𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀.ᐟ 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀

wood tick

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chapter seven: wood tick

warning: mentions of abuse

{a/n:
apologies for the slightly brutal opening and slightly sloppy writing as it took 5 days to write this (i kept getting interrupted lmfao so apologies if certain parts are rushed.)

hope you enjoy!! }

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       VERA SINCLAIR AND HAYDEN O'LEVITT were best friends. They have been ever since Hayden's family agreed to foster her at a young age. She was nine years old at the time, and was passed on from her last foster family, whom were terribly abusive.

When Hayden first saw her, he couldn't understand why there were so many bruises pattered up against her arms and legs, and why she seemed so malnourished.

He thought maybe she'd fallen off a swing set. Or maybe she was in the hospital for something and wasn't allowed to eat.

After a few weeks of staying in his home, Vera opened up to him of what truly happened. She explained that they treated her like a slave; just using her for cleaning, and that they would starve her.

The night before she was moved to Hayden's, she had sneaked into the kitchen in search for some sort of food. Unfortunately, she was caught in the act when the father went to get a beer.

She couldn't go into exact details as she began to breakdown. He held her close to her chest, absolutely livid on what human could do such a thing.

Hell, he didn't think that monster was human.

"I am so sorry," he would whisper, hugging her tightly as she sobbed, "I am so, so sorry, Vera."

Needless to say, the two got very close after she shared such a dark part of her life. He promised to keep it to himself and protect her no matter what.

Which he did.

Now almost eight years later, the two were still closer than ever. He is one of the main reasons she wanted to come to this academy. Hayden is who introduced Vera to hockey. Because of that, her mother seems to strongly dislike him. This was the only way she could interact with him without her interfering.

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    VERA GREW CONFUSED ON the sudden change in Hayden's demeanor. The once witty and sarcastic boy was now sulking in his chair after his eyes had landed on something.

She glanced back, scanning the dinning hall for the source. Her brows knitted together, and she brought her attention back to her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Them." He mumbled, using his head to nod towards a group of teenagers.

Vera followed to where he had motioned. Her face softening as she recognized her roommate, Julie, her newly found friend, Adam, and two others she couldn't quite recall if they'd met.

But after realizing that they were the cause of Hayden being upset, her face tensed. "What about them?" She questioned, turning back around.