One More Chance Page 3

  The kid replies, “You got this, man.”

  Jimmy hands him some cash. “Thanks, man.”

  Jimmy walks away with a renewed sense of encouragement and arrives at the office early. He sees that Hailey’s office light is on and notices a new stack of papers on his desk – along with the ones from yesterday.

  He sits down and starts working while he waits for Hailey to come out to offer her coffee. At exactly nine, Hailey walks into the room. “That is your desk from now on.” She points to a rinky-dink desk in the corner next to the fax machine with a little chair.

  Jimmy smiles. “Good morning, I brought coffee!” He decides to play her game, getting up without hesitation and dropping his papers on the little desk, acting like he is totally comfortable.

  Hailey looks irritated that he so willingly accepted her odd demands and grabs one of the coffees. She starts writing the day’s goals on the board.

  Jimmy leans back in his rusty chair and peeks at the remaining coffees. “So, you like lattes?”

  Hailey doesn’t answer him and continues to write furiously on the board.

  Jimmy struggles to keep his words from coming out. “Still mad at me, huh?”

  Hailey doesn’t respond.

  “I get that. I hope you’ll forgive me one day.”

  He sees Hailey pause as if she is going to say something, but then she keeps writing. Jimmy decides not to push it and gets to work at his miniature desk, trying not to lean his weight on it and break it.

  ***

  Hailey looks at the clock which now reads three minutes past nine. She glares at the empty desks and huffs an audible sigh. The office door slams shut and she sits down waiting for the others to arrive.

  At five past the hour, she hears the door open, and the other employees stroll in chatting and laughing with coffees in their hands. Hailey crosses her arms and mutters to herself, “Small towns.”

  They suddenly stop and see her scowl, quickly sitting at their desks to try and appear busy.

  “You get from life what you put into life. If you aren’t going to find yourself here on time, I will find people who are able to accomplish that very easy task. Most of you have experience, and I expect you to be able to be professional.” Hailey points to the board. “Your goal for the day is on the board. I need you to work as a team to get it all done. I’m sorry that Jimmy is probably going to slow you down and create extra work for you because he is not that bright, but I must emphasize that if one of you fails, everyone fails.”

  She feels a little better having thrown another insult at Jimmy. She’s getting better at this. When she walks back to her office, she is satisfied.

  ***

  Jimmy grins, knowing he will break her down with his good energy. He works quickly and helps take some of the workload from the others. He knocks on Hailey’s door in the afternoon and announces, “We finished.”

  Hailey looks surprised and then points to the stack of papers on the corner of her desk. “Take ten more.”

  He stands there. “This is kind of fun. Working with you as my boss.”

  Hailey glares in his direction. “There better not be errors.”

  Jimmy smiles and takes ten more sheets from the stack. “Hey there’s this new restaurant in town that’s really good. You want to go there after work?”

  Hailey stops thinking. “Sure,” she replies with a smug smile. She’s going to stand him up and leave him feeling like a fool after getting his hopes up.

  Jimmy’s eyebrows shoot up. “Great! It’s called Gary’s.”

  Hailey gives him a fake smirk, which transitions into a real smile when she realizes how bad he’s going to feel when he sits there like a fool by himself. Jimmy practically skips out of her office, feeling like he’s finally broken through Hailey’s wall.

  Little does he know Hailey is just getting started with her plan to destroy his self-esteem. But for now, she is going to launch the next part of her plan. Theresa. She’s been thinking for a long time about how she’ll befriend Theresa. She’ll get Theresa to think Jimmy likes her again, but then will convince her he’s fallen for Hailey instead. It is the ultimate payback for how Theresa ruined her chance at a relationship with Jimmy. Hailey uses her anonymous social media account to figure out where she can ‘accidentally’ run into Theresa and become her fake best friend.

  Chapter 3: Sweet Revenge

  Hailey sits at her desk, searching through posts from Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend. Theresa has two major marks against Hailey. First is how terribly Theresa treated Hailey at the diner before Hailey poured a milkshake on her. Theresa humiliated her in front of everyone, forcing Hailey to do what she did. Hailey still feels what she did was both hilarious and justified.

  Next is Theresa’s heartless act of jealousy, making Hailey appear used by Jimmy. Theresa was behind a viral video of Jimmy kissing Hailey, telling everyone Jimmy was just using Hailey to help him pass his classes.

  Unfortunately, Hailey isn’t even aware of the third mark against Theresa. She blackmailed Jimmy with the college essays. Theresa knew both Jimmy and Hailey wouldn’t be able to keep their scholarships if she revealed Hailey had written Jimmy’s entrance essays. Jimmy never admitted to their friends he wasn’t using Hailey. Therefore, their friendship was ruined, leaving Hailey with no friends and a tarnished reputation.

  Hailey vowed to get back at Theresa for taking away her friendship with Jimmy and making her feel so small in high school. Hailey knows that Jimmy broke up with Theresa, so she probably still has residual feelings that could be fired up if Theresa thinks that Jimmy still likes her.

  Hailey hovers over one photo where Theresa is wearing a shirt with a company logo on it. She zooms in on the image and researches up the company name. It looks like the company is located in an office building next to the mall, so Hailey assumes Theresa goes to the food court for lunch breaks.

  Hailey decides to position herself at the food court to “accidentally” run into Theresa. She concocts a plan to tell Theresa that Jimmy won’t stop talking about her at work, and that he wants to meet her at Gary’s after work. Hailey completes her managerial tasks and heads over to the mall to hatch her plan.

  Hailey pulls up to the mall and realizes that she has only been here twice. Once to get part of her outfit for a school dance and once to buy Jimmy a birthday present. She didn’t have very much money growing up, and when she started working, all of that money went to cover the rent her mom wouldn’t pay.

  The rest of her peers would often talk about hanging out at the mall and sitting in the parking lot, and missing out made her even more resentful. Hailey peeks in the mirror, wondering if some people are just born lucky.

  She strides into the mall in her heels and business clothes, feeling like a high powered executive. Her hair and makeup are flawless, and she knows she looks good. She grabs a chicken salad and sits in the food court, where she can see everyone. She eats, keeping her eyes on the entrance and waiting to spring into action to befriend her arch enemy.

  She sees Theresa come in. She’s alone. Hailey tosses her salad in the trash and walks toward the entrance. Once she’s ten feet from Theresa, she gushes, “Theresa?! Oh my goodness! It’s so good to see you!” Hailey beams and goes the extra mile, giving her a hug.

  Theresa looks at her with a blank look.

  “It’s Hailey.”

  Theresa’s face shifts as she recognizes Hailey. She seems surprised that Hailey is so happy to see her, but she tries to be nice. “Wow, I didn’t recognize you. You look great, girl!”

  Hailey puts her hand on Theresa’s arm. “So I’m managing an office where Jimmy is a temp, and he will not stop talking about you. It’s so funny that I ran into you.”

  Theresa’s eyes seem to light up when Hailey says this. Theresa looks significantly older than she did in high school and hasn’t taken care of herself. Hailey can tell Theresa is not nearly as confident as she was in high school.

  Hailey adds, “I don’t know if you’re sing
le, but you guys should totally get back together.”

  Theresa blinks. “I thought you liked him.”

  Hailey shakes her head. “No, he’s like a brother to me. He’s the best, but not my type at all, girl. Don’t you guys ever run into each other? I mean it’s a small town.”

  “I didn’t even know he was back. I don’t even have his number anymore.”

  “Well I hope you do get together soon, because then maybe he will stop talking about how he wants to get you back and actually get some work done. Hey, let me get your number. We should totally hang out.”

  Theresa looks a little surprised. “Oh, yeah sure.”

  Theresa puts her number in Hailey’s phone, and Hailey smiles as she says, “So great to see you!”

  Theresa, looking a little dumbfounded, replies, “You, too,” as Hailey strides away looking bubbly.

  Hailey gets into her car and feels a rush of adrenaline. Many years of planning are finally coming to fruition. She can’t wait to make both of them feel ridiculous, just like they made her feel years ago.

  When she gets back to the office, she notices Jimmy working diligently at his desk. He flashes her a large grin, but Hailey keeps a straight face. “Are you writing neatly?”

  He shows her the paper he’s working on. “It’s not great,” she says. His face drops as she turns and goes into her office. She’s determined to browbeat him until he quits. Once she knows she’s humiliated him, she can move on with her life and career.

  She sends a quick message to Theresa saying Jimmy wants to meet her at Gary’s, the new restaurant in town, after work. Theresa responds, “Oh yeah, I can do that.”

  “Don’t worry, you looked great!” Hailey almost wants to spy on them tonight as they have this awkward encounter, but decides to let them humiliate themselves as they walk right into her trap. After a quick walk to the coffee station, she pours herself a cup of coffee. She actually needs to get some work done before the day’s end.

  ***

  Hailey collects the completed work from everyone at the end of the day, announcing that she has to run to the bank. She asks them to lock up on their way out. Jimmy is beaming, but Hailey doesn’t look his way. Jimmy thinks Hailey is just trying to be professional, and that she is secretly hiding her excitement about meeting after work.

  After Hailey leaves the office, he goes to the bathroom to fix his hair and freshen his breath with his travel toothbrush. He looks in the mirror, excited that after all these years, he’s finally going to be able to start a relationship with Hailey and put the past behind them. When he walks back to his little desk, he gazed at it, shaking his head with a smile. Hailey has just been messing with him to flirt with him. He shuts down his computer and says goodbye to the ladies who are still staring at him.

  Driving to the restaurant, he sees a flower stand and decides to stop and buy some flowers for Hailey.

  Jimmy pulls up to Gary’s. Carrying the flowers, he confidently strides in and asks for a table for two. He sits down and wonders if he should order a bottle of wine and appetizers to surprise Hailey. When the waiter comes over, he orders wine and fried calamari.

  He pours the water from the fancy jar on the table and waits for Hailey to join him. After a few minutes, the waiter returns, pours the wine, and delivers their appetizer. Jimmy continues to wait, wondering if Hailey had trouble at the bank. Perhaps should call her. But he must not have the right number though, as his calls wouldn’t go through once she left for college, and she never returned his texts.

  He pushes back the sadness in his heart from the years of wondering why she never reached out or responded to him. He swallows, knowing she was so hurt after what happened. Just as he reaches for his phone, he hears someone say his name.

  “Jimmy?”

  He turns and sees Theresa. It catches him off guard. “Theresa.”

  “How are you?”

  Nerves start eating at Jimmy, as he wonders if Hailey is about to walk up, see Theresa, and get cold feet. “Good good. Umm, you?”

  Theresa smiles and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I was glad to hear you came back to town.”

  Jimmy shifts uncomfortably as he stands. Theresa glances at the table, seeing the wine and flowers. She smiles.

  “It’s good to be back.”

  Theresa sits down at the table. “I was so glad you wanted to get together.”

  Frowning, Jimmy tries to figure out what she is talking about. Jimmy knows he needs to get Theresa out of the chair or Hailey is going to walk up and think he was playing a stupid prank on her.

  “It’s so funny that Hailey is the one that helped us finally meet up.”

  Jimmy looks at her with a blank face. Then it hits him. Hailey has set them up, and she intentionally sent them both to the restaurant.

  Jimmy clears his throat trying to figure out what to say. He quickly comes up with a story. “You know what, I started feeling queasy about an hour ago, and I’m worried I’m coming down with something. If it’s contagious, I wouldn’t want to get you sick. My stomach feels terrible.”

  Theresa now looks surprised, as Jimmy holds his stomach and grimaces. “Oh no. There is that stomach bug going around.”

  “Yeah I think I need to go home and lay down or something. Sorry.”

  “You sure you don’t need to go to the doctor?”

  He sighs and says, “If it gets any worse, I will for sure. Good idea.” Jimmy motions to the waiter, and when the man comes over he explains, “I’m sorry, I need to cash out. I’m not feeling well.”

  The waiter looks at him suspiciously but goes to get the check.

  “Did you eat any of that calamari? I wonder if it’s bad,” Theresa comments.

  Jimmy groans as if his stomach is punching him. “Oh, I did. Hopefully, this isn’t food poisoning.”

  Jimmy signs the check and rushes out. “Thanks for understanding.” He climbs into his car and pulls out quickly. As he drives home he thinks about how angry Hailey must still be over what happened. He really underestimated the damage he caused her emotionally if she is willing to stoop to setting him up with his ex. He is more determined than ever to finish the treehouse and make it more special. He tells himself not to give in to Hailey’s pressure and that she is just acting out because of pain. Deep down, he believes she still loves him. Jimmy notices Hailey’s car in her driveway as he pulls up to his house. He goes straight to his backyard and begins putting up the frame of the treehouse. Jimmy spends the rest of the night thinking about how to right his wrongs as he installs the floor and walls.

  ***

  Hailey sits in her kitchen, eating off of the same dishes from when she was a child, and although she has good memories of being a kid, it seems the bad ones keep flooding her mind every time she sees something from her past. Hailey searches online for a new set of dishes as she finishes her food. She orders a set that has ‘next day delivery.’ She glances at the walls, realizing the old yellow color is smoked-stained. It reminds her of her mother, which doesn’t bring her happy memories.

  She gets up and finds the paint she bought at the store and begins painting over the living room walls with white. It seems as though she’s giving herself a sort of healing as she does this. She flips on some rock music and cracks open a beer to get her in the painting mood.

  Hailey is scared that she will become like her mother and drink too much, but these days, it seems to call to her to help take the edge off. As Hailey paints, she wonders if she can drink without losing control. College has left her with a strong urge to drink as it was such a big part of the campus culture. She tells herself as long as she stays focused on her goals and doesn’t let her drinking get out of hand, she deserves to relax.

  She feels her unsettledness lives deeper than her decision to drink or not. It’s the relationships in her life – not the booze – that are causing issues. She still blames three people for her unhappiness and cannot let it go. Her mother who failed her in every way, Jimmy who broke her heart, and Ther
esa who pushed her over the edge by making her the subject of scorn.

  Broken hearts can take years to heal and when we emerge again back into the world, we never really know how that world will look compared to before the breaking. Hailey’s world is consumed with this idea that if she makes each person feel bad about what they did, she’ll be free of the pain the memories bring. She’s lost hope that there is an inherent goodness in people, as she once had when she was drawn to superheroes. Those superheroes were the antithesis of her mother, who was selfish and sloppy.

  Hailey finishes one wall and realizes she needs to get some sleep. She stands back and examines the living room. Now that she has started its facelift, she’s starting to feel a little bit better.

  As she’s falling asleep, she remembers painting the treehouse’s walls with Jimmy and getting in a paint fight. That was a day full of laughter and happiness. Back then, she had someone to look forward to spending her time with. She wonders if she’ll ever find that feeling again.

  ***

  The next morning, Hailey wakes up to a knock on her door. She gets up slowly and puts on a bathrobe. She opens the door, but no one’s there. When she looks down, she sees a breakfast bag and a coffee. Next to it is a DVD of The Avengers. She picks up the movie and flips it over. She used to play superheroes in the treehouse, using sticks as weapons.

  Her anger spikes, and she throws the DVD in the trash.

  She applies her makeup and does her hair, her attempt at appearing as someone who has her shit together. She tells herself to remain focused on making money and getting promoted. As she brushes her teeth she thinks about how nice Jimmy has been to her.

  When she realizes he has feelings for her romantically, it hits her. She can use that to get her sweet revenge.

  She’ll make him jealous by openly talking about dating other people at the office. She quickly downloads a dating app and uploads a photo before heading out. She knows the chatty women will love to hear about her dates, and Jimmy will be forced to listen. Hurting him is what Hailey needs for herself to heal.