Rumour Has It

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍. Common Enemy

Hazel Kaya
Kaya mansion, Sunday 11pm

Kayden had left 4 hours ago. It took everything in me not to beg him to stay, to keep him from leaving me again. I had grown tired of people leaving me, from my grandfather, to Chase, everyone i had once love had disappointed me and left. I knew Kayden was different, I knew deep down that he didn't want to leave and that this wasn't his choice. His friends needed him, who was I to hold him back.

I sat in the lounge room with Lily, both of us in pink matching pyjamas watching a kids cartoon she enjoyed a bit too much. I had to admit, she was growing on me, Lily was slowly making me realise that maybe all kids aren't that bad.

We both sat laughing at some corny joke when a figure appeared at the room's door. He stood hunched over holding his left side as if the moment he let go his ribcage would collapse. He looked bruised, blue and in an unimaginable state of pain.

"Lily i need you to go up to your room, can you do that for me?" i glaced at the little girl, silently explaining to her that everything would be fine. She glanced at the broken boy and leaned forward to kiss my cheek before walking out the room hand in hand with one of the maids.

"Chase, what happened?" I walked close to analysing the hues of purple that painted the skin around his eyes. I had seen Chase like this before, his father was a horrible man, but something inside of me told me this wasn't the old man's doing.

"Hazel I-" he managed to speak before he collapsed on the couch. He was breathing heavily. The person who did this to him had nearly killed him, a part of me wished they had finished the job.

Chase had betrayed me. The night his lips met mine he had ruined to only good then that was left in his life. Part of me wanted to walk away, throw him out and never look back, but a larger part, the more reckless part of me crouched down next to his feet and lifted his chin to meet my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out. "God Hazel, you don't know how sorry I am," As much as I wanted his words to be meaningless, the still carried the weight of the world. I resented how much I wanted t to forgive him, to pretended he didn't use me to replace her.

"Chase what happened?" I asked again now sitting beside him. He refused to look at me, something i was grateful for. If I had met his eyes, I didn't trust myself not to breakdown.

"I need you," he pleaded, the hurt in his voice breaking down my walls.

"Don't say that" I pulled away from him. I didn't need this right now; I didn't need him to come back and ruin everything again. I finally had something good going on, for once in my life I was enjoying life but here his was, in all his pathetic glory saying he needed me.

"Please Hazel, I don't know what else to do," he sat upright. His voice flat and steady. What was he doing? Saying he needed me; he can't be serious. I may be a hopeless romantic but i wasn't stupid. You don't just show up at a girl's house months after you kissed her saying you needed her.

"Chase," I stood up pacing Infront of him. "If this is about your dad, I'll call my dad and he can help you," I didn't know what else to say to him. My dad treated Chase like a son, seeing him like this would shatter him, but if anyone could deal with Mr Carter it was my dad.

"No, it's fine I'm sorry for coming here" he stood up still holding his side before walking towards the door.

What was going on? Seriously what was up with beat and bloody boys showing up at my house in the middle of the night.

"Chase why did you come here?" i asked again, this time harsher. I was tierd of people coming and going as they pleased.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore," he spoke softly against the doorframe.