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Fountain wishes

“I’m okay now I swear.” Bailey said with his hands on the sink counter, while Candi stood next to him running one hand through his blonde locks. Bailey could see her looking at him with a steady and supporting smile and he tried to return it, but to Candi it looked like her friend was trying to act okay. It was then that each of the girls' phones beeped to indicate a message. Bailey just glanced at the little white purse, while Candi got her phone out to check the awaiting message. “Looks like you made an impression on Li.” Candi turned her phone around so Bailey could read what was on the screen.

Unknown: Hey this is Li, my new friend here just gave me both of your numbers.

Unknown: Look forward to that future I was talking about.

Bailey rolled his eyes, at the message, but wasn’t so sure if the tables were turned if he wouldn’t have said something similar. While reading what was on Candi’s phone, Bailey’s made several more beeps. With a small prayer to a God he didn’t really believe in, he reached into the purse to see what more was said to him. There were two sets of messages, both from the same phone number listed as known. One was a group text to him and Candi, the other just to him. The first message made his blood run cold.

Unknown: Funny story, I already had this phone number in my phone. It used to belong to a good friend of mine.

Unknown: My brother said he passed his phone off to his girlfriend’s daughter, and wow it is a small world for both the phone owners to be named Bailey.

Unknown: I think I will enjoy texting the new number’s owner much more though.

Unknown: Let me know when the two of you are free to talk or hang out, or just you if you like.

He wasn’t sure why he did it, beyond just wanting to keep his secret safe, but Bailey replied with a gif of Kermit jumping around with the words So excited for this over his head. After he added Liam back to his phone contact list, and wondered how many more numbers that witch deleted from it. Candi saw the small smile that didn’t look nearly as **** as the one she saw just moments ago and misread it as happy to have gotten Li’s number, instead of the truth that he was just relieved to have gotten away with the act. “I can tell you like him, but tell me the truth. Who do you think is cuter, Li or August?” The answer was nether, Bailey can no problem saying some men were good looking, but that isn’t what she meant. If he had learned anything about Candi is that she was a meddler, and the last thing he wanted was this girl messaging Liam to spend time with them after the Salon. No, he wanted at least a few minutes to decompress before he went to this dinner and be done with the farce. “Hard to say, but you have seen my diary and know I think August is just dreamy.” Candi put her hands on her hips and gave Bailey an expression he thought was supposed to convey something and when Candi just leaned slightly more forward still giving him the same look and trying to will him to understand what it meant. “For Heaven’s sake, why haven’t you asked him out on a second date then!?” She sounded exasperated. Before Bailey could throw out an excuse Candi continued. “This is a new century, it is okay to be proper, but we can ask a boy out. It doesn’t like always have to be up to them.”

The entire conversation from what she wanted to talk about to the text messages was something Bailey was ready to put behind him. So he put the cute purse he was borrowing over his shoulder. “We are going to be late, and if I spend all my time with boys I would have less time for my sister.” That should shut the girl up he thought. “Awww, your like so sweet and we have plenty of time. You should text him right now, just let him know you are thinking about him.” Bailey fluttered his lashes a little bit as he blinked at the girl in front of him. “Ahh like now? Maybe later.” Pressing her lips together Candi held out her hand palm up. “You are like way to nervous, he likes you. You wont screw it up I promise, but leave it to big sister to help. Now give.” This will all be over tomorrow, this will all be over tomorrow, Bailey repeated to himself as he handed over the phone. “Good now pose for me, lets send him a photo. Come on, do it, stop that and put your hand behind your head and look away from the camera. Yeah like that!” A moment later a text message was sent with a photo of Bailey posing in the outfit he felt completely exposed in.

Bailey: Hey cutie, was thinking of you when I put this on today.

Bailey: Hope your Friday is going well, we should talk later. Going to get my hair done in a few.

August: Wow, Bailey you are beautiful.

August: I love Friday’s, my favorite day of the week and you just made it way better!

“There, you will have that boy as your boyfriend before you know it.” Candi said handing the electronic device back. One more message showed up when it was in Bailey’s hand. An image of August standing in what looked like a work bathroom taking a selfie of himself in a grey button up shirt and skinny black tie. Bailey’s eyes flicked up to Candi and then back to the photo and showed her. “Cute right?” The blonde teen agreed and the pair started to the salon, still early for their appointment. They of course couldn’t walk in silence and it appeared she wasn’t done with the topic of the two boys. “So you think August is dreamy and are like obvi worried about ruining it with him, but I saw how you were with Li. What do you like about him? He is sooo different from August. Oh wow look at this!” He question was pushed to the side as Candi’s attention was pulled to a dress in the display. Unlucky for him she still wanted an answer. Bailey considered the things he taught Liam to sell about himself to girls to get them intrigued. “Oh my god so much, like he has this bad boy vibe and is so confident. He was like soo giving us lines to totally impress us, but the way he looked at us I think he was telling the truth, it’s like sweet.”

The two had to actually go by that same fountain where Bailey had the wardrobe malfunction, and she stopped and pulled out a quarter from her purse. Candi closed her eyes, holding the coin tight in her palm before opening them and tossing it into the water. “I made a wish! You want one?” Bailey held his hand forward waving it slightly to let her know he had no intention to waste her money. “Suit yourself, but I wished our parents fell in love. Wouldn’t that be so amazing! My Daddy goes on a work trip and falls in love with your Mom.” Bailey looked to the fountain, he knew it was all bullshit, but something in him looked over the various pieces of stamped metal at the bottom of the water, wondering if he should try and get that coin from the fountain just in case. “Shouldn’t have said that, you can’t say your wishes from a fountain or your birthday out loud or they won't come true.” Bailey said just starting to walk away to their destination. “Hey, that is not true at all, take that back!” Candi said rushing to catch up.

Inside Lovely Locks Boutique the two sat waiting for their appointment, both flipped through different magazines. Bailey was just looking at the different models, while he assumed Candi was finalizing her decision for what was about to happen. The day like every day had been a rollercoaster, this one was going to come to an end and never again would he have to get back on. So he figured why not just go with what she wanted, no fighting what was inevitable and just act like it was the best idea. Leave this kind, but pushy girl with a good memory before he shaved his hair off tomorrow. When the stylists for the two came to talk about what they wanted, Candi showed a photo in the magazine where she had folded the corner to hold its place. “The two of you are alright blonde, and that look tends to start with someone with a darker base, but if you want that layered look with darker hair coming out to platinum blonde, we can create that with some lowlights.” The four of them continued the discussion, Bailey just going along happily as his stomach sunk more and more. When they were done both the girls had a new hairstyle, that started with darker blonde hair that transitioned to platinum blonde, with slight curls throughout that came to a V cut just above the center of their backs. To get the right length both had to have some extensions put in and after hours of sitting the chair Bailey didn’t have to act surprised to see the change.

Standing by the register Candi was bursting with excitement, something Bailey tried to mimic. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Just look at us, this is perfect!” Giving her the best smile he could, Bailey glanced at the mirror they both stood next to as one of the stylists rung them up. He thought if people mistook them for sisters before, they wouldn’t have any doubts now. “Perfect is a word.” Bailey looked between the two of them in the mirror, wishing it was someone else he was looking at. When the bill was handed over Bailey didn’t even look at it before handing it over to Candi. “Oh, oops.” The oops was more than enough to draw his attention. “What is oops?” Candi turned the piece of paper around so Bailey could see. “Going to spend a little more of Daddy’s money than I intended.” She said with a sheepish grin before handing over a credit card her Dad had given her. “Daddy’s money? I thought Mommy gave you money?” Candi signed the receipt making sure to leave a large tip. ”Daddy’s money, Mommy’s money, all that matters is it is spent and with how you can’t stop looking at yourself it was money well spent!” Bailey glowered at the teen for a second before looking back at himself and posing a little. The tuck kit was doing its job as he eyed himself. He heard Candi giggling and looked to her holding her phone. “What are you doing?” He said with suspicion and instead of a verbal answer she turned her phone around to see a text message sent to August, Ryan and himself with a photo she had just taken of the two of them as he was posing.
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