Chapter 4: Not so bad after all

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

John 7:24

If someone told Hayley that she would end up befriending the man that she loathed, she would probably slap that person and yell at them for suggesting something so stupid. However, now that she was friends with Zane, she didn't find that idea so absurd after all, especially since he was kind enough to invite her to a private meeting with Janine as all 3 of them would talk about the Cabell Family together and at a café of all places. The café itself, Crowning Café, was popular for get-togethers and anyone who wished to have some peace and quiet while being able to talk with their friends. It was quite popular with the students attending Emerald College with some of the college faculty members also visiting it at times. It was especially popular on weekends, reading weeks and during the holidays due to those times being when both students, tutorial assistants and professors would gather there as a way to rest. Hayley herself never had a chance to visit the place due to being busy with her schoolwork and focusing more on studying rather than hanging out with her friends, much to the concern and sadness of Lynne and Tasha. Fortunately, Hayley was able to finish up her essay, with help from Zane nonetheless, and found that the book that Zane lent her was actually useful for her essay. Hopefully I can get a passing grade at least, Hayley thought to herself as she filed her essay away and kept it safe in her backpack before grabbing her purse and double checking her things to make sure she brought everything, including the last volume of the Cabell Family series that she bought from the bookstore. Given that it was Saturday and Hayley had agreed to meet up with him at the café, she had to make sure she was ready and prepared for anything. Zane had already informed Janine of Hayley meeting them there and they all agreed to meet up at 6pm, that way they could eat dinner there while also not being too late to get back to their respective homes.

"So where are you headed off to tonight?" Lynne asked as she was currently sitting on her bed, with her laptop watching something.

"I'm going to meet up with Janine and Zane at the Crowning Café," Hayley responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Wait, Zane? The same Zane you slapped last week?" Lynne asked in shock as she paused her video.

"Yes? Is there a problem with that?" Hayley asked nervously.

"No no no! Nothing at all!" Lynne responded. "I'm just surprised you would want to be around him given how you reacted whenever he was around."

"Well, that was because I didn't know him well," Hayley responded. "I thought was just like all those other men who only viewed women as objects to be toyed around with, at least that's what my mother would tell me. But after I met him at the library yesterday, he helped me with my essay and even forgave me when I apologized for the incident that happened last week. He invited me to talk about the Cabell Family series with him and Janine as that's what they did every Saturday."

"Good for you," Lynne replied with a smile. "At least you're getting along with Zane now and don't have to worry about getting on his bad side."

"I hope so," Hayley responded. "My aunt always told me to avoid making too enemies as I don't want them to come back to haunt me."

"Well, that's something I agree with," Lynne replied with a nod. "You think Janine and Zane are secretly dating?"

"What do you mean?" Hayley asked in confusion.

"Well, given that they like to meet up on Saturdays, that could literally mean anything," Lynne pointed out, causing Hayley to become shocked and flustered.

"I-Is that so?" she stammered as she tried not to think about it too much.

"Why? Do you suddenly have the hots for Zane?" Lynne asked with a cheeky smile.

"WHAT?! NO!" Hayley cried out in embarrassment and indignation. "I DON'T HAVE THE 'HOTS' FOR HIM!"

"Really? Then what is he to you?"

"He's..... I mean he's.... um..... WHY AM I STILL HERE I NEED TO GO NOW!"

"Okay then have fun on your date!"

"UGH YOU ARE THE WORST!"

As Hayley said this, she slammed the door before leaving the dormitory while Lynne sat there with a smug grin on her face before giggling to herself. She then pulled out her cellphone in order to make a call to someone.

"Oh boy wait till Tasha hears this," Lynne said with a giggle as she typed in Tasha's phone number.

Meanwhile...

"Okay, this should be the place," Hayley said to herself as she finally arrived at her destination. Thankfully, the café wasn't too far from her dormitory as she passed by it a few times despite never having been inside. Once she did go inside, she heard a small bell ring similar to the one from the Reader's Study Bookstore and was immediately enveloped by the warmth inside. Given how it was a bit chilly outside, the warm atmosphere and temperature was a welcome change for Hayley as she explored the inside of the café. The interior could only be described as chique with a bit of a retro aesthetic thrown into the mix. Some of the walls were a deep forest green with the roof and others were a soft white color that gave Hayley a sense of ease. Not only that, she saw many couches and mini sofas that were placed near a fireplace of some kind, though it seemed to be an artificial one judging by how the wood wasn't actually burning. Though it was technically fake, she could feel the heat coming from it so she didn't mind at all and made sure to rub her hands together so they wouldn't get cold. A few minutes later, she heard the door open again with a couple more footsteps entering the café, prompting her to turn around to see who it was. Thankfully, it was Zane and Janine who were arriving in the establishment though they like Hayley were wearing jackets due to the coldness outside.

"Janine! Zane!" Hayley cried out as she ran to greet them. Zane and Janine smiled as they saw Hayley approach them and responded in kind.

"Hi Hayley," Zane responded with a wave as she came closer.

"Ready to talk?" Janine asked, to which Hayley responded by nodding eagerly.

"Yeah, I even brought my final volume of the series for this occasion!" Hayley responded as she quickly pulled out the copy in question.

"Great, but first let's get something to eat," Zane said as he gestured to the counter where the café employees were stationed.

The 3 of them went to order their meals before finding a good seat for them to eat at. They chose one that was closer to the windows before deciding to finally settle down. Their meals would be delivered to them in a couple of minutes but they didn't mind as they were more focused on discussing their favorite series.

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" Janine asked Hayley, who blushed when she was asked that.

"Um... how about the subplot involving Samantha and how she ends up staying in the other world?" she asked.

"Sure," Zane responded. "I assume you want to know if her decision to stay there and be the princes of the other world was a good idea or not?"

"I guess," Hayley responded. "Personally, I don't think it was a good idea in hindsight as that would mean leaving behind. I mean, she had to basically sacrifice her chance of ever going back home and being with her family back on Earth."

"True," Janine responded in agreement. "But she didn't exactly have the best life on Earth given how bullied and isolated she felt."

"Yeah," Zane said. "And her family wasn't exactly the most understanding towards her when it came to her issues compared to Zenmoney."

"I guess so," Hayley said. "But how would they explain that their daughter is in another world at this point?"

"Well, Samantha and Zenmoney did plan on opening the portals from their world to Earth's at the end," Janine pointed out. "So I guess that could help explain the strange phenomena happening between their worlds."

"Right that," Hayley responded. "Though realistically speaking, it would seem a bit reckless and dangerous don't you think?"

"Maybe," Zane said. "But it's better than nothing right? I mean, the first few volumes clearly state that the other world was closed off from Earth despite having had a connection to it in the past. Maybe it was for the best that things change."

"I guess," Hayley said as she pondered over the endless possibilities that would occur after the events of the Cabell Family series. "But do you think they will succeed? In establishing peace between the 2 worlds at least?"

"I guess that depends on how we interpret the ending," Zane commented. "Unless the author decides to release a new book that helps clear some things, we'll never know."

"I see this ending as a win for everyone," Janine responded. "Sure the family and Samantha have gone their separate ways but I feel like they will be able to reach some kind of happy ending for everyone."

"I hope so," Hayley responded. "I really do."

As they continued to discuss the story's ending, they finally received their meals which were just as mouthwatering as the menus showed. Zane ordered a garden salad with a BLT sandwich at the side while Janine ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and hot chocolate. As for Hayley, she ordered a Caesar salad with some mac and cheese. The 3 of them ate to their heart's content while continuing their discussion. Overall, the atmosphere was peaceful and friendly, with Hayley regretting how she didn't get to visit this place earlier and promised to visit it a lot more in the near future. After about 2 hours of talking and eating, they finally decided to go back to their homes for the night, with Zane offering to walk Hayley home for the night.

"Are you sure? I could just walk home alone. I've done it before," Hayley responded.

"Sure but it gets really cold at night and I don't want you to end up getting sick or lost or anything like that," Zane responded.

After a few minutes of pondering, Hayley decided to let him walk her home while Janine bid them farewell and left to go back to her dorm room. Though Hayley wanted to pay for her meal, Zane had done it for her as he wanted to make her feel welcome instead of making her pay for her first meal here. As the 2 of them walked back to the dorms, they both stayed silent not because of awkwardness but rather because they were both a bit tired and wanted to rest their vocal cords after talking for so long. The full moon shone in the sky above them with the clouds passing by and obscuring it for a couple of minutes. After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, Hayley decided to ask Zane one question that had been bugging her the whole evening.

"So.... are you and Janine dating?"

"Wait what? NO!" Zane responded with shock, causing Hayley to become surprised as well. "What made you think that?!"

"Well... you did mention that you and Janine liked to meet up on Saturdays and given how close you 2 were..."

"Oh that, no no, we're not dating at all. To be honest, she's just a friend or even like a sister to me. That's all I swear!"

"Okay good. I was worried there for a moment."

"Worried about what?"

"That I was being as some would call 'the third wheel' or something like that."

This made Zane laugh a bit harder than usual, making Hayley blush while also laughing a bit.

"Don't worry Hayley," he assured her. "Janine and I aren't dating and even if we were, hypothetically speaking, we would never see you as the third wheel."

"That's good, that's.... good."

As they talked, they finally arrived at Hayley's dorm where Zane would drop her off.

"Well," Hayley began. "This is goodbye. For now."

"Yeah it is," Zane responded.

"Are you able to go back to the dorm yourself?"

"Don't worry about me, it's only a couple of minutes away from here."

"That's good to hear."

More silence ensued between them.

"Anyways, thanks for inviting me to talk with you and Janine."

"No problem. Glad to have you around."

"Can we do this again sometime?"

"Sure, just come over to my dorm and we'll talk."

"Okay. Thanks."

Hayley then bid him farewell before going back to her dorm room, leaving Zane standing outside the building for a couple of minutes before finally leaving.

At least she and I have something in common, Zane thought to himself. Though I wonder, why does she hate men so much?