Chapter 9

It had been 3 days since Hailey last saw Mark and she was beginning to wonder if Mark was avoiding her after that incident a few days ago. She was cleaning one of the tables when Bill walked in. "Hey Bill" Hailey said stopping what she was doing. "Oh Hey Hailey." Bill said coming up to her. He looked around. "Not many around, have you seen Mark?" He asked. "Nope." She smiled. "Yeah, he works at one of the car yards." Bill said. "Oh." Hailey nodded. "I think fixing the cars and bikes, you know all that mechanical stuff." "Oh, well I'm not really into that." She laughed, "Don't worry Hail's." He laughed back. She smiled and walked over to the bar. "Can I have a beer dear?" He asked following her. "Yeah, of course, bottle or tap?" She asked. "Ur maybe bottle today." Bill replied. She went over to the fridge and took a bottle of beer out and handed it to him. Just then Mark walked in. He had blue over-alls on and had a bit of grease on his forehead. He looked tried. Hailey looked up and looked at him. Mark looked at Hailey aswell. Bill saw Hailey was looking at something and turned his head to see Mark there looking at Hailey. "Well hello Mark, care to join me?" Bill asked. Mark looked at Bill and replied "Yeah, sure." He walked over to the bar at sat down next to Bill. Hailey gave him a beer, and then started putting some of the glasses away that were on the bench. "Hailey?" Bill said "Yeah?" She replied. "My daughter was getting rid of some of her old clothes and I saw a few tops and thought that you may like them." He said pulling a few tops out of his bag. Hailey walked over and looked at them. There was a white halter neck top, a pink sequin boob tube and a pale green jacket. "Oh, thank you Bill they're lovely." She smiled at him. 'Your welcome Hailey, you're a sweet girl." He smiled back. Mark looked at him with raised eyebrows. "What Mark? You want a boob tube too?" Bill joked. Hailey started giggling. "Ha Ha, Very funny, Nah I don't, but she may have to wait a while before she can fit into one of those." He replied with a smile. "Mark, that is totally not appropriate!" Bill yelled. Hailey looked at Mark with disgust; he apologized to her the other day and was now acting rude to her again. She stormed off into the bathroom. "Mark, you're a sick pig, go and apologize now!" Bill yelled. Mark laughed "Oh you're not serious?" He said. "I mean it Mark! You are going way out of line with Hailey, she is a sweet girl and you are being so mean to her!" Bill yelled. Mark frowned. "Why Mark? Huh? Why are ya being a jerk for? Scared you may like her? I saw the way you looked at her when you walked in before, and don't try to tell me different!" Bill yelled. "Oh Come on Bill! I'm probably older than her father; she is just a little girl!" Mark yelled. "That maybe so Mark, but me and the rest of the guys think that she is a bright young lady." Bill explained. "Whatever." Mark muttered. "Go and apologize cause I ain't speaking to ya until ya do" Bill said. "Oh come on Bill." Mark sighed. "Bill?" Mark said looking at him. Bill didn't answer and took another sip of his beer. "Fine" Mark muttered and walked over to the bathroom and opened the door.

He heard her crying in one of the restrooms and bit his lip. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He knocked on the door. "What?" she sniffled. "Hailey's its Mark I need to talk to you." Mark said. "Go Away!" She yelled at him. He bit his lip again and leaned against the door. "Please Hailey, open the door." Mark sighed. She got up and opened the door. Mark walked in and saw her sitting down on the toilet and crying. "Hailey stop crying." Mark sighed leaning down on his knees in front of her. "You're a big, mean bully! I get enough of those harsh comments from the girls at school and I don't need them coming from you too!" She said in between snuffles. "Hailey I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said." He said. "Then why did you say it?" She frowned. Mark sighed and looked down. "I don't know, I've been having a lot of trouble lately and I've been kinda taking it out on people." He spoke. "So have I, and you don't see me being rude to you." She said. "Yeah, I guess so." He said. "You should know better then that at your age." She said. "You saying I'm old?" He said. "Yes, cause your like 20 something years older than me." She explained. Mark smiled. "I've just been rough to a lot of women cause of my ex-wife." He explained. "Well it's not my fault Mark that I couldn't guess, I don't know much about sex and relationships, I've never had a boyfriend." She said looking away. Mark smiled and took her hands in his. She was so innocent and he had been so rude to her. He looked down and saw how little her hands were to his. "Hailey, look at me." He said. She looked at him with her big brown eyes. Mark smiled, he never realized how pretty she was. "I think it's best if we avoid each other ok? It's just that I'm making you upset and stuff." He said. "Ok then." She said. "You're a great little kid and you don't need me around being an asshole." He said as he got up and walked out of the bathroom.

"I said I was sorry." Mark said to Bill out at the bar again. "And did you mean it?" He asked. "Yeah." Mark replied. Hailey came out too after a few minutes. "You ok dear?" Bill asked her. "Yeah." She said. "Ok, well I'm gonna head off ok?" Bill said. "Ok, bye Bill and thanks again for the clothes." She replied. "Yep, no probs." He smiled. "See ya Bill." Mark said standing near the bar. "Bye Mark." Bill said and walked out of the bar. "I think I might shut the bar up now." Hailey said. "Ok." Mark said and walked out. Hailey frowned, she really didn't get him. She turned the sign on the door over to closed and walked out and shut the door. She locked up and saw Mark getting into his big, black Ute. She started walking down the street and stopped when she heard. "Hey little Bitch, where do you think you're going?"

I'm writing chapter 10 at the moment and will probably have it up in a few hours so check back!