AGE( it is just a number)
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Episode 27
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Agreement
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ha-rd in Castillo
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The sound of my pulse racing beat in my ear, blocking all other sounds as I drove aimlessly around the busy street…
I was feeling so perplexed , confused and scared at the same time
Anne! pregnant for me! but how is that possible!…. I mean i blatantly ended all things with her in the prison and that was about 6( six) months ago….
how the hell does she even want me to believe her?
I sighed in frustration, mopping away the cold sweat on my forehead with my palm …..
But What will I do? I can’t let the bit-ch come in between Hazel and I, I can’t lose my Haz this way!
I nee-d to confide in someone! I really nee-d to share my burden with someone!
bringing out my phone from my pocket , i unlocked it to see 7 missed calls all from Hazel…
She must be really worried!
I ignored all of her calls to dial my dad number and he picked it up on the second ring
“hi dad!”I greeted first
“hi son!” he responded , shouting as the background was so noisy
“Where thefu-ck are you? “I asked and he chuckled
“Are you worried about me? Don’t be, I will soon be home”
“No Dad! This is not about me being worried about you, I nee-d to talk to you”. I stated , stepping on the br@ke as the car skidded to a halt and I guess he s-en-sed it because he asked
“You are not home right?”
“Yes”. I answered truthfully
“$h!t! where are you ha-rd in! Don’t you know it is risky driving alone at this late hour? Is anything wrong? Are you alright?” he asked in rush as I exhaled de-eply
“Just tell me where you are , I will join you there”
The line went quiet for a while and then he sighed
“Meet me at The Petra club”
“Alright “. I said and ended the call……
Twisting the ignition key , I started the car and on controlling the steering wheel, I made a reverse and drove off heading To Petra club …..
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Finally! after a long drive , I parked out in front of a green building pumping with dance music and flashing disco lights and on alighting , I walked in to see “hundreds of people” dancing , drinking, spilling beer and p@rtying away ….
Crazy!!!!
Looking around the jam-packed club , I sighted my dad seated at a far- corner of the bar drinking ….
I sauntered up to him and on seeing me , he flashed me a smile
“Welcome son!” he greeted as I coll@psed on the seat beside him ….
“Thanks!” I muttered
“So what is up ! Don’t tell me you c@m£ all the way here just to have a drink”. he said tea-singly and I scoffed
“I am in no mood for Jokes, I am in a de-ep $h!t right now and I nee-d your help”
he stared at me for a while and then smiled mischievously
“Is this about Hazel! cos I know only things concerning her makes you this serious”
“It isn’t Hazel , it is Anne” I corrected and he sh0t me a confused look
“Who is Anne?” he asked , fixing his gaze on me as I exhaled de-eply
” A girl I d@t£d while in the prison” I answered and he nodded slowly, urging me to continue…..
“Actually .. She is here ..in south Tacoma and claims to be carrying my child”. I quic-kly added picking my words and he froze on the sp©t , letting the glas-s he was holding drop to the floor
“Pregnant! another girl! oh no ha-rd in! what have you done?” he managed to ask and I swallowed ha-rd not knowing what to say ….
“Damn!” he cursed , ban-ging his fist on the counter as I buried my face in my hands in guilt
“Is your mum or Hazel aware of this?”he rasped and I sighed, shaking my head
“They don’t , I just found out myself”
“You just found out! From who? Talk to me , I don’t really un-derstand, Were you keeping in t©uçh with her all this while?” he asked in a rush
“No! I found out throu-gh my ” personal maid Nina”
“Nina!” He repeated with disbelief written all over his face and I nodded slowly
“Anne is Nina elder sister”. I explained, grasping the bottle of wine on the table but he was quic-k to st©p me …..
” drinking won’t solve anything”
“I know! but at least it will make me feel differently”. I drawled and he huffed
“No it won’t ! The only way you can feel different is by telling the truth to the woman you love “! he retorted and I sh0t him a surprise look
“Hazel! hell no!do you even know what you saying?”
“And also you nee-d to come to an agreement with this Anne of a girl”, he continued and I scoffed
“Agreement! what thefu-ck are you saying?” I yelled at him
” Simple!I am saying you should take responsibility for your actions”. he stated and that was it , I flared up
“Responsibility ! And why should I do that! do I look like I am desperate for babies! for all I know , that baby doesn’t belong to me”…
“Then you will have to prove it”. he fired at me and I bec@m£ a bit calm
“And how will I do that?”
“With a DNA test , if the baby turns out to be your then you will have to take responsibility but if not then …..,,,
“I will sue Anne for paternity fraud”. I completed
“Now you are talking!”he said with a light smile and on glancing at his wristwatch , he stood up
“It is time to go son!!!
“Sure “. I agreed , following suite and we both walked out of the club to my car…..
Opening the car door , I got into the driver seat and my dad did the same at his own end ….
Starting the car , I drove heading to the mansion as my dad sang a Popular old folk song …..
I listened to him sing and my mood lighten as the song titled “strength ” brou-ght my spirits up….
“Thanks dad”. I muttered and he gave me a knowing smile……….
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Hazel Dakota
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Restlessly, I kept on turning and tossing on the be-d
ha-rd in was yet to be home and I was seriously worried
But why is he not picking my call? was I wrong in telling him about my suspicion? why did he react like that? who the hell Is Anne?
I was confused and pained at the same time seeing the way he walked out on me without giving me an explanation!!!
h0t tears welled up in my eyes and I let it roll without ma-king a move to wipe it off as I felt so numb ….
glancing at the wall clock, it was 12:30 am.
I signed in frustration
Oh God! what is happening? why is ha-rd in not yet home? Did something bad happen to him?no it can’t be ….
Just then the door to ha-rd in room creaked opened and his mother walked in
Why is she here by this time? I wondered, trying to sit up but fell back to the be-d weakly……
“Oh Hazel!” She exclaimed softly, rushing to me
“ha-rd in!” I muttered and she exhaled de-eply, sitting beside me.
“he is fine!” she answered, brushing the hair off my face and I looked away.
This is not the answer I wanted to hear!
” he asked me to come check on you”. She quic-kly added and I shifted my gaze back to her
“Where is he? Is he coming back tonight?” I asked softly
“Yes baby”. She answered
baby! did she just call me baby!.. well! It is not a big deal , I am with her grandchild after all……
“Are you hungry? should I get you anything?” She asked , staring down at me
“No ma, I am fine”. I answered and that was the exact moment a car drove into the compound
ha-rd iin! my subconsciousness screamed as I maintained a straight face
“That must be ha-rd in and his father “. his mum said aloud, standing up to look out of the window
ha-rd in and his father!does that mean he was with his dad all along!
“They are the ones “. She muttered, leaning over to ca-ress my face : then she bade me good night and walked out of the room….
Excitedly , I got off the be-d , slowly made for the door and on opening it , I c@m£ face to face with ha-rd in
ha-rd in! I called softly , jumping Into his arms
he chuckled nervously as he pu-ll-ed out of the hvg
Weird! the ha-rd in i know would have wra-pped his hands ti-ghtly around me
“Are you alright?” I asked searching throu-gh his gaze and he looked away
“Yes! It is late alre-ady , why ain’t you slee-ping?” he asked , changing the subject and I rolled my eyes.
“Are you really asking me that!
“Oh!”he exclaimed softly ,walking past me to be-d and I leaned against the door , watching him
he tossed his phone and his car keys on the be-d ! pu-ll-ed off his clothes! and then went into the bathroom without sparing me as little as a glance..
Obviously he was nervous about something but what could that be?
Confused, I ambled to the be-d , picked up his phone and unlocking it , I found out it has a lock code
Arrrrgh!this is the height of it , I can’t take it any longer…..
“What are doing with my phone?” he suddenly asked, coming out from the bathroom and I turned sideways to look at him
he was wearing only his briefs and his b©dy dripping with water was a sight to behold ….
No Hazel! he is a “traitor”, st©p drooling over him, blast him!!!
“And Why did you put a lock code on the phone?” I fired him.
“That is because it is my phone”, he fired back at me and in anger , I hurl the phone at him
“That is your phone, go eat it ”
Immediately, he bec@m£ sober and he rushed to hold me …..
“Baby! I am really sorry, I am just going throu-gh some de-ep $h!t ” . he begged and I shook my head , flaring up
“No ha-rd in! you are just a spoilt br@t who covers all of his emotions with anger , you are just a selfish j£rk who loves hurting me “. I yelled,trying to wriggle out of his hold but couldn’t, he held me more ti-ghtly
“Is that what you think Haz?” he asked calmly, ma-king me to face him and that was when I saw the pain and tears in his eyes
“ha-rd in!” I called softly as the tears rolled down his eyes
“No! keep on yelling, do you think it is easy for me? I am not happy Haz , I am in pain , my past is haunting me and I am getting drowned in it”. he yelled back at me and I rested my head on his che-st , listening to the sound of his heart beating ……
It was beating fas-ter that usual!
“Is it about Anne?” I asked, pu-lling out of the hvg to stare at his messed up face and he nodded slowly as his green eyes bored into mine
“Go on!” I instructed, urging him to continue and he exhaled de-eply, running his hands throu-gh his hair
“Erm she is Nina’s elder sister and erm also my ex girlfriend “. he started and I slowly took my breathe in
“Actually Anne is also pregnant and she claims the child belongs to me”.he dropped the bombshell and my heart st©pped beating ….
Anne!Ex-girlfriend! Pregnant! what did he just say? another woman is with his child? have he been cheating on me with her all this while?
“Haz! plea-se say something” . he begged as I stared at him blankly
Opening my mouth, I tried to say something but what c@m£ out was a loud scream
“Don’t do this, you are pregnant remember?” he reminded, holding me still and I laughed bitterly
“Pregnant! we are both pregnant!”. I retorted, clutching to his clothes ti-ghtly as he led me to the be-d
I was mad at him still i wanted him to be by my side
Sitting on the be-d , he pu-ll-ed me to his l@ps as he made me face him
“I love you and the baby growing inside you so much”
I stared at him, muffled up against my tears
The ha-rd in in front of me sounded so real, it was like he was pleading with me not to leave him….
“If you love me this much, why then did you cheat on me?”I asked calmly
“I didn’t cheat on you, I have never done that and believe me when I say , I will never do that”. he as-sured ma-king me smile inwardly …..
“Anne is my past and will forever remain that way”.he added
And with a de-ep sigh, I wra-pped my hands ti-ghtly around him as we both listened to the sound of our heart beating
” I love you Haz!” he repeated and I smiled lightly ……….
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ha-rd in Castillo
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The first ray of the sun poured into the be-d room window and i squint at it , forcing my eye lid open
I turned sideways to see Hazel slee-ping peacefully beside me and I smiled lightly, leaning over to k!ssher lightly
She un-derstood my pain! She accepted me without Judging me!
Sitting up on the be-d , I reached for my phone and I unlocked it using the pas-sword “Hazel”….
I scrolled throu-gh it , searching for any upd@t£ on Beacon high but found none ….
I sighed, I guess there is no school today!
getting off the be-d , I was about going into the bathroom when the door creaked opened and my dad walked in
“Good morning dad!” I greeted first
“Morning son! how did it go?” he asked , looking at Hazel and then back at me
“It went well Dad” I answered with a light smile
“Good! then get re-ady , we are going over to Anne’s
“But dad! Isn’t it too early . I queried and he scoffed , shaking his head
” it is either now or never, meet me downstairs”
having said that , he sauntered out of the room with his hands in his pocket …..
” it is either now or never, meet me downstairs”. I mimicked him as I walked into the bathroom to freshen up….
I returned to the room when I was done , went over to the wardrobe and on opening it, I pu-ll-ed out a brown hoodie along with its slacks and hurriedly up It….
Combing my hair into styles, I picked up my phone and walked out of the room , climbing down the stairs to the sitting room where I met my dad ….
“I am re-ady”. I announced and he slowly shifted his gaze to me
“Are you sure you re-ady?” he asked to be sure and I exhaled de-eply
“Yes”. I answered and he led the way as we both headed to the garage……
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Getting to the garage , I noticed the ranger over belonging to my mum was no where in sight so I asked my dad about it
“Oh that! your mum made use of it this morning”
“This morning! Are you saying mum is not home?” I asked to be sure
“Yes! she went out with “your maid ” to get some stuff for Hazel ,you know how she is excited about the whole baby issue ”
I scoffed, you haven’t told her about Anne right??”
“Yes and I plan on doing that today”. he simply answered as he got into his car
opening the car door, I followed suit and on telling him the address, he drove off to Anne’s home …..
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The tension in me increa-sed as my dad parked in front of Anne moderate home and I quic-kly shook it out of my shoulders ……..
I ain’t doing anything bad! I as-sured myself
Alighting from the car, we both walked up to the front porch and on knocking, the door was opened up by Miss Benson
“ha-rd in!” She called with her eyes wi-de opened
“Good morning ma! Is Anne in ?”I asked politely and she nodded , opening the door wi-der and we both walk in to see Anne laying on the sofa
Seeing me, she dragged her self up , rushing to hvg me but I duck ,pushing her away from me lightly
“Why?” She asked softly as I face flu-shed in embarras-sment and I scoffed.
“Cut off the cra-p, I c@m£ her to see you …….::
“because you accepted my child”. She bu-tted in , looking at me and then at my dad who was standing right beside me
“You must be ha-rd in’s father ? did he tell you about his kid ,our kid ?” She asked , tou-ching her belle and my dad ignored her , nudging at me to go on
An awkward silence follows and then I cleared my throat , forcing a smile
” you see Anne there is no such thing as “our child” for now
She sh0t me a curious look
“We will have to wait till the baby is born to prove the claims, if the baby is mine I will take full responsibility but if not , I will make sure you regret ever knowing me”. I warned and I swear, I saw the fear in her eyes
“And why would i lie to you? I love you Jayden and you know it”.she stated but this time around her voice was very low
“Love!did you just say love! Snap out of it Anne because you will only hurt yourself”
“No Jay! you love me and I know it”. She half yelled and that was it , i have seen and heard enough
“Dad Let’s go”. I said to my dad and leading the way , we both walked out of the house …..
” I love you Jayden”. She called after me and my dad scoffed.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was delusional?”
“That is because I just found out today”, I answered truthfully and we both laughed but mine was a laughter full of regret , I just hope and pray she does nothing foolish…..:
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TBC