“He’s exaggerating,” Grant gulped.
“Someone comes out here and accuses you of being a criminal, and that’s all you and your high-powered vocabulary can come up with to defend yourself?” Hailey sighed.
“What do you want me to say?” Grant shrugged. “I don’t have to defend myself to anyone. Not to you and certainly not to him.”
Hailey nodded. “No, I guess you don’t,” she sighed. She thought for a second. “I guess I just thought you might want to.”
“Hailey, I saw it all in black and white,” Paul persisted. “Arson, assault…any way you spin it, it’s a big deal!”
“And you couldn’t wait to come and tell her about it, could you?” Grant snapped.
“I’m protecting her,” Paul insisted.
“From what?” Grant huffed.
“From you,” Paul pointed. “I’m warning you to stay away from her.”
Grant started to reply, but the fact that he didn’t have to brought a smile to his face.
“You have no right to come out here accusing him of things you read while snooping around in his file, you hypocrite,” Hailey said angrily.
“Hailey?” Paul pled, shocked that she had shifted the blame to him.
“No,” Hailey shook her head. “You had no right to read his private file, just like you have no right to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with! Who in the world do you think you are, Paul Mason?”
“I thought I was one of your best friends,” Paul fired back. “I was only doing what friends do.”
“Hailey, he’s only trying to look out for you because he cares about you,” Misty reasoned, trying to defend Paul’s actions.
“He’ll drag you down with him,” Paul told Hailey.
Hailey rolled her eyes. “He’s not dragging me anywhere, Paul. Where is all this coming from?”
“He’s trouble, Hailey,” Paul insisted. “And…and…well, I just don’t think he’s good for you, the reputation of our town, our school or our basketball team.”
Hailey nodded slowly as she crossed her arms. “Oh, I see,” she chuckled. “This isn’t about me at all…it’s about you.”
“What?” Paul argued.
“You’re jealous of him,” Hailey fired back. “He’s a better basketball player than you are; he’s got bigger muscles, a better shot; everyone knows he’s a lot smarter than you’ll ever be, and he’s a bit of a hottie to boot…you’re jealous. You’re so jealous in fact that you’ve turned into somebody I don’t even know anymore. This isn’t about protecting me; it’s all about protecting you, your scoring record and your precious ego.”
“Hailey!” Misty exclaimed. “Do you hear yourself?”
Hailey laughed angrily. “You are so used to being number one. You’ve spent your whole life playing the role of the big man on campus, and now it is eating you up to have to step back and concede the fact that the new guy in town is superior in every way.”
“I don’t believe this,” Paul barked back at Hailey. “Does our friendship mean nothing to you?”
“Hailey, he’s just trying to keep you out of trouble,” Misty interjected on Paul’s behalf. “You don’t have to be so mean.”
“The only one who has done anything wrong here is him, Misty,” Hailey said calmly. She turned to Paul. “I can’t believe you would go into another student’s file…it’s just not right…you should be expelled!”
“Maybe so,” Paul conceded, “but, regardless…I did go in his file, and I read it, and I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t share with you the things I discovered. It’s ugly, Hails…like nothing you’ve ever been exposed to…and I’m worried about you. He’s dangerous.”
“That’s not true,” Grant shook his head.
“Of course it’s not true,” Hailey agreed.
“Tell that to all the people he’s hurt,” Paul scoffed.
“Hailey, I can explain,” Grant insisted.
“Go ahead,” Paul shrugged. “Did the fire start itself?”
“What fire?” Hailey gasped.
“Did you not hear me mention arson?” Paul pled.
“I wasn’t really sure what that meant,” Hailey admitted. “I was going to ask Grant later.”
“It means that this pyromaniac burned down some gas station in North Carolina,” Paul declared.
“Paul, what are you talking about?” Misty begged.
“I don’t care what he tells you. I did not start that fire,” Grant said, looking deep into Hailey’s eyes. Suddenly his eyes flashed to Paul. “And if you had researched a little more thoroughly, you would know that a judge agreed with me.”
“Maybe so, but your basketball coach didn’t believe you, did he?” Paul fired back. “Nah…you promptly got kicked out of tournament league, and you were on probation with your school team, weren’t you? That’s sad, really…I mean as good as you are at basketball, and still you were too much of a liability.”
Grant glanced at Hailey. She was taking in everything Paul was saying, and he saw uncertainty filling her eyes. Suddenly she didn’t know who to believe, and that worried her. She thought back to the summer; it all flooded back to her in a way it hadn’t since she and Grant’s worlds had collided for a second time. Maybe Grant had done some things she wouldn’t approve of, but she knew there was something about him that just wouldn’t let her let go of the hope that beyond the tough exterior existed the boy who had changed her life the day he entered it. As Hailey looked at Grant, his forehead wrinkled in frustration, she was suddenly sure that, though she couldn’t seem to define it, she felt a certain way about him that she’d never feel about anyone else.
