get a cold, now come on." He managed to put an arm around me and drag to my feet without any help from me at all. He groaned a little. "Hails, you're not the lightest thing around you know."

I took my own weight, stepping back from Peter a bit. "Are you implying I'm fat?" I asked in a flat tone. I didn't think it or believe it or have the effort into making it life-like, but it was the standard response to anything involving weight and so I felt like I had to give it.

Peter smiled at bit when I said that. "Of course not, come on." He dragged me over to his car and opened it, helping me into the passenger seat before getting into the driver's seat.

I looked down at myself and then at the puddle I was making in his car. "I'm getting it wet." I said, feeling guilty. "You love this car."

"I love you more." He replied, giving a little smile. "Now tell me what's wrong."

He'd turned on the car and was putting on the heating. I looked up at him frowning a little. "A lot."

"Detailed." I teased and then instantly become serious. I knew that face, he had something important to say. "Well, I can guess what's wrong. You've fallen out with Jack and Lee. You've had a fight with Amanda because she thinks you were horrible to Jack." I gave him a 'how-do-you-know?' look. He shrugged. "I saw Amanda on the way out." I nodded. "You think Amanda is right but you're too proud to apologise to Jack, and you want to get back together with Lee but you think that because he cheated on you can't go back to him because it's not right."

I stared at him. He knew a lot more about me then I thought. "I don't want to get back with Lee." I said my throat hoarse from all the crying and the cold of the rain.

He raised on eye-brow. "Really?"

I nodded defiantly. "No, he cheated on me."

Peter seemed to ignore me. "I think you should talk to him."

I shook my head. "No."

"I think you should talk to him." He insisted more strongly. I started shaking my head but he kept talking quietly. "Hailey, you're going to wake up one day and realize that maybe what he did wasn't as bad as you think it is and then you're going to discover he's moved on and found someone else and it's going to break you're heart." He was looking forward through the wind shield. He turned back to me. "I don't want that to happen."

I blinked away from the passion in his voice. I looked towards him, a little confused. "Peter…" I started and then paused; trying to get the words out but I didn't know what to say. "Who." I finally decided on.

He sighed. "Cathy. For about 2 years I've liked her."

I bit my lip. "She liked you last year." I whispered.

He smiled wryly. "I thought maybe she did, but I was too scared to do anything, and she's moved on now." He shook his head. "He's not going to wait forever Hailey."

"I'm scared too." I admitted softly. There was a silence for a while before Peter spoke again.

"Do you like Lee?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Go talk to him." He urged gently.

I glanced over at him, making up my mind quickly. It took me about 2 seconds to realize how much I'd missed Lee. He'd been trying to make up the whole time and I'd just been pushing him away. "I'm so stupid." I muttered angrily under my breath.

Peter smiled. "How about I drive you home then? It looks like you need to get into some warm clothes."

I shook my head. "Can you drive me to Lee's?"

He gave me a questioning glance. "It's 11:00, I'm guessing he's asleep."

"No. He's moving and I have to go now." I was getting more panicked by the second as Conrad's words kept repeating themselves in my head.

"He's moving?"

"To England." I said shortly. Peter had reversed out of his spot on the street and was making his way towards my suburb.

"Why?"

"I don't know." My mind was racing. Why was he moving? When was he moving? Was he already gone? Was I too late? Would I never see him again? "Can you drive a little faster?" I asked as calmly as I could.

Peter gave me a sideways glance before just nodding and speeding up a little. There was no one on the roads this late at night anyway. I gave him directions when we close enough for me to recognize where we were and he stopped the car just outside his house. I just sat there for a moment looking up the enormous building. I saw a light coming from one of the windows on the top floor. There was someone home. He hadn't left yet.

"I'll wait for you." Peter said encouragingly.

I swallowed. "No, its ok, it's late. I can get home from here."

"I'm fine with waiting."

"I'm not." I said stubbornly. I already felt bad that he had to leave the party early and that he couldn't go home. Peter liked his sleep. "I'll be fine. I promise. Go home and sleep."

He hesitated a little. "Ok. Text me when you get home."

I nodded. "Ok." I opened the door and stepped outside back into the rain. I shivered a little.

"Don't forget." He insisted. "Text me the second you-"

"I will Peter." I cut him off, giving him a little smile. He smiled back and I watched him drive away before running to the door. I was undercover now. I took a deep breath and rang the bell. There was silence. I waited about a minute before ringing it again. This time I heard yelling and then someone running down the stairs; the door opened a moment later.

Lara had a surprised look on her face the moment she saw me. She obviously remembered who I was. She was dressed in her pajamas, getting ready to get into bed. I felt bad I'd come at 11:00, it seemed a little stupid now, but I had to see Lee.

"Hi." She said eventually. "Sorry." She seemed to shake herself out of some sort of daze. "I thought it was Mum, she said she'd be home around now…"

I smiled a little self-consciously; I could feel my green dress sticking to my skin. "Well…Is Lee still here?"

She gave me a funny look before turning around. "Lee." She called loudly. "Get down here." She turned back to me smiling. "Want to come inside?"

I nodded and she stepped aside letting me walk past her. It was all the same, nothing had changed from the last time I was in here. It almost felt like I was stepping back in time, and then I saw him.

He was walking down the stairs wearing a pair of boxer shorts and an old grey t-shirt. His hair was a bit ruffled and his eyes were sleepy, he had been in bed. All I could remember was that time I was in his room and he'd kissed me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly.

I was knocked back into the present. "I needed to see you."

"At 11:00 at night?" He was at the bottom of the stairs now. He seemed to suddenly realize Lara was still standing there. He gave her a look that said clearly 'go away' but she pretended not to notice it. "Lara…" He began warningly.

She sighed. "Fine, fine, I'm going." She proceeded up the stairs at the snails pace.

After a minute of watching her climb stairs Lee seemed to get sick of it. "Lara." He snapped. She turned gave him a little scowl but then bounded up the stairs. We heard a door close.

There was an awkward silence. "You haven't left yet." I ended up saying.

He gave me a look. "Left where?" He asked eventually.

I was confused. "Conrad said you were going to England tonight and that's why you couldn't come to the party."

He gave an irritated little sigh, but I could see a small smile on his face. "Conrad's an idiot. You never listen to Conrad."

"So, you're not leaving?" I asked carefully.

He shook his head. "Nah."

I shifted awkwardly feeling incredibly stupid. I didn't know why I was here anymore.

"I think you should go." Lee said quietly after about a minute.

I looked up, a little startled. "No, Lee." I began weakly.

"I'll drive you home if you want." He continued giving me a sad smile.

I shook my head. "No, I need to talk to you."

He gave a tired sigh. "I don't want to talk, ok?"

"Well I do."

"Well you don't always get what you want Hailey." He said calmly. He walked towards the door and held it open. "Maybe you should learn that."

"Lee, I'm sorry." I said quickly. There were tears in my eyes now. "I'm horrible, I know I am, and Mandy said it too and I shouldn't have ever gone out with Jack, I'm a horrible horrible person." I was crying now and Lee looked a little startled, as though he didn't quite know what to do with a babbling crying girl. "Peter told me you'd move on, and I couldn't let that happen, and he told me that what you did was wrong but if I held it against you forever it would break my heart and guess what?" I finished, tears streaming down my cheeks. "It's breaking. You're breaking my heart."

He stood still, just staring at me for what seemed like forever, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. Then he closed his eyes and looked away before opened them again, he was looking out at the rain. "You've already broken mine." He whispered.

I took a step towards him hesitantly. "Let me fix it." I was almost pleading. Screw that, I was pleading.

He shook his head, just opening the door wider; I could see tears in his eyes as well. "I can't, anymore."

"Lee-"

"I'll drive you home, it's raining." It was a definite final tone and I didn't have anything else to add.

I just nodded slightly, feeling suddenly empty. "Ok." I walked past him first and he closed the door behind him and stepped off the veranda towards his car which was parked in front of the house. I heard him curse under his breath as the rain started hitting him and I saw him hurrying towards his car.

I couldn't move. This would probably be the last time I'd see him, or definitely the last time I'd ever talk to him and suddenly I couldn't let that happen. I'd only known him a few months but I felt closer to him than any of my friends. If Cathy left my life? It'd be hard, it'd be difficult, but I know I'd be able to handle it. Amanda? Close to impossible, but I could see it happening, and eventually everything would go back to normal. James? Peter? It'd all work out eventually. And Lee? I couldn't even think about it. It was too painful to even try and imagine.

He was at his car now and looking back at me. "Hailey." He called out. "Come on, the car's open."

I could see him through the rain, his hair was wet, his clothes were sticking to him and he still looked like a million dollars. I took one step out into the rain instantly feeling it pounding against my head.

What had I told Jack earlier that night? He'd asked me if I was in love with him, and I'd brushed him off, telling him I was still in high school, I couldn't be in love it just didn't happen. But I'd never felt more in love with anyone or anything before in my life. Or if it wasn't love, it was the closest I'd ever been to it. I took a few more steps, the tears leaking from the corner of my eyes mixing with the rain and falling down my face.

I only had a few more steps before I was standing right in front of him. He seemed a little surprised too see me this close. My heart was pounding harder than it ever had before.

I looked up into his hazel eyes, hypnotic, mesmerizing. He didn't flinch away from the eye contact. He just stared straight at me.

"Lee." I began slowly, loud enough so he could hear me through the pouring rain. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

I only took a moment to see his startled eyes before I stood on the tip of my toes and kissed him.

He tasted like mint, and salt tears and the rain. He tasted like everything happy I'd ever felt in my whole life. He tasted like I wanted to taste him forever. The rain was still pouring down. I was drenched through to my skin, but I didn't care, I'd never felt like this before.

It only lasted a second though before Lee was pulling away. He stepped away from me slightly, creating a small space between us. I could see him swallow. His eyes were telling me a million things at once. He was confused and hurt and conflicted. My heart was beating against my chest almost painfully. I was scared. That's what he would see in my eyes - fear.

Lee broke eye contact with me. "Hailey…" He trailed off. He looked back at me and I noticed the trace of a smile on his face and there was something else in his eyes. Happiness. Before I knew what was going on he had stepped close to me again, hands around my back, hugging me so tightly I thought I was going to break. "I think I'm already in love with you." I could feel a small shiver in my spine, I could feel the rain, still crashing down around us and I could feel Lee, holding me like he never wanted to let go. He leant down and kissed me, and I'd never felt this happy in my life. Like nothing could touch me. Like I wanted this to last forever.

I finally felt complete.

a/n- and END SCENE.

Guess what this is? THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY!

Jumps around with sparklers in hand and hands out cookies to innocent bystanders. Strangely, all these people died the next day.

Anyway, we won't worry about the cookies, that recipe still has to be perfected. Now, I still feel like I want a sad ending. BUT I CAN'T DO THAT TO THE CHARACTERS! As much I want Hailey to live alone with 20 cats, Lee deserves to be happy! And unfortunately, Hailey makes him happy. Ahh well. This is definitely the longest chapter out of them all, fitting that it's the last one.

So. The end of the road. What is there to say? I want to thank everyone who's ever reviewed this story, or read this story and thought 'well, this isn't complete crap.' Because you all rock! Thank you for sticking with me!

Oh! Wait! I had something to say! You know the whole 'moving the England thing'? Well. I couldn't find somewhere to fit this in the story, but Conrad didn't completely make it up. When he asked Lee to come to the party Lee sarcastically said 'No, I can't, I'm moving to England.' just to stop him from asking again. So when Conrad was drunk he said it to Hailey. And THAT is why.

There is not going to be an epilogue, because I don't feel like this story needs one, and I don't think I want to go into anything else. Just for future reference in case anyone is wondering. Hailey does make up with Amanda and says sorry to Jack, so they don't stay life long enemies forever.

I would like to stress that this story, especcially this chapter, is over-ly cliche on purpose. It's just SO much fun to be cliche!

So. Thankyou to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

jay girl, RayRay and Beanzie, Out-Spoken-Runaway, DemonicDestiny, the ghost of christmas goth, Sania, TwinkleHeart, arouralai, Asianista Is A FashionistaKaede KitsuraniSweetSuffering, gurr…, xXTaintedInkXxmY-chemicaL-romancE13the rocket appleEndlessDark17Holly YoungSummerBaby94

arouralai – yeah, I never actually mentioned what country did I? Well, they were in Australia. Probably Melbourne. But I never really decided I think. Thankyou for reviewing all those times you reviewed!

Asianista Is A Fashionistayes! Facial expressions! I forgot about them completely… well, I don't think there are any in this chapter, but the next time I write a story I will look out for the facial expressions. Thankyou!

EndlessDark17- But I love listening to you ramble! There is no need to keep reviews short in my domain of evil and destruction! Yeah, I feel the same as you! If I had to choose I'd say I liked happy endings more, but I don't mind sad ones if they're done well. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and being helpful!

Well. That is everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I know I didn't personally thank everyone, but then the author's note would be longer than the chapter and we all know how ridiculous that is. But basically I love everyone who's ever reviewed this. Thank you for taking the time to read this and then comment on anything you liked, or didn't like about my story. I appreciate is SO much. I really really do. So, thank you. And bye bye!

If anyone's bored and wants something to do you can email me if you want!

Oh! I've recently just posted another story. So you could check that out if you wanted to as well.

But anyway. Bye everyone!

Thankyou and goodnight!