Don't Let Go

Chapter 3

I walked down the stairs blindly.

"So I heard something crazy." a voice said. My head snapped up in the direction of the voice. 

"Aaron." I said - coming back to reality. My cousin was leaning against the cabinets, both hands resting on the kitchen counter. His hair was a mess of black and his bright blue eyes were staring me down.

"What did you hear?" I asked, uninterested.

"Bradley Hunter - had some interesting things to say about you." he said.

"Oh God." I groaned and sat down on a stool.

"So... Anything you want to tell me?" Aaron asked.

"I swear you're like a mom." I rolled my eyes.

"Well it's not like you have one." he gestured to the huge, empty house about us. That statement should hurt me, but Aaron grew up with a similar situation. His mom and my dad are siblings - and started a company together, in which, they each dragged their spouses into. So basically, we both grew up without proper parents. And when Aaron turned eighteen - he moved in with me and signed up at a college near us so he could 'raise me.' We are both only children and for some reason he saw it as his duty to watch over me. Don't ask me why! I mean, he had no supervision and he turned out pretty well.

"Tristan Hunter was going to jump of the a bridge. I stopped him. Bradley's being a jerk. That's all that there is to it." I said flatly. Aaron frowned.

"I heard you were on the bridge railing with Tristan Hunter." Aaron said. I glanced at him - technically I was on the bridge railing.

"Is that true? Because Hannah, if you are trying to end your life -" Aaron started.

"Stop!" I cut him off. "I was trying to get Tristan off the bridge - I don't know what you heard and I don't care." I said. I got up, frustrated. Aaron placed his hands on my shoulders and made me sit back down.

"Hanhan -" I hated when he called me that. "I love you." he said.

"I know." I said.

"It would be nice if you said it back." he offered.

"I will. When you decide to believe me instead of Bradley Hunter." I smiled sarcastically, escaped Aaron's grip and left my house. The next week passed me by without confrontation.

It felt like I was dreaming - I was numb to reality. I went to my classes, didn't really talk to my friends, and dealt with all the stares. People never seem to get tired of seeing me as the girl on the bridge with Tristan. I don't know how that was any of their business but they seemed to think it was. 

"Snap out of it." I heard someone say. I blinked back to reality.

"What do you want Aaron?" I sighed. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"I want you to stop zoning out." he said.

"I'm not zoning out!" I pressed.

"Really?" he said aggressively. I nodded.

"Then what song did they just sing?" he asked, gesturing to the episode "Glee" that was was playing on the TV screen in front of me.

"Um." I started blankly.

"Exactly." he defeated me.

"Oh just go do your homework or something." I got up dramatically and stormed out of the family room. I heard Aaron chuckle as I walked away. The past week had been horrible... I couldn't sleep, I could barely eat anything and I wasn't keeping up with school or with my friends. And I don't know why!