One More Chance Read online

  One More Chance

  Leah Laurens

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Leah Laurens

  Copyright © 2020

  Hailey and Jimmy were the best of friends since 10 years old. They have always been there for one another. Their feelings for one another started to change in senior high school and are progressing from friends to lovers. But something happened that put a wedged into their relationship

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  One More Chance

  Chapter 1: An Unexpected Turn of Events

  Chapter 2: It Had To Be This Office

  Chapter 3: Sweet Revenge

  Chapter 4: Eating Humble Pie

  Chapter 5: Letting Go

  Chapter 6: Back in the Game

  Chapter 7: Bad Intentions

  Chapter 8: Flowers When You’re Sick

  Chapter 9: A True Friend

  Chapter 10: Is It Too Late?

  Chapter 11: Putting the Pieces Back Together

  Chapter 12: Time to Dance

  Chapter 1: An Unexpected Turn of Events

  It’s been four and a half years since Hailey has been back to her hometown – Holdenville, North Carolina. She never intended to be gone for so long.

  When she left for college, her mom met a guy and moved to another state to be with him, so there just wasn’t anything to go back for. During holidays and breaks, she spent the money she earned at her waitressing job to travel or stayed in the dorm.

  She avoided going back. She didn’t have fond feelings about returning. She knows she needs to be successful before going back. She has been climbing her way up in a loan processing company, and they are prepping her for a management position.

  She’s not the old Hailey. She has a nice car, sensible clothes, a great haircut, and classy jewelry. The old Hailey was messy, clumsy, and naive. Now she makes it a point to be shrewd, to be one step ahead. She uses her brain to get what she wants.

  She works long hours to make sure everything is perfect, and she’s extremely professional so she will get promoted as quickly as possible. When she’s not at work, she spends her time researching best practices, competitors, and business acumen. She doesn’t waste time socializing with her coworkers, because she knows she’ll soon be years ahead of them. She never accepts invites to happy hours.

  Her job is to help clients finance their cars, homes, and businesses so every detail is important. She doesn’t want to mess up a single number, forcing her hard work go down the drain. The sooner she becomes a manager, the sooner she can feel better about herself. She’ll finally be able to go back to her hometown and show them that she’s always been just as good as them.

  Just because those kids were popular in high school doesn’t mean they had a clue how to make it in the real world. They were too busy dating and socializing. Hailey, however, has a good business sense and doesn’t need to have people around to make her feel good about herself.

  College was a series of tests, annoying roommates, and lots of beer. She was one of the few girls that didn’t gain a ton of weight. She hasn’t been able to sleep well since she left home, and when she does sleep, she dreams about the people and places she left behind.

  That’s why she knows she has to go back. She needs revenge. She needs to make them feel bad about how they treated her. Once they pay, she’ll be able to sleep again.

  Today, she came in early as usual. Her hair is straightened, her suit is pressed, her coffee is hot, and her desk is neat. Hailey knows how she’ll spend each hour of the day in order to maximize revenue.

  She pushes her sensible pair of rimless glasses up her nose. Her makeup is flawless, and her fingers are already typing as her coworkers start filing in half-awake. They joke and laugh at the coffee station, slowly making their way to their desks. Hailey smirks at their slowness. She has already processed five applications, and her peers haven’t even turned on their computers.

  It’s Monday, and they’re all exchanging stories about their weekends. It bores her. She slides her earplugs in, continuing to work until precisely 11:30, when she takes a twenty-minute lunch break. She realized she can process two extra loans if she cuts her break short. She has timed it perfectly, so she can walk across the street to the deli before there’s a line. She has just enough time to eat, use the restroom, and get back to her desk.

  She takes the bare minimum, knowing her bosses will appreciate the extra work.

  ***

  She’s not expecting to be called into her boss’s office. The man has to stand in front of her, waving his hands to capture her attention. Hailey pulls her earplugs out with a polite smile.

  “Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course,” she answers. With him, Hailey is always chipper and ready to help out in any way.

  “Great, come to my office.”

  Hailey feels a rush of adrenaline, as she wonders if this is the day she’ll finally be rewarded for her hard work. She strolls in and waits for him to close the door behind her.

  “Have a seat.”

  She drops into a chair and crosses her legs. She tries to exude the strength of a natural leader through her glasses and posture.

  Her boss opens a file on his desk. “Well, I have to say, your numbers are blowing everyone else out of the water. I appreciate the initiative you take, and your work ethic has really helped our office. In fact, we’re doing so well that headquarters has approved a new satellite office, and I’d like to ask you to be in charge of it.”

  Hailey beams. “I would love to manage an office. I have been working on my leadership training outside of work.”

  He grins. “Great. It’s also a perfect fit because I believe the office is actually located in your hometown. You’ll have a client base to pull from.”

  At this, Hailey’s stomach does a flip.

  She clears her throat and struggles to sound calm as she answers. “Oh. Well, that is perfect.” She buries the strong mix of fear and anxiety welling up inside of her. Without thinking, she says, “I can start right away. I still have a house there.” Her urge to succeed distracted her, her words falling out before she realized she just resigned herself to living across the street from her ex-best friend, Jimmy.

  Hailey is given the day to pack. The company was pleased she could go and get a team set up in the new satellite office immediately. The fact the company didn’t have to pay relocation expenses also made it easy for her to start right away. The paperwork had already been approved so it was all set.

  Hailey is at home packing when she feels her anxiety bubbling up. Being back in her home town and worrying about running into the people that hurt her for so many years stresses Hailey. She sees flashes of Jimmy, who allowed her to be bullied. She sees Theresa, who spread the embarrassing video of her at their senior beach week. Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend never left town; Hailey has seen posts and pictures of Theresa with her friends at all the usual spots.

  Hailey knows Jimmy moved back after college to figure out what to do next. She started an anonymous social media account to follow what they do without them knowing. Hailey’s nauseous when she realizes she’s going to have to make them pay for what they did… before she is rich and successful.

  At least she’s going back with a position of power and something to prove her worth. She wrestles with the tape dispenser, growing more and more frustrated as she seals the last boxes. The movers are going to pick up everything in the morning and will deliver it all for her. She drops down on her mattress, staring up at the ceiling. It’s surreal to finally be going back to the town that she left with so much anger and pain in her heart.

  She realizes she’s going to be staying in the house that sh
e shared with her mother for years. Her mother has insisted they keep the house in case things go south with her boyfriend so Hailey made sure to send money to pay rent for the house. They’ve been together for over four years, and the house hasn’t been used.

  Hailey cringes, knowing she’ll have to relive a lot of painful memories between her and her mother when she returns. She’s probably going to see Jimmy, too. She gets out of bed and looks in the mirror.

  Despite what she went through, she is now a hot businesswoman, who will make him feel small, insignificant, and childish. She is determined to be smarter than him and never reveal that he had any effect on her life whatsoever. Hailey doesn’t want him to think that he matters at all to her. She plans to make him feel like the dirt he is.

  The next morning, Hailey wakes up determined to rub her success in Jimmy’s face. Theresa’s, too. She will show them how she’s able to live a life of luxury because she’s brilliant.

  She drives toward the freeway, her pride growing. She knows she will finally be able to get revenge and instead of dreading to her hometown, she’s actually excited to be going back. She can’t wait to book fancy restaurant reservations, wear her expensive clothes, and flaunt her nice car, so word will get back to the people she loathes the most.

  She pulls up in her driveway, and the old house looks even more dilapidated than she remembers. She immediately calls a painting company to add a fresh coat of paint and a landscaping company to take care of the yard.

  Hailey opens the front door ignoring the thought boring a hole in the back of her head that her archenemy may have seen her drive up. She didn’t dare look in the direction of Jimmy’s house when she pulled up. She has told herself to keep her mind on the prize – getting the office operational as quickly as possible.

  Hailey glances around her old house, disgusted with the furniture, old appliances, and dated wallpaper. She drops her bag down on her old bed, taking a moment to hang her suits in the closet. She yanks the superhero posters and space pictures off the walls and mentally adds artwork to the list of things she needs for the house.

  The workday is almost over, so she drives over to the new office location to get a feel for the new office. She plans to make up for the lost day by working late and posting some job openings online.

  She meets the real estate agent and gets the keys, enjoying the rush of power as she holds the cold metal in her hands. She opens the office and gazes around. It looks like it was once a medical office and has a very clinical feel to it. She rearranges the furniture, pushing everything around, to break up the waiting room ambiance.

  When her stomach rumbles, she looks outside. It’s dark out already and realizes that most places around the area close early. She’s craving a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. It’s her go-to favorite stress food. She decides to go to the diner she used to work at, knowing the owner will not even recognize her if he’s there. She doesn’t care either way.

  Hailey sits at the counter; remember her days of serving people at this very spot. She recalls the kids that would walk in and make fun of her from the corner booth. Now she looks around at the place, which feels like a run-down theme park with its jukebox, life-size clown holding menus, and pictures of the mascot posing with customers.

  She’s in her own world thinking about the new office as the waitress approaches her. The girl is young. Maybe fifteen. She has braces, pimples, and her outfit looks a little snug for her fuller figure.

  She says, “Do you know what you’d like?”

  “A grilled cheese and fries, with extra cheese on the sandwich.”

  “Okay, you got it. Anything to drink?”

  Hailey remembers the incident where she poured a milkshake on Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend Theresa. “Yes, I’d like a vanilla milkshake, please.”

  Her food arrives just as the bell dings on the front entrance. She doesn’t turn around, but she hears the voice. Her body temperature rises as she recognizes Jimmy’s tone and one of his old buddies.

  She glances down at her food, trying not to react. Tears well up in her eyes as she shoves the emotions away. Hailey clears her throat as she hears him walk to the other side of the restaurant. When she bites into her sandwich, she can barely taste it. She’s upset with herself for overreacting to something she knew was going to happen.

  While she looks the same on the outside, inside her mind there’s a storm going on. A storm she tries to tame.

  She has the urge to pour her milkshake on his head for what he did to her at the end of high school. He let everyone believes she was a joke. Instead, she decides she’ll remain cold and calculated. She’ll make sure that when she’s promoted again and gets to leave town, she will be known as the most successful of their classmates. Her bullies will regret being mean to her.

  She places her credit card on the counter, and the waitress picks it up. Hailey is still within earshot of Jimmy, who is talking and laughing with his friend. The girl swipes her card and glances down at it, before saying, “Thank you, Hailey.”

  Hailey freezes when she hears her name. She can sense Jimmy looking in her direction.

  Shoes squeak on the floor, drawing nearer to her. Then she hears, “Hailey is that you?”

  She swallows, attempting to bury her anger before she turns to him with a blank face. She slowly looks at him as if trying to place his face, feigning a calm she doesn’t feel. In her mind, she’s disappointed. He looks even better than he did in high school, and she was hoping for quite the opposite.

  “Jimmy. Hi,” she deadpans. She doesn’t want to have a conversation with him, so she doesn’t ask him a single question.

  Jimmy, however, appears excited. “I didn’t know you were back! It’s great to see you.” He seems genuinely happy to see her. It stabs her in the heart.

  She replies in curtly, “I’ve been assigned to a management position here for now.” She makes sure to point out that she is in charge, and that her status is temporary as a town resident. She tries to make it look as though she is doing the town a favor by accepting the role.

  “Wait,” he says. “I was just assigned to a new company with a temp agency. It’s not Loan Plus, is it?”

  Hailey’s stomach does a full somersault and backflip when she hears this, but then her heart turns to steel, realizing this will be the perfect way to get back at him.

  She is going to be his boss.

  Jimmy is still beaming. “I barely recognized you! You look great!”

  Hailey forces herself to remain emotionless. “It is Loans Plus. Looks like I’ll be your new boss.”

  Jimmy claps his hands. “Awesome.”

  Hailey doesn’t know how to respond to his enthusiasm. “Well, I have to be there early tomorrow morning to make sure it’s all set up. The phones and computers need to be online, so we can actually make money.”

  Jimmy’s face falls when Hailey doesn’t reciprocate his excitement about being paired up to work in the same office.

  “Let’s hope everyone is ready to work hard,” she adds.

  Jimmy gives a half-smile as he processes that Hailey’s indifference to him. Hailey finally takes her card, grabs one more French fry before getting up and walking out without another word.

  Jimmy is left standing staring after her. He is full of emotions. He feels a sense of hope that he may be able to win back his one true love, but he is also guilty about how things ended. He senses a lot of buried emotions in Hailey and wonders if she’s married. Does she even think about him at all? He hurries home to find his best suit and irons it carefully, wanting to show up looking professional the next day.

  ***

  Hailey gets in her car, her heart racing. She’s annoyed she wasn’t able to prepare what she was going to say before running into Jimmy. She’s consumed by the same rage she felt when she left the town more than four years before.

  Hailey realizes that Jimmy is going to see her car in the driveway at home, and she feels like she needs to make major upgrades to the outside o
f the house, so she doesn’t feel inadequate when she pulls up. The painters and landscapers spent the day working on it, and when she drives up, it already looks better.

  She goes inside and crawls into bed, feeling no sense of home or warmth in the place that she grew up.

  Jimmy noticed Hailey’s car in the driveway when he got home. He’s sitting in his room and feels a surge of hope now that they are living across the street from each other again.

  He remembers their time in the treehouse together and how he would bring her coffee in the morning just to see her during their high school year. He now feels a renewed sense of motivation that he could get Hailey back. He’s determined to show her he cares, planning to bring her a breakfast sandwich and coffee in the morning. He remembers how much she likes bacon in her sandwiches and is grateful he has so many years of friendship that he can pull from to prove he cares.

  He starts to visualize bringing her flowers, popping into her office with her favorite candy, and inviting her to the movies after work.

  He’s determined to break down her defensiveness. He knows somewhere underneath that wall she has put up is the same best friend he grew up with.

  ***

  Hailey turns on the light in her bedroom and reaches for a piece of paper. She quickly jots down a list of tasks for the new hires that will help get the office running as quickly as possible. After she turns off the light, she closes her eyes but can’t fall asleep – as usual.

  She flips the light back on, reaching for her sleeping medication. It’s the only thing that allows her to get even a few hours of sleep. She drops back onto her pillow, counting backwards from one hundred, as she’s done for years.

  She starts to picture making Jimmy’s life a living hell. She imagines asking him to do things over and over, giving him the most mundane jobs, making him do all the heavy lifting, and of course never condoning him for a job well done. She will make him feel like the small and insignificant person he is by telling him he is not doing enough, he’s doing a poor job, and that he is falling behind.