Take You Home ON HOLD

Can I Tell you a Secret? {Chapter 7}

Song: Call You Home // Kelvin Jones

"Hayden? What's the deal between you and Brady?" I asked, throwing a white binder into the shopping cart.

Hayden continued pushing the cart down the aisle, tossing in pencils and other supplies.

I stopped, waiting for his response. "Hayden, I have a right to know." I said sternly, crossing my arms.

"I know, I know. I'm just in a tough spot here Ave's. Yeah, I don't get along with the kid, but he's the father of your, uh, baby. I don't want something that happened between us to change your relationship, you know?" He, tugged on his hair, something I noticed he did under stress.

I watched as he continued to search the list of supplies, pulling more from the shelves and plopping them on top of the rest. I could tell he was trying to distract himself, take his mind off of the anxiety ridden situation. He had a hard time dealing with things upfront.

"Alright, Ava. If you really need to know so badly," he began, spinning around to face me. "A few months ago, in May, I was working the night shift at a bar. It was a small place but I was pretty high up. The owner trusted me. It was a good job and I needed the extra cash. Anyway, Brady came in one night already drunk. I knew him, heck everybody knew Brady. He really is a stand up guy, Ave's, as much as I hate to admit it. So he came in, already wasted, and came on up to the bar. I asked to see his ID, and he refused. He was mumbling something about a girl who broke his heart that he would never see again. He was a mess, Ava. A complete mess."

I sucked in my breath quietly, careful not to distract Hayden from his story. Could I be the girl? Could I really have made Brady that miserable? My stomach churned and I grabbed it for comfort.

Hayden glanced at me, checking to see if I was okay, before continuing. "I asked if he needed anything, or if I could help him home. For some odd freaking reason that set the kid off. He started yelling that he didn't need anyone's help and he could take care of himself. Then outta no where, he starts throwing punches at me. He picked up glasses and threw them at the wall. He was a total maniac. I did everything I could to stop him but pretty soon I was fighting just as much as he was," he took a deep breath. "The cops came and my manager came in. After watching the security cameras I was fired. I know I shouldn't hold a grudge over it, but damn, he really gets to me. And to top it off he got my baby sister pregnant..." Hayden stopped, clenching his fists.

"Hayden, wow. I-I'm sorry. I had no idea-" I began, unsure how to react.

Hayden put his hand up, stopping me. "Now you know, but don't let it change things. He could be a good guy who was just really torn up about some chick. I don't know. Maybe this is God's way of teaching me to let go of the past." He shrugged, turning his attention back to shopping.

Some chick? Who was this some chick? I met him in April, could he really have still been so upset a month later? My head spun as my thoughts raced and I realized, I really didn't know Brady all that well.

"Alright, kiddo. I think that does it for the school supplies. Ready to go get some clothes?" Hayden asked, pushing the cart to the check out lane.

I nodded, studying the supplies. It seemed like he got everything. "Sounds good. Can we still-"

"Yes, we will drive to the next town to get clothes so no one sees you."

I smiled, hugging my brother. "Thanks Hayden. Thanks for taking care of me."

"You got it."

~

I pushed the garage door open and dropped the bags on the ground immediately. My back ached from walking all day. I slumped on the couch and pulled a blanket over me.