A/N: Hi everyone! I know I have two other stories already in the process, but I just got this new idea that I couldn't refuse. I had to write it out or I'd lose it for good. So I wrote it. I have a couple chapters already written so I'll be posting more often. This is a lighter story. It's supposed to be funny so hopefully you'll think it's funny haha. This has nothing to do with the series "Pretty Little Liars". I just liked the title so I used it without the "s" on Liars haha. So tell me what you think! I can't wait to see what you all think!Love you!
-Annie.
Taking a little hiatus from "Steadfast" to write this. I lose inspiration fast when I jump from one story to another for chapters. But I'm not stopping it so don't worry readers. :)
Chapter 1. "Lie One".
"Haley, hold the light a little bit higher," the photographer ordered as Haley lifted the light above the model. She had been holding the cheap piece of equipment for an hour straight without any rest. The studio wasn't able to afford a light stand so they had to settle with just the top piece. Her arms were beginning to weaken, but she had to deal with it in order to get a good paycheck. Haley had been working at Kirk's Photography for several months now. It was a small rinky dink studio in her hometown of Tree Hill. She really wanted to work in a fancier studio in the city, but she couldn't afford that with the little money that she had.
"I said higher Haley!" Kirk called out louder, peeking from behind his camera. He wasn't one of the kindest people on Earth. He hired Haley only because of her good looks. He thought it would help promote his studio if he only had beautiful people working for him. Even if Haley was a natural beauty, he treated her like dirt – maybe even worse than dirt. And Haley hated it. Some days she even thought of quitting and working in food service, but it was the only job closest to her dream. She can't become an aspiring photographer if she worked at a clothing store or restaurant.
Haley lifted the light a little bit higher for Kirk and winced at the pain that was developing in her shoulders.
"Kirk, how long am I going to be doing this?" she asked. "Don't you have enough photos for this yet?" she looked down at the model that Kirk had been focusing on for the past hour. It was his niece, Clara. She was here for her senior pictures and she had the same picky personality as Kirk. Haley never thought it would take hours for a picture to be taken at the same location.
"What did you just ask me?" he replied, pausing from the camera. Haley noticed the immediate warning in his tone and knew what was coming. "I'm here working on creating perfect photos for my niece, Clara, and you're rushing me?"
"I'm not rushing you, Kirk. My arms are just hurting, that's all," she replied.
"No pain, no gain," the blonde brat stated. Haley glared down at her and thought about dropping the light on top of her head, but resisted.
"That is right, Clara. No pain, no gain," he said. "If you can't deal with the pain and struggles of becoming a professional photographer, Haley, then you won't be receiving your paycheck. And I know you really need the money for your rent and bills."
Haley sighed at the truth in his words. She was behind on her payments and bills. She was even behind on paying her student loans. And her job at the studio wasn't really helping her out at all. Kirk barely paid her minimum wage. She was also late on her electricity and water bill. She couldn't even afford to buy herself dinner because of how small her paychecks have been. But money is money, and it at least helped pay for some of it.
"I really do need it," she mumbled.
"Then hold that light a little bit longer," Kirk ordered, returning back behind the camera.
Clara continued posing in awkward positions on a rotted chair. Haley rolled her eyes at the sight of the teenager moving around like she was on a Maxim photo shoot. It was an awful sight to see that girl these days wanted to grow up so fast. What's wrong with being young and innocent?
After taking about fifty more random shots, Haley felt her arms cramping. She winced at the pain in her shoulders and triceps. She could feel her muscles straining when she tried to keep the light up.
"Haley, hold it tighter," Kirk ordered, flash after flash.
"I'm trying, but my arms are giving out," she stated through her teeth.
"Then don't let them give out."
"Kirk, it's really hard to do that . . . when . . . I've been trying to hold my strength for an hour and a half," she replied, as her arms suddenly started to quiver.
"I can't deal with the light moving up and down like that," he complained.
"I can't hold . . . it . . . any . . . longer." Soon enough the light slipped from her hands and it crashed down on the tiled floor. Glass and plastic shattered all over the ground creating a glittery effect beside their feet.
"Haley!" Kirk cried out.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized, kneeling down to pick up the mess. "I told you I couldn't hold it any longer."
"You told me so?"
Haley gathered a couple of pieces in her hand and looked up when she heard the tone in his voice.
"I told you to keep holding up the light, but instead, you dropped it."
"It was an accident, Kirk. My arms gave out, but I'll take the blame for that."
"That's coming from your pay check."
"What!" Haley gasped, dropping the pieces from her hands back on the floor. "You can't do that. I have to pay my rent tomorrow. This light cost like half of my paycheck."
"Then that's too bad," he pouted without a tinge of sympathy.
"Too bad!" Haley cried out. "Do you have any idea how hard it is keep working in this crappy studio and paying my bills with your paychecks?"
Kirk folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes at Haley's little rant. "This is not a crappy studio."
"You are working with a human light stand because you couldn't afford the real one! You're back drop is your table cloth! You don't pay me enough especially when I let you treat me like shit and go on errands for you! And you're not even a good photographer!"
"That's it! You're not getting a paycheck at all!" Kirk cried out.
When he said those words, she thought about taking back everything that she had said, but she respected herself way too much to do that.
"FINE! I don't care about my stupid paycheck anyways because I'm quitting."
"Wait a second. What about the rest of my senior pictures?
We're not done," Clara stated. Worry was written all over her face when she realized that her precious photos weren't going to be picture perfect anymore.
"Then that sucks for you," Haley stated. "I'm heading out. I've had enough of this place." She carefully stepped over the broken pieces of glass, grabbed her purse and headed towards the exit.
"You have to pay for the light!" Kirk called out without looking at her.
"You can use my paycheck since I no longer need it," she answered. She kicked the door open and said her last goodbye. As soon as she stepped out of that studio, the sun quickly hit her face and a gust of wind blew past her.
She started walking down to her car when unpleasant thoughts started to develop in her mind. As she pulled out her keys from her purse, her wallet caught her eye. And immediately, she realized that she had just quit her job and there was no way of paying her rent or bills by tomorrow.
"Way to go, Haley," she thought. "You just quit your crappy job and you can't find fast cash in a day. You're a broke woman. BROKE AND JOBLESS!"
She climbed into her car and started her engine. Before she headed out, she looked through her purse and pulled out her wallet. Inside she had about sixty dollars and change. That was good enough for a small trip to the store and gas. She groaned and shoved her wallet back in her purse. She closed her eyes and tried to take in calming breaths to keep herself from stressing or worrying about tomorrow.
"UGH!" She slammed her hand against the wheel and jetted out of the Kirk's Photography parking lot.
Latest Gossip! It's been rumored that model/actress, Rachel Gatina, is dating a mega millionaire. He's supposedly an heir of a luxury hotel/resort chain along the west coast. Who could this mystery man be? Could he be a perfect match for one of America's hottest starlets? We'll have to find out soon.
"Have you seen this, sir?" his assistant asked, handing him one of the gossip magazines.
Nathan stopped scanning the documents on his desk and grabbed the magazine. He read it line by line and closed it before looking back up at Emily.
"Is this new?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. It's today's issue," she answered.
"I see," he began, glancing back at the magazine.
"I don't think your father would be happy about you becoming a celebrity scandal, Nathan," Emily stated.
"This is not going to turn into a scandal as long as nothing is revealed," he explained, picking up the magazine and handing it back to her. "We have nothing to worry about."
Nathan Scott was the heir of The Regalien chain of hotels/resorts in the west coast. He became a respected and hardworking director of the business two years ago when he turned twenty five. Since his father moved up from director to president after their grandfather's death, Nathan had been working twice as hard to keep the company stable. His office was stationed in Charlotte because it was closer to home. While Nathan was working extremely hard, his father was traveling around the world in hopes to create a new resort in Asia or Europe. It was his grandfather's upcoming project before he died of a heart attack. It took a toll on the family, but they've been coping with it.
Nathan was a very handsome, young man. He was acquainted with all kinds of people because of his career. Women wanted him while men envied him. But Rachel Gatina was the only girl who caught his eye a couple of years ago when she came in to visit the hotel. She had a photoshoot downtown and Nathan took care of all the cameras and paparazzi that surrounded her. No one was allowed to enter the hotel and resort if they didn't book a room. Even if they did book a room, he made sure security took care of any suspicious person that appeared on The Regalien grounds. She was just starting out as a model so it wasn't that hard to keep all the cameras away. They became instant friends and maybe more. But in truth, it was only a one-sided crush. Nathan admired Rachel because of her elegance and poise, and her classy personality. Rachel, on the other hand, only saw him as a close friend rather than a lover. But she found something special in him that made her want to keep him really close. Now that she's Hollywood's newest starlet, she kept their friendship under the radar.
"Let's hope this article doesn't become a problem," Emily stated.
"It won't," Nathan answered, without looking up. He continued making notes on all the documents on his desk and stopped to glance at his watch. "Is my four o' clock meeting still on the schedule?"
"Yes, sir, and then after that you have dinner with your mother," she replied.
"Okay, thank you Emily," he answered. "Before you leave, can you bring me the documents for next week?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded and walked out of his office for a few minutes and returned with the papers in hand.
When his assistant left again, Nathan placed his documents to the side and looked at his agenda book. He scanned the dates for next week and looked at the one that was circled multiple times. Rachel's Birthday! It was coming up soon and he already knew what he was going to get her.
Haley spent the rest of the day sitting in her car in front of her apartment while looking at her phone. She had her father's number dialed and ready to use, but she hesitated. She wasn't going to call him after so many years of silence especially when she was in trouble. Her father had enough money to support her, but calling him would only mean that she couldn't support herself.
"This is stupid, Haley," she whispered to herself. "What am I going to do?" She groaned and glanced up at her apartment and the office building where her landlord sat.
What if I tell him that I'm dying of a deadly illness and can't pay my rent for now? He could postpone my deadline until I'm ready to pay. I could find a decent paying job and pay the rest of my payment and I'll be a happy camper! But how can I make that believable? I'm not really sick and he'd probably need proof. Yet, Mr. Chancelor isn't that smart, so he probably won't even ask for a hospital bill. Goodness. This is so frustrating.
"HEY!" She jumped in her seat when she heard the sound of someone knocking on her car window. She turned to her window and found her best friend, Brooke standing outside of her car. She was holding a plastic bag with containers inside. Haley rolled down the window so that Brooke's face became clear.
"What were you doing just sitting in your car?" she asked. "You looked like you're about to shoot laser beams with those eyes," she stated.
"I was just thinking about stuff," she answered, sighing.
"Are you dying? Let me feel your head." Brooke leaned in to touch Haley's forehead with the back of her hand. "You're not even hot."
Haley pushed her hand away from her and said, "I'm not dying, Brooke. I am broke." Brooke pulled her hand back to her side and looked at Haley curiously.
"Well then ask that jerk, Kirk, for a raise. I'm sure he'll give it to you," she suggested.
"I can't because I just quit my job earlier this morning."
"You what!" Brooke cried out, her eyes wide. "You quit your job this morning? Why didn't you call me?"
"I don't know," Haley replied, leaning forward and resting her face against the steering wheel. "I was too caught up with my thoughts that i forgot. I've been trying to find a way to get quick cash before tomorrow," she mumbled.
"Why by tomorrow?"
"That's when my rent is due," Haley answered. "And if I don't get enough money to pay for my rent, I will be homeless. I don't even have a job to support myself. My father is going to kill me or say 'I told you so' if he finds out about this."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Haley," Brooke stated. She opened the door for her and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I brought you food from my mother's house. Let's go inside your apartment and we can talk about this."
"No, I can't go inside that place. It doesn't belong to me anymore," Haley pouted as Brooke forced her out the car.
"Get your ass out of the car and eat something," Brooke ordered, finally pulling Haley out. She grabbed her purse on the passenger's seat and turned off the car.
"Brooke, I don't have an appetite," Haley moaned as they both started walking up the stairs to her apartment. As soon as Haley thought about food, her eyes widened. "I don't even have money to buy my own food. I'm going to be a homeless anorexic!"
"Oh stop it!. You still have friends to feed you and you still have a roof above your head," Brooke stated as they finally found their way in front of her apartment. Haley grabbed her keys out of her purse and opened the door.
"This roof will no longer be above my head by tomorrow," Haley stated as they both walked inside. Brooke shook her head and placed the plastic bag of food on the counter.
She started pulling out the containers and grabbed a few utensils from the drawers. While Brooke was preparing their little meal, Haley laid herself across her comfy couch and started thinking about all the good times that happened in that very living room.
"Do you remember when I gave you a baby shower in this room?" Haley asked as she started scanning the room and picturing all the guests and gifts that occupied the place.
"Yes, I remember," Brooke answered as she grabbed two bottles from the fridge. "It was the best baby shower I've ever had."
"It was the only baby shower you ever had," Haley mumbled.
"Hopefully it won't be the last," Brooke smiled as she handed Haley a water bottle and brought the food to the coffee table. "My mom made us fettuccini alfredo. It's the best, so eat up."
"I told you, I don't have an appetite," Haley stated as she looked at the food that was laid before her. Her mouth started to water at the sight.
"Stop lying. I know you can't refuse food. You eat for a family of ten," Brooke stated as she poked her fork into her pasta.
Brooke was right. Haley was always hungry and when she's hungry, she ate like a monster. It made Brooke jealous that Haley could eat so much and not gain an ounce of weight on her tiny little frame. Food was a weakness for Haley. The mention of food brightened up her day in a snap.
"Fine," Haley mumbled, sitting up from the couch and grabbing the fork.
"So, what kind of ideas were you thinking about in your car?" Brooke asked as she put a fork full of pasta into her mouth.
Haley did the same thing and started slurping the noodles in her mouth. Her best friend could tell that the pasta had lifted Haley's spirits a little bit.
"I was thinking about telling Chancelor that I had a deadly illness."
"A deadly illness? And how will that work?" Brooke asked, unimpressed as she watched her friend attack her pasta.
"Well I didn't say it was a good idea, but if I do tell him then maybe he will give me some sympathy and postpone my deadline. So then I'll have time to find enough money to pay my rent."
"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work." Brooke looked down at Haley's plate and noticed how it was almost finished. "Maybe you could find a food eating contest you could enter and win cash," she joked.
"Ha ha," Haley replied. "If the prize was a thousand bucks then maybe so, but there are no fairs going on right now."
"You could always move out and stay with me for a while. I could help you until you find a decent job and living space," Brooke suggested. Haley swallowed the last of the pasta and shook her head at Brooke's offer.
"No, I can't do that. You have a little girl to take care of. And I know that Lucas is a hassle to deal with too. If I stay in your house, I'll only be another burden you have to deal with. But thanks for the offer," Haley smiled.
"Are you sure? I mean you are my best friend and you're dealing with something serious here, Hales. Just stay with me for a while until you find money," Brooke stated.
"I'm so thankful for a friend like you, Brooke," Haley started as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But this is my fault and it's my responsibility to take care of it. I'm twenty six years old and I need to learn how to fix my problems on my own. I moved out of my father's house because that's what I wanted to do and now my wish came true."
"That's it!" Brooke cried out. "Call your father and ask him to lend you enough money to pay rent."
"NO!"
"And why not? Your dad has a fortune and I'm pretty sure he'd be considerate enough to help his own daughter. I'm sick of seeing you struggle with money. "
"No, Brooke. I am not going to ask him for money. I walked out on him because I wanted to live a better life and live on my own. If he finds out that I failed, then he will never look at me the same way. I'd be just a joke to him."
"No you won't," Brooke stated. "It's been five years since you've seen your father. Why can't you move on from your quarrel and reconcile with him. You need his help."
"That's a no, I'm not asking for any money from him. I'm going to find a way to get money on my own. Even if it gets dirty, I'll be able to say that I gained it myself."
Brooke started shaking her head at her best friend's attitude. For as long as Brooke knew Haley, she was always the independent type. She always stood up for herself and refused to take the easy road out. Even if it hurt Brooke to see Haley cross a few difficult paths, she knew that her best friend could take care of herself. But she didn't want Haley to live that way. She deserved better, but it made sense that she wanted to prove something to her father. Her father was never the answer to her problems, but Brooke really thought Haley should ask him for help this time. She's been through rent and bill problems before, but she got through them by working different jobs. Then Kirk created his studio in town and Haley immediately grabbed a job from there. Brooke hated the fact that her best friend worked there for so long for so little. And it limited Haley's way of life.
"You're making this really hard for yourself, Haley."
"It's life, you have to deal with your own karma," Haley replied, taking a sip from her water bottle. "But you know that even if I pout and moan at times like these, I always find a way to resolve them."
"Please, oh please, don't think of being a prostitute to help you with your issues."
"UH NO! I'm not that kind of girl, but if it has to happen, I just might do it."
"Oh don't you dare," Brooke ordered. "If I see you rocking some red stilettos, net leggings, and a leather skirt, I'm going to kill you!"
Haley busted out into laughter and patted her best friend's back. "Don't worry. I will not stoop that low to get fast cash. I'm a good liar, so I'll figure out away."
"I'm crossing my fingers," Brooke stated.
"Thank you for your suggestions, team. We'll start making negotiations by next week," Nathan stated as he gathered all the papers into his Manila folder. "That would be it for today. I hope everyone has a nice evening."
He had been sitting in that room with people double his age for an hour and a half. It was hard to believe that someone his age was taking over the director position of the business. It was his duty for the family to work for the hotel/resort that started their fortune. He had no other goals but to be a head leader in the family business. While guys his age were still climbing up the ladder to become celebrity athletes or musicians and applying for jobs, he's already making a fortune by managing multiple hotels and resorts.
As soon as everyone left the room, his phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and noticed that it was his mother calling. He glanced at his watch and realized that he was thirty minutes late for their dinner down in the hotel restaurant.
"Mother," he answered. "I'm sorry. The meeting lasted a little bit longer than I thought. I hope you didn't wait too long."
"No sweetie, it's fine. I just arrived actually," she answered.
"Okay, I'll be there really soon. I just have to put up my documents and I'll be there ASAP."
"Hurry, I have something special to tell you."
"I'm on it." He hung up and gathered his belongings and rushed back into his office. As he was putting his files back into their proper place on his desk, he opened his drawer and made sure his present for Rachel was still inside. He smiled at the sight of the box and closed the drawer.
Brooke drove back home and left Haley alone in her apartment thinking of ideas to escape her little ordeal. She spent an hour searching through her house for spare change and missing dollars. She found about five bucks of quarters under her couch and a twenty dollar bill that she left in her jeans. It was soaked and faded though, but it was still useable. She even emptied out all her purses. It was full of spare dimes and nickels. Not nearly enough to pay a piece of the bathroom.
She laid out all the money on her bed and counted them carefully. Haley even had a notebook and calculator to see how much money she needed to fill her needs.
"I have eighty nine dollars and fifty four cents," she mumbled. She started typing in the amount of money she owed the landlord and subtracted the money she had from it. "All I need is $660.46 for rent, a couple thousands for my college loans, and a few more hundreds to pay for my electricity bill and water bill – which I still haven't paid," she stated. "What is the due date on those?" She jumped off her bed and searched for the envelopes on her kitchen counter.
"Got it!" she cried out, as she was opening up the electricity bill the lights turned off and her heart dropped. "It was due this morning," she whispered. "Damn it! Could this day get any worse than it is?"
She threw the paper down on the ground and turned to the living room and found a picture of her parents on the side table. Her father's face only tempted her to call him, but she wasn't going to do that. Her father was a successful and famous photographer who resided in New York City. Everyone would try anything to get him to take their picture because of his certain style. It was unique and creative. But the only way to get a photo shoot with him was if he offered it. If anybody was lucky enough to get an offer from Jimmy James, their reputation would immediately rise. Haley wanted to follow in his footsteps, but their relationship changed over time. Things just weren't working out between them and she walked out. She was tired of being locked up in her house because of his selfish reasons.
She groaned at her unluckiness and returned to her dark room. At least the sun was still up. Having no lights wasn't so bad right now.
What if I tell Chancelor that my great aunt was dying instead of me? And she really needed me for about a week. That could work. I wouldn't have to pretend that I'm sick and he'll postpone my date? That's a good one, Hales.
Haley quickly gathered the amount of money that she had and stuffed it into an envelope. She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to the landlord's apartment. As she was rushing to his front door, she tripped a little bit on her shoes, and fell on her knees.
"Just my luck," she whispered. She observed her leg and noticed that she scraped the skin off her knee. "Gross," she mumbled. She patted the little blood on her knee and pulled out a tissue from her purse. She dabbed it a few more times and continued walking to Chancelor's apartment.
Once she was there, she breathed in and out calmly before knocking on his door. She hoped that this idea was going to work. If it didn't, she was going to find another way.
She knocked three times and waited for a while before the door swung open revealing a short, middle-aged man with spectacles. He was wearing a palm tree printed shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. Nice shorts, she thought and tried to put on a smile.
"Miss James?" he questioned. "Can I help you with something?"
Haley realized that she needed to be in acting mode in order for this idea to work. So she scrunched up her nose and started to sniffle.
"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Chancelor," she sniffed. "I wanted to come here earlier so that I could pay my bill for tomorrow, but something came up. And I don't know what to do."
He looked at her curiously and didn't respond.
"I had all the money ready to pay for my payment tomorrow," she lied and started to build up a few fake tears. "But I've recently found out that my great aunt is dying from a deadly illness."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Haley," he said softly.
She nodded and let out a small wine. "It's okay," she lied, hoping to gain some of his sympathy. "She didn't have enough money to pay for the chemotherapy so I gave her all the money I had." She took about a minute to sob and wiped her nose. "She's too young to die. I never thought I'd see her fade away so quickly." Then she showed the landlord the envelope of money. "This is all that I have left. I risked my own rent money to help her survive a little longer."
He grabbed the envelope and opened it. Mr. Chancelor didn't even look affected by her sympathy story. This was going to be harder than I thought! She continued to watch him as he took out the money. He didn't look pleased at all.
"This is all you have? You have more to pay."
Haley paused for a second and soaked in his reaction. "Uh I know, but my great aunt really needed the money. I can't lose her now!" she cried. She had a feeling that this idea wasn't going to reel him in all the way, so Haley leaned over to him and buried her head against his chest and started to sob.
"I can't lose her now, Mr. Chancelor! She has so much more to live for. She wanted to see me get married and have babies. I didn't know what else to do to keep her alive. I had to give her all my money," she cried, embracing Mr. Chancelor as if she was holding on for dear life. Even if it was really awkward to be hugging her landlord in a very intimate level, it was part of her plan. "I promise I will pay for rent as soon as I can. I just need time to get it!" She continued to cry when she felt his arms slowly wrap around her. Secretly she wanted to push him away, but as long as this works she would let him hug her.
"I'm so sorry to hear about this, Miss James," he stated, finally showing her some compassion. "I know this must be very hard for you."
"Oh it is! I don't want her to leave me!"
"I guess your rent can wait," he finally stated.
She immediately felt relieved at the sound of his words. "You would really do that for me?" she asked, slowly lifting her head up from his chest.
He nodded at her as Haley tried to hold in her smile. "No," he said bluntly.
"Huh? What?" her eyes widened.
He peeled her arms around from his plump waist and pushed her away. Haley wasn't complaining, he smelled like jerky anyways.
"How many times do you have to create a tragic story before the day of your rent, Haley? Last month you said your cousin, William, got into a car accident and needed money for his brain surgery."
"Um," she stuttered. "If you wanted to know how he was doing, William is doing great!" Haley replied, realizing that Chancelor caught her in the middle of the act. He just looked at her like she was stupid.
"Miss James, I'm not going to hold your payment date again."
"You never have!" stomping her foot. "I actually paid for my rent in time last month. I panicked out of nothing."
"Then why can't you do the same thing for this month's rent."
She thought about her unemployment. "Because I just need more time! If you give me a month or two, I'll be able to pay you. It's just not a good time for me right now."
Chancelor glanced at her expression and realized that it looked real this time. She wasn't crying on purpose or moping to get him to feel sorry for her. He noticed that something was really wrong even if it wasn't over a deathly ill great aunt.
"It's never a good time for anybody, Haley."
"Please, Mr. Chancelor. I've never not paid for my rent on time even if I did make up ridiculous, unreasonable stories that I don't even remember saying. I just need more time because Kirk has been dogging on me lately that I haven't even paid for my electric bills. My strawberry cheese cake ice cream is melting right now," she groaned at the thought.
Nodding, he said, "You did pay for your rent last month and the month before that. " She looked at him carefully, curious as to what he was negotiating in his head.
"Yes, I did. And if you give me-," he halted her with his hand. Startled, she waited for his response.
"If I give you a month or two, will you give me every cent that is due?" he asked.
Haley started to smile and nodded her head excitedly. "Every single cent! This will be the only time I will ever ask you to postpone my rent. I promise Mr. Chancelor. I won't even try to make up an outlandish story about a relative."
"Okay then," he stated.
"Really?" she questioned, jerking head forward in curiosity. He started digging through his nose like he was searching for gold and nodded his head. Disgusted, she smiled.
"But it will be triple," pulling out the boogar that he grabbed and flicked it off his finger.
"What! Triple? Why triple?" she asked.
"You know you're not the only one struggling here. I still have to pay for the bills for this whole complex. Do you think it's easy being a landlord? It's not," he stated. Haley lifted an eyebrow when she started to notice how watery his eyes were getting. His chin began to quiver and then he wiped his eyes under his spectacles and glanced at her. "But since you're obviously going through something, I will give you a month or two to give me my cash. I'm tripling it because that would be three months rent already. So by then, you should hand me the money or I will throw all your belongings out of your home and evict you."
Her blood began to bubble through her veins. "Triple my rent? That's almost $2,000 dollars. I don't have that kind of money. How will I make that in two months?"
"You have a job right?
Haley cringed at the thought of Kirk's annoying face and gathered enough strength to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't going to tell him about her unemployment. He wasn't worthy enough to know that especially after tripling her rent.
"Yeah, I still work there," she lied.
"Then I'm sure you can get enough money to pay for your apartment," he stated, wiping the last of his tears.
"But-"
"Two months, Miss James," he cut in as he slowly closed the door. "I have a Full House marathon to watch so leave me be," he stated, shutting the door in her face.
This isn't happening. I don't know how I'm going to get that much money when I don't even have a freaking job. Two months! It sounds like a long time, but that isn't enough time to find a well paid and work. How could he do that to me? He could at least give me a little bit more time and sympathy! Stupid! Stupid! I can't lose my precious little home.
She slowly walked back up to her apartment, and realized that the sun was setting now. And that meant that there was no light for the night. She no longer had any money in her pockets because she gave Chancelor the last of her cash. She was officially broke. At least she still had a roof over her head. The only thing that sucked was that she couldn't see during the night.
Before she reached the door to her apartment, she looked down and spotted her car. It had light, gas, and air conditioning. The sight of it made her happy, so she decided to drive around for a while.
"What was the special news you needed to tell me?" Nathan asked, as the waiter gave them their food.
His mother Deb was the typical uptown wife. She wore Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Dolce& Gabbana. Her face wasn't caked enough with foundation and powder. He neck didn't smell like cheap perfume from Wal-Mart and her wrists were adorned with diamonds and gold. But even though she was excessively obsessed with expensive jewelry and famous designers, she had the warmest heart any body has ever had. She wasn't snobby or over-confident like most people thinks she is if they ever walk past her down the sidewalk.
She took a sip of water from her glass and started carving the meat on her plate.
"Well, my sister called me this morning saying that Billy finally proposed to her and is planning on using our hotel for the wedding," she stated.
"It's about time he proposed. How long have they been dating?"
"About five years now," she laughed. "I'm surprised it took him that long to realize your Aunt Cindy was good enough to marry."
"I guess the divorce with Uncle Frank scared her a little bit. But I'm glad she's happy now," he smiled, taking a few bites off his steak.
"So that means, they'll be arriving here soon to plan everything. I was thinking of using the area at the lodge resort by the lake. Wouldn't that be precious?"
"Or we can do an indoor wedding and have it in the ball room here," Nathan suggested.
"That's not a bad idea," Deb stated, impressed by her son's suggestion. "I can imagine it now. The wedding in the ballroom," she said while looking above her and imagining the setting of the wedding in her head. "I guess it's whatever Cindy chooses."
He nodded. "So is Jake coming along too?" he asked.
"I heard that he was already on his way here. He wanted to arrive early so he could spend some time with his favorite cousin," she smiled.
"Yeah right," Nathan stated. "I'm sure he has other plans here rather than spend time with me."
"You two are inseparable when you're together. How could he be planning something else?"
"You don't know him as well as I do, mom," Nathan replied. Deb looked at him curiously and wanted to know more, but she figured it was something that was meant for those two. "You think dad will be here in time for the wedding?"
"I'm not sure how long his trip in Europe is, but hopefully he can make it," she answered. Nathan noticed the sadness in his mother's expression as she poked at her food. He didn't realize how hard it was for his mother to be away from his dad.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She looked up and lifted her eyebrows, "Huh?"
"You're expression," he pointed out.
"Oh," she smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"He'll be home soon, you know. But until then you got me." Nathan placed his hand over his mother's for comfort. She smiled at him before his phone started to ring.
He pulled his hand away and looked at the id on his phone. It was Rachel and he immediately excused himself from the table. "I'll be right back," he stated. He walked out of the restaurant area and took a step inside the lobby and answered the phone.
"What took you so long to answer?"
"I was having dinner with my mom," he replied as the hotel employees greeted him in the lobby.
"Oh I'm sorry," she replied. "You should've just ignored it."
"Nah, I've been waiting for your call anyways."
"Aww, you're a sweetie," she answered. "Calls from Rachel Gatina are a dime a dozen anyways."
"Who do you think you are, some kind of celebrity?"
"Well I am a model slash actress."
"That's very true," he stated. "So why did you call?"
"I was just checking up on my favorite guy. I'm coming into town soon. I have a new movie to shoot down there."
"Yeah I know. I read it in the magazine."
"So you've been stalking me? Well, that's kind of creepy." Nathan let out a chuckle as he watched a few more guests walk into the lobby. "My birthday's coming up this week. Did you get me something special this year?"
Nathan thought about the box in his drawer and smiled. He couldn't wait to give it to her. "Yeah, you're going to love it when you come by. It's already wrapped up in bow."
"No way! Now I'm excited to arrive to Charlotte. It's something to look forward to."
"I see how it is now. You only like it when I give you things. I thought we were friends."
"Of course I'm looking forward to seeing you too. You know I always am," she answered causing Nathan to smile. As they were talking, he heard a male voice at her end of the line asking for a towel. In an instant, he felt his heart drop. He had forgotten that they weren't a couple. It still hurt him to hear all the gossip about her in the magazines and TV shows, especially when she was paired up with some of the male models/celebrities.
"Um, my mom is still waiting, I'll call you later," Nathan stated.
"Is something wrong, Nate?" she asked before he hung up.
"No, I excused myself from the table to answer your call and I don't want her to wait too long."
"Alright, I'll you call later then."
"Bye," Nathan quickly hung up the phone and drew out a long sigh.
"I'm not going to find anything in this town," Haley mumbled as she drove on the highway with the top down. She loved driving with the top down at night. The wind was colder at this hour and it helped her relax. When her heart was racing or when she was anxious about something, she always took a night drive somewhere quiet -somewhere with no noise, just the streets lights and the stars twinkling down at her. And maybe some soft music playing in the radio.
She glanced down to see how much gas she had left in her tank. And she groaned when she noticed that she had about a quarter left. She was going to drive as far as she could go. If she could find someone willing to give her free gas or ride, that would be great.
She had been driving for hours before she realized that she was already in Charlotte. She had forgotten how beautiful this city was. The last time she went to Charlotte was when she was eleven years old. It was her birthday and her parents wanted to go on a little adventure in the city. She remembered going to the theme park and riding the carousel with her mother while her father photographed them from the side. It was one the happiest moments she's ever had with her family. It was one of the only moments she could remember where both of her parents were smiling. It had been years since she saw her father smile with such sincerity. Ever since her mother died when she was twelve, her father never expressed the same happiness that he used to. He became so cold and bitter since her death. And it was hard to live a decent and happy life for Haley.
She turned left at the green light and tried to find a decent parking spot before she ran out of gas. As she was driving around, she reached this beautiful and tall building with glowing lights inside. She glanced up and saw that it was The Regalien Hotel. People were walking in and out with suitcases and luggage. It seemed as if it was only meant for wealthy people by the way they all dressed up. Women were in decked in jewels and pretty outfits while the men were in fancy suits or preppy clothing. It looked like they came out of a magazine. As she was waiting for the traffic to subside she saw a man walk out of the revolving doors dressed up in a black suit and tie. He looked upset. He had his hands shoved into his pockets with his head looking down at his shiny shoes. Haley even thought the man was very handsome – almost like a model.
"Even wealthy people have bad days too," she thought and drove ahead when the cars in front of her started to move. Haley started driving a little further from the hotel and found a park with a beautiful little lake in the middle. She quickly glanced down at her meter and realized that she was now centimeters away from the empty mark. She groaned to herself and decided to park by the curb and hope for the best.
Once she turned off her car, she pouted at the site of the hotel flaunting itself in front of her. If only she could stay in that fancy hotel for just one night on this horrible day. It would ease her stress and pain from her financial issues, but unfortunately she didn't have cash on her at all. She didn't even carry credit cards because she knew that she wouldn't be able to pay for them with her paychecks. So she decided to sleep in her car for the night. But before she closed her eyes, she decided to take a stroll around the park.
"Yes, Mom. I just arrived," Jake said as he climbed out of his car and started walking down the sidewalks of the city. "I'm actually on my way to the hotel right now," he continued with his cell phone attached to his ear. "Did you tell them I was arriving?" He glanced to his side where the park was and found a girl swinging her purse in circles as she threw rocks into the pond. "Let's hope they have a room reserved for me, if they don't, I blame you, mother." His mother said something on the other line that caused him to laugh as he continued to watch the mysterious girl by the pond. She leaned her head back and looked above her with a smile on her face.
Jake instantly found her intriguing like a lady in a story book. He found her beautiful from a far and her smile glimmered from the water's reflection. She still stood there, looking up in admiration. He was curious as to what she was smiling at and looked up as well with his phone still against his ear. The stars were clear against the blue night sky and the moon was half full. It was such a beautiful sight, no wonder she was greatly fond of its beauty. Then he glanced back at the girl and noticed that her eyes were now closed. Her lips were moving as if she was whispering to herself. And then out of no where a man ran past her with her purse in hand.
"MY PURSE!" she yelled and quickly ran after the thief.
"Mom, I'll call you back," Jake quickly hung up the phone and followed the snatcher as he ran through the park.
Jake was the star athlete on his track team so it was easy to chase after him. Usually he wouldn't even bother helping someone in this type of situation, but since the girl caught his interest and saw what happened, he had to go help her. He kept running and running through the park until he finally chased down the guy. He could hear the girl's screams as she tried to catch him as well.
It was amusing to see the strange girl chasing after the thief. She ran so awkwardly across the park that it made Jake chuckle. As he was running, he noticed her trip a little and ran passed her towards the guy. Next thing he knew, he was jumping forward and grabbing the guy by the neck and putting him in a head lock.
"Give the lady her purse back or I'll call the cops," Jake threatened.
"No way!" the smuggler tried to get out of his grip, but Jake held him tighter causing the guy to gag.
"Give it to her or I'll just get rid of you myself."
"Fine!" the man threw the purse down on the ground and Jake kept his grip around his neck. "Now let me go!"
First Jake started looking around the guy's pockets to make sure he wasn't armed. The thief started to feel uncomfortable and tried to wiggle himself out.
"I'm just making sure you're not going to pull a fast one on me," Jake stated as he loosened his grip and released him.
"Who are you?" the guy asked as he started slowly walking away.
"Just a guy on the street," Jake answered as he leaned forward to grab the purse and the guy ran as fast as he could.
The girl was standing in the corner watching the whole thing happen. She was stunned. The whole thing looked like something from a movie – almost too real to be real at all.
"Thank you," she stated.
Jake looked up and noticed how beautiful the woman was and smiled. "Anything for a pretty lady," he stated.
She began to blush and smiled bashfully. "I don't know what I would've done without my purse in the city. I'm already having a horrible day."
"Good thing I saw what happened," he replied. "I'm Jake by the way." He offered his hand and she shook it happily.
"I'm Haley," she answered. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to repay you with," she stated as she started digging through her purse frantically. "All I have are movie tickets and a pack of gum," pulling them out to show him.
Jake started to laugh at her cuteness and shook his head. "You don't have to give me anything."
"But I feel bad that you had to run after a thief for me."
"It's okay," he laughed. "I did it for the sake of helping someone."
"Okay," she stated.
"I saw you trip back there, are you okay?"
Haley immediately felt embarrassed and looked at her leg – the same one that she fell on earlier this morning. She shook her head as she gently moved it. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you need a ride anywhere? My driver's close by, he can take you where you need to go."
Haley's eyes widened,"Driver?"
"Yeah, right over there in that black car." He pointed across the park by the Regalien hotel. "His name's Roger. He's been driving me around for years."
"Oh!" she replied realizing that it would be humiliating to tell him the truth. "It's okay, I'm staying close by anyways," she stated.
"Where?"
Haley started scratching the back of her neck and glanced back at the beautiful hotel with glowing lights. She couldn't tell him that she was staying at a motel or in her car for that matter. She wanted to impress this man. She figured that he was rich after all. Who else has a driver of their very own? Not a commoner that's for sure.
"I'm staying at the. . . ." she glanced at the hotel again and turned back to Jake. "The Regalien."
"What do you know, I'm staying there too."
Haley's heart suddenly stopped beating for a second. "Oh, you are." No surprise there. "Then maybe we'll see each other again."
"We can walk there together."
"Oh no, I think I'm going to walk around here for a while," shaking her hand at him.
Jake nodded and placed his hands in his pockets. "Ok then."
"MMhmm," she nodded.
"I guess I'll see you later?"
"Sure."
"Have a nice night, Haley."
"You too," she smiled as Jake started walking back towards the hotel.
As soon as Jake disappeared across the park, Haley lightly slapped her forehead in frustration. She held her purse tightly to herself in case any new snatchers were around and began limping back to her car. She continued to watch Jake as he made his way towards the hotel and waited for him to enter before she climbed back inside her driver's seat. Once he was gone, she went inside her car and started to mope.
"This is the worst day ever!" she cried out.
Tell me what you think so far? Do you want to read more? Reviews are the best!