ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴏᴠ

𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴

♛♛♛

"A regular fruit bowl, please."

The older lady nodded once and picked up the plastic bowl full of different fruits. Hazel gave her the money, seeming to have enough this time—the woman nodded, excusing her.

The young girl picked up her fruit bowl and began going towards an open table. She chose one in the centre, where she would be surrounded by friends and lovers.

She took her fork and stabbed a slice of mango from the fruit bowl, then absorbed it into her mouth. The lunchroom was rather crowded, so Hazel took a look around.

Everyone appeared to be having a good time with each other. Laughing, chatting, some working. It made Hazel happy while also making her envious.

Unfortunately, many people didn't get along with her. They either found her annoying or wanted her for some other purpose, which Hazel defies.

Before she could turn away and return to poking her fruit, a boy who Hazel recognised entered the lunchroom.

Percy walked in with a scowl on his face, the same expression he had when they first met. His thumbs were typing furiously on his phone as he glared at it.

He took a seat at a random table immediately next to hers, she noticed. He hadn't looked up from his phone yet, and Hazel had averted her gaze.

She wondered as she popped a green grape into her mouth if he'd been studying here all along and she'd just missed him.

Their eyes locked just as the boy finally looked up from his device. Hazel took a deep breath and smiled as she hesitantly lifted her hand and waved.

Between her hand and her face, his gaze shifted back and forth. Then, surprisingly, he motioned for little Hazel to come over by nodding at the seat across from him.

Hazel's hazel eyes widened a glimmer, her gaze flitting to the area as an unidentified warm sensation washed over her.

She quickly closed her plastic bowl and slid the fork between her teeth while grabbing her bag and darting over to his table.

She hurriedly tossed her bag on the floor, then drew the seat out and slid into it. Looking up, she gave a big smile to the boy, who simply gave her an enhanced frown.

"Do you go to school here?" Hazel questioned as she reopened her fruit bowl and dove in, stabbing a strawberry with her fork.

He tilted his head and shrugged carelessly. "Yeah," he murmured.

"What do you study?" She then asked, quietly crossing her fingers that their meeting would lead to friendship.

His gaze shifted back to the pinging phone, which he dismissively ignored and dropped onto the table with a loud sigh before returning his focus to her.

"Psychology," She grinned at his response and then began rambling. "That's cool! I've heard it's a little difficult."

He nodded his head slowly as he traced random patterns along the table, absentmindedly.

"It can be. You just have to put your mind to it," He grumbled, glancing up at her.

"And you?" Sitting back, he asked.

"Medical and Lit," She blurted, stuffing her last strawberry into her mouth. He nodded his head slowly, flickering his eyes around the room.

"How's Jamie?" Hazel asked him, her mind remembering the sweet little boy who so happens to be this grumpy boy's younger brother.

Percy shrugged and tossed a gummy bear into his mouth. "Fine, I guess."

"Are you done for the day?" Hazel pointed to the school where they were. He raised one long finger and shook his head. "One left," She smiled and said the same.

Percy then placed the bag of gummy bears between them both on the table and beckoned for the girl to have some. She flushed and took one timidly. "Thank you," He shrugged and took a handful into his mouth.

The two sat calmly, devouring the bag of gummies, and didn't say anything else. They grabbed their bags and strolled out of the lunchroom together when it was time to return to their afternoon sessions.

"Where is your class?" Hazel gave him an inquisitive look. He bent his head and gestured down the hall before returning his gaze to Hazel.

"Yours?" He questioned, his gaze darting back and forth between the students. Hazel pointed to the class they were about to near.

Hazel smiled up at the grumpy boy as they stood in front of the door. "Thanks, Percy. I'll see you around?" She asked softly, her gaze falling to her rocking feet. As he glimpsed at something down the corridor, he offered half a shrug and tightened his jaw.

"I guess." He answered and looked back at Hazel. With a small wave, she turned around and opened the door to her next class. Before she entered, she looked back over her shoulder at her first maybe, new friend.

♛♛♛

She covered her ears with her small hands, tightly. The music was loud. Too loud.

Hazel struggled to concentrate on her studies, her sleepy eyes returning to the pages in front of her. The sound of the loud music from downstairs immediately captured all of her thoughts and attention, completely dominating her working system.

Unfortunately for the girl, she had forgotten to bring her earphones with her and are now left at her work desk. With only one pair, she wished she'd kept the other pair she'd thrown away because one ear was lower than the other.

As she waited for either of her parents—particularly her mother—to come staggering in, the moment seemed particularly opportune. If it wasn't one night, it was the other.

With a loud huff, she rolled off her bed and picked up her unfinished papers, messily throwing them on her desk. She figured nothing would get done without her earphones to block out the ignorant music.

She turned off the main lights in her room and ignited the tiny lamp next to her bed. Sleep overtook her tired body as she slid beneath the sheets.

The phone on her nightstand beeped, and she couldn't help but pick it up and open it. She spotted a notification from the local news app before she looked at the message, and she tapped on it to read the article.

Breaking News!

Seven new battered and dead bodies have been discovered. Several bullet wounds to the head and many preceding beatings were the cause of death for the seven unidentified victims.

Riverside Avenue residents believe it has anything to do with the gang sightings.

Hazel placed her hand over her mouth in shock as she read the article. She hated violence, any kind of it was something that made her stomach churn in disgust.

Another reason why she loved helping people. When she saw somebody hurt or injured, she immediately felt the need to help them instantly—no matter the circumstance.

Knowing that seven innocent lives had been lost for something so unknown was troubling to her. It reminded her of the shady club where she had been hanging outside the night ago.

Perhaps one of the individuals inside the club was responsible for the deaths. Hazel shook her head and returned to her phone, rejecting the concept.

She examined the message she had received, which was from her boss, asking whether she could come into work the following day. She agreed with a grimace.

Hazel decided that she needed the extra money, the executing sounds from downstairs reminded her just how much she needed it.

Her shift would be shortly after school ended, so she decided to study at the clinic instead, figuring it would be quiet since it was a Thursday night.

She turned off her phone and tossed it back onto the nightstand as her warm eyes began to droop. Once the golden lamp was turned off, the room became entirely dark.

While she sunk her head into the warm pillows, the sheets she was snuggled in turned with her shifting body.

And with that, her glossy eyes fluttered shut, merely ignoring the sounds from the lower part of the home and falling right into the depths of bliss.

♛♛♛

"Hey, Hazel!" Daniel called from the threshold. She looked up, smiling lightly at the man.

"Hi, Daniel." She greeted softly, turning her attention to him as he sat down on the chair opposite her desk.

"Do you have any plans tonight? A few of the staff are going out for drinks, wanna come?" He leaned his elbow on the table, propping his hand on his chin.

Hazel's heart skipped a beat. This was the first time she'd been asked to an event like this. She wasn't old enough to drink, and she didn't really like it, so she'd probably order water or a Sprite with ice.

"Sure, but I'm under the age of 21." She replied, twirling the black pen between her fingers anxiously. He waved her off and leaned back in his seat. "Not a problem, Haze. I can get you in easily." He winked and she blushed.

"Well, okay. If you say so." Hazel shrugged and smiled to herself. Daniel clapped his hands once and stood from his chair. "Cool, I'll message you the venue and we can meet outside."

Hazel smiled and nodded once more. She still smiled as she watched him exit the room, thinking about the fun night ahead.

This was out of the ordinary for her. Never in a million years did she think she'd go out for drinks with friends. Well, not her friends but she guessed Daniel was a friend.

Daniel was most likely her only 'friend.' Julius was also someone she considered a friend. I mean they've barely spoken but they were mutuals, perhaps?

Twice she has helped him. Once he has helped her. And thrice they have met. That's considered at least a mutual sort of friendship, acquaintances maybe?

She shrugged the thoughts off, not even knowing if she'd ever see him again. Even though their paths have crossed three times now, that third time might've been the last.

For the next three hours, Hazel worked her butt off. Helping patients and assisting her colleagues with all her might. By the end of the night, she was exhausted.

Nonetheless, she was excited about the night out with her friends. She'd driven back home, arriving at a time when her parents had only recently returned home, implying that they were still settling in.

In other words, they weren't wasted yet.

She dashed up the stairs and locked the door to her room. Throwing her bag onto her bed, she strode over to her bathroom and closed that door.

Undressing, her body skimmed under the hot water as it poured over her cold skin. Hazel found the water to be refreshing, as it soothed her aching muscles and soothed her weary thoughts.

She didn't want to wet her hair, which was in a sloppy bun on top of her head. On numerous accounts she's been known to forget everything around her, causing her to submerge her entire body under the water.

It was problematic because her hair would become wet, and one of her many pet peeves was wet hair.

Even after washing it, she made sure to blow dry it straight away after a shower. It was the eerie sensation of hairs clinging to your skin, as well as the damp feeling.

She shivered even thinking about it.

After a short shower, Hazel had gotten changed into a simple outfit. A pair of denim baggy jeans and a black oversized t-shirt with the print of an unknown band graphic.

Hazel wasn't one for dressy fits. Her entire closet consisted of baggy jeans and oversized shirts, on some occasions she would wear a nice summer dress or a short skirt, but only rarely.

She slipped on her white Air Forces, her socks were fluffy but short—reaching only to her ankle—so they were hidden when wearing the shoes.

A simple silver heart necklace rested around her neck, one she had gotten a few years ago as a gift from her sister.

Delicate fingers were covered with rings—she adored rings for no apparent reason—they were her favourite sort of jewellery. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail with a silk black scrunchy, with her curtain bangs falling to the sides of her face.

She sighed and grinned in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance. She snatched up her keys and threw her purse over her shoulder.

Hazel snuck out of the home, unnoticed by her parents. She went into her car, strapped the belt around her body and backed out of the driveway.

The trip was quiet, except for the sounds of other cars and the blinking lights inside her own vehicle.

Quickly enough, she had arrived.

She pulled up to the kerb of the brightly illuminated pub, which appeared more like a nightclub to her. Hazel's nerves were jangling, and with each passing second, her mind was overthinking the situation.

She could have been better off staying at home. She had a lot of studying to complete and other things to do to pass the time. There were lots to do, including finishing another Netflix series she had lately become infatuated with.

Daniel's figure appeared in front of her, robbing her of all options for getting out of this night. But then, when he waved at her, she realised it wasn't that horrible, that a night out with people her age wouldn't be so bad.

She unlocked the car door and got out, clutching her purse. With a big smile on his face, Daniel stepped over to her. "Hey, Hazel!" He waved, greeting her as they stood in front of each other.

Hazel smiled, then was taken aback as Daniel pulled her in for a hug. His large arms squeezed her small figure, and the woman could only reciprocate a small touch on the back.

Pulling away, Daniel loosely hung his arm over her shoulder and began to lead the way. "Now, not to worry about age and all, I'm buddies with the owner so there won't be a problem."

Hazel nodded, not feeling as light as before. Daniel moved inside the bar without a word being said, once Hazel had also made it inside, she was somewhat uncomfortable.

The atmosphere was cool, there was also people all over the place. People who didn't necessarily look like all fun and games. Before she could even process that, she was being dragged again—this time towards a group of people she was actually familiar with.

"Daniel! You're here!" Gregory, another coworker had exclaimed. Daniel was pulled into a bro shake, Hazel shyly standing to the side.

"Oh, hey, Hazel!" Gregory smiled lightly, his hand out in front of her to shake. Taking the larger hand, she lightly shook it and returned the smile. "Hey, Greg."

Glancing behind him, she then saw Elaine, the receptionist at their clinic. One of the many people who didn't like Hazel for no particular reason.

Hazel smiled at her like she usually does also giving her a small wave. This time Elaine gave her an incredibly fake, tight-lipped smile, only for the sake of her friends being around.

"Jake is on his way," Greg mentioned to the two newcomers, gesturing his hand towards the two empty seats. Hazel took the one in between Gregory and Daniel definitely not comfortable sitting next to the other girl.

"I'll go get us some drinks. Hazel, what would like?" Daniel turned to the girl struggling to sit upon the high stool, huffing, she used the table to reach herself up and her bottom landed flat onto it.

Turning to Daniel, she smiled out her embarrassment. "Just a regular sprite please, with extra Ice as well." Daniel nodded amusement dancing across his features at the girl.

"With extra ice?" Greg questioned with amusement in his tone. Hazel blushed, her pale cheeks turning light pink. "Ah, yeah, I love ice," She mumbled.

Gregory chuckled and shook his head with amusement. "You're a funny one, Haze." She smiled lightly and swung her feet back and forth.

Elaine had then begun to strike up a conversation, though it was only directed to the only other person on their table at the time. Hazel was used to this sort of thing, being left out and all.

It seemed no matter how hard she tried, she would never get a friend—never knowing the reasons why.

Daniel arrived back with a dark, tall drink in his hand—and in the other held her tall drink of sprite, living in ice. "Thank you." Hazel took the drink from him, bringing the black straw to her lips.

Daniel flashed her a smile, taking a seat beside the young girl and then drinking his beverage himself. "So, how is everyone doing?" Gregory asked, looking between the three people.

Daniel went first, beginning to talk about the many job opportunities coming up for him for a role in the police force.

Soon the conversations went around the table, Hazel only listening intently while sipping her Sprite which seemed a little off, though she blamed it on the amount of ice inside of the glass.

♛♛♛

An hour went by and to say Hazel was done for the night was a complete understatement.

Her bottom was nearly cramped up from sitting down for so long, Daniel was slightly tipsy but not enough—and Gregory and Elaine were most definitely, wasted.

Hazel being the only sober one, stood from her seat, though she almost immediately regretted it as her head spun every passing second. "I'm just going to the restroom," She announced, they nodded merely and she began walking.

"Goodness," She murmured to herself, her temples rubbing together as she walked with an unnoticed sway. Each step seemed like a tonne of bricks were dropping on top of her head, causing her head to spin like a madman.

She made it to the bathroom, but not before double-checking the sign, which was slightly hazy. Her legs tripping through felt like jello.

A considerable amount of vile threatened to rise up her throat as she grasped the sides of the sink. "What have I done?" She wondered aloud, apparently unsure of the things she had been consuming.

From her knowledge, she had one single tall glass of sprite and ice. Maybe the sprite was off? Or maybe she accidentally inhaled the wrong air today, she did see a group of people in the bar earlier exhaling some sort of illegal smoke from their mouths.

"Hey love, are you okay?"

Hazel sprung to her feet when her shoulder was suddenly touched. Her gaze was drawn behind her as she came into contact with two really pretty girls.

"Um, I'm not too sure," Her normally bright Hazel eyes were now hidden by the blackness of her pupils.

"You don't look so good... come and sit down," The second girl said with concern, motioning towards the toilet seat she had pulled down for her to sit on. Hazel nodded, and the other girl escorted her to the toilet.

"Trace, go and grab a bottle of water," Trace nodded, rushing out of the bathroom. Hazel looked up at the girl, amongst everything that was going on with her she couldn't help but be surprised by her kindness.

"Hey, sweetie, where do you feel sick?" The girl knelt down and looked up at Hazel, worried, as she attempted to figure out what had happened to her.

"My head," Hazel grumbled as she leaned against the bathroom wall, her eyes closed. As the girl named Trace returned, the other girl nodded and rose to her feet.

"Here," The other unknown girl took the freshwater bottle from her and opened the top, lifting it to Hazel's lips. "Hun open for me," Softly, she asked.