The Social Outcast

Chapter Seventeen

"Um, I have to go," I tried to walk out of the café.

I felt Niall grab my wrist. It's been two years since I've seen him, and he has really changed. He was wearing doctors scrubs and had bags under his eyes.

He pulled me over to the nearest empty table and made me sit down.

"Hallie, I haven't seen you in two years, don't try to run away," He tiredly said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, all nine of us are volunteering at the hospital in Atlanta," He took a sip of his coffee.

"Nine? And why did you come all the way from California?"

"Liam, Niall, Zayn, Louis, Luke, Michael, Calum, Ashton, and I. Also, because of the fact that we get a raise if we do this,"

"Oh, that makes since, I guess," I looked at the table.

"So, what have you been up to, Hallie?" He asked.

"Uh, nothing much, the usual," I brushed him off. We talked for a few minutes before Carson walked in. He saw me and emotionlessly waved hello.

Niall saw this.

"Who was that?" Niall sounded upset.

"Someone from school. Anyway, I have to go. Please don't tell anyone you saw me." He looked confused as I walked away.

To be honest, I missed all of them so much. That was the one place that I felt I was actually safe and secure. That I wasn't a major disappointment.

********************************

Calum's POV

"Niall, what the heck is wrong with you?" Zayn asked.

"I can't tell you, she asked me not to," Niall said.

"She?" Louis walked into the room.

"Okay fine, but she's going to kill me. Earlier today, I went to the coffee shop and saw Hallie. We talked for a little while, but she asked me not to tell you," Niall said.

Even if it had been two years, there wasn't a day I went without thinking of Hallie. She was constantly on my mind, yet I hadn't texted her for months.

At first, I texted her every morning and evening. She never texted back, and eventually I got busy with surgeries and other stuff. Even if she was constantly in my thoughts, I knew that she had a life and a family.

I know I've said it multiple times, but Hallie was a daughter to me.

It was heartbreaking for a parent to be away from their kid.

Hallie was literally in the same town as me, and I didn't even know. This was my chance to see her for the first time in two years.

Even if I was just her domestic exchange guardian, I had an emotional connection with her.

"Where did you see her, Niall?" I asked

"At the coffee shop down the street. She's changed so much, Cal," He said,

I knew what I needed to do.

I texted Hallie, telling her to meet me at the coffee shop. I went to the coffee shop that Niall had told me about and waited. A girl walked in, looking very familiar. That's when I saw them.

The familiar forest green eyes.

That girl was Hallie.

She made eye contact with me and froze, telling that she recognized me.

I watched as she just sat down across from me, pulling her book out and reading. I chuckled and grabbed the book from her, making her groan.

Just like two years ago.

"Oh c'mon Hallie, I haven't seen you in two years. You can put down the book for more than ten seconds." I watched as she counted to ten before grabbing the book.

She's grown sassy.

I grabbed the book again.

"So Niall told you that he saw me?" She asked.

Hallie looked so different. Her hair was dyed brown at the ends. She had a new pair of glasses, so she could actually see. She had grown into such a beautiful girl, yet she still had the pain filled eyes.

It made me think of all those attempts to make her tell me what was happening in her life.

"Wow, straight to the point," I laughed.

"Let's just get one thing straight. I lived with you for a span of three months for a stupid domestic exchange program. I don't know why you're trying to get back in contact with, so just stop." She told me.

What in the world happened to the small girl I had known two years ago?

GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

WELL, I GOT TO THINKING, AND AFTER I GOT WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT, I WAS A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENT AND CONTENT WITH MY WRITING. GUYS, I'M TELLING Y'ALL THAT FEEDBACK HELPS

I OVERTHINK TOO MUCH. WHEN I DON'T GET ANY FEEDBACK, I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THAT MY WRITING IS BAD!

BUT ON ANOTHER NOTE, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL MY READS, VOTES, FOLLOWS, AND SUPER SWEET COMMENTS AND DM'S. Y'ALL HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT SUPPORTIVE AND I LOVE Y'ALL SO MUCH!!

XOXO, L.

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