𝑺𝑻𝑨𝒀 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑭𝑼𝑳

Casey laughed aloud, tempted to whip a bagel out of the bag himself and chew along with her. Haley had a contagious personality, now that he could see it in a better situation than the coffee shop. “Don’t apologize; having an appetite is a great thing. You’re welcome to more if you want.” While walking, he glanced her way, head tilted a little in uncertainty. “That doesn’t sound too convincing. You alright? No one else giving you trouble, are they?” He also shrugged as he answered her question. “Same old thing. Just work and the usual. Nothing exciting, honestly. Although excitement in my job typically amounts to something bad, so I’m not really complaining.”

HALEY SMILED GENTLY at his concern. “ no .. no, nothing like that. ” the left corner of her lip pulled backward causing a dimple to form on her cheek. “ just stress from work , you know? being a lifeguard can suck sometimes. ” haley nodded whilst listening to the other talk. “ your job is exciting? what is it that you do? ” she took another bite of the bagel as she waited for a response.

“ mmm .. that depends on what it is. if it’s something like The Lord of the Rings then movie one hundred percent. but if it’s something short and sweet then I’d pick book. ”

“ is both an answer? if I absolutely HAD to choose ... I’d pick the sun. ”

“ I don’t think I’ve been around long enough to figure that out but I definitely love my best friend ! she’s my rock. ”

“ my birthday is july 2nd which makes me a cancer. but I’m not sure which house I’d belong to. my best guess would be hufflepuff but I’ve never read or seen the movies. ”

Days could be tough, especially early mornings, but Casey always tried to go out of his way to lift someone’s spirits. The chipper greeting he received in return only made the blonde grin brighter. He was glad she had accepted the offering; he’d bought way too many of those things anyhow. “Thank you, Haley. And really? Well then, I’m glad I could make your day better,” he nodded happily, falling in step with her. “Here’s hoping it keeps that way. Things going alright for you?”

HALEY TOOK A big bite of the bagel. she grinned at the fact that she couldn’t respond -- only chew. the girl lifted one finger in hopes he’d get what she was trying to say: one second please. she took a sip from her iced tea and continued. “ sorry about that --- ” haley giggled. “ things are going .... they’re going. ” her shoulders shrugged. “ how are things for you though, casey? ” she was the WORST when it came to remembering names. but how could she possibly forget the man who had helped her deal with that mean man in the coffee shop. 

When Benji saw what was happening to Haley he walked over and handed her his cup of coffee. “Hey. How are you? Ready to go?” He asked, glancing at the guy and then back to the girl. 

AT THAT POINT , tears had started to form within the girl’s eyes. she was scared. terrified. haley’s hand had physically started to shake --- the hated being yelled at ; yelling in general , actually. “ yes -- yes , I’m ready. ” the inner corner of her eyebrows had upturned slightly. it was quite clear that haley was in distress but was trying not to be. “ let’s go . . . ” when she was sure the other man couldn’t see her face , she mouthed to benji ‘ thank you. ’ 

Avalon frowned and walked over. “Heyyyy. I need to borrow you for a moment.” She said, moving to take the girl’s hand and walk off before the guy could say anything. 

FOR A VERY BRIEF moment , haley was very confused but she realized that the stranger was helping her. “ that was so embarrassing -- thank you so much for stepping up.”

Etta was just minding her own business, finding the right balance of sugar and tea nearby when she heard the exclamation. She looked over, perhaps a little too obviously, it was clear that whatever was happening wasn’t wanted. She poured one last sugar packet into her tea, popped the lid on and headed over. She smiled widely, “Hey, it’s been so long! How are you?” she asked enthusiastically, not even glancing in the guy’s direction she took haley’s arm, “Just go with it,” she said in a low voice as she practically dragged her out of the way until the guy cleared off.

Casey had stopped into the shop for his usual, but instantly he noticed some kind of commotion going on. Of course, most around were bystanders pretending to mind their own business. That irked him; they were supposed to be a small community and help each other out. That was one of the reasons he stayed in Beacon. “Is there a problem here?” Casey cleared his throat, the question coming out a little rough as he directed it to whomever was giving Haley hell. “What’s going on?”

HALEY’S EYES wandered up to see the man who had stepped up. the girl was just above 5′1″ which she thought made her an easy target for bullshitery. “ ask him. ” she darted a glare at the stranger who had been shouting at her about how the barista made his coffee too hot. but by now , he had shut up. haley inched her way to behind slightly casey ; it made her feel slightly more safe.