Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty-Nine

❝hurt (pronounced həːtor hert), adjective
physically injured.❞

Spencer opened the door as silently as he could, quietly closing it behind him. He could hear his mother in the kitchen talking quietly, and he could hear his father pacing the floor. He let out a slow breath, and slowly walked past, hoping they wouldn't notice.

"Spencer Lark Hayes-Lockhart!" said Ma, looking up from her hands. "Get in here, now!"

He gulped, and walked into the kitchen, keeping his head down. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" demanded Pa. "Not answering your phone when we called a million times- we were this close to calling the police!"

"I broke it. I'm sorry."

"This is the third one!" said Ma, sighing. "What on Earth do you keep doing to keep breaking them?"

He shrugged. "Gonna take a shower, bye."

"Not before you tell us where you were, Spencer," said Pa sternly. "You've been gone for a long time."

"At least eat something," said Ma. "Have you eaten anything?"

He only just noticed the time. Eight pm? He had been trapped like that for nearly three hours? "Yeah, actually," he said, going to the fridge and grabbing a bunch of grapes. "Now, gonna take a-"

"Take that hat off your head, you look like some kind of thug," said Ma, suddenly swiping it off his head.

And she gasped.

Pa immediately stood up. "What happened?!" he said. "Answer us!"

"Oh, God, you're bleeding- your eye, what happened to your-"

"Just let me take a shower, damn it!" he yelled suddenly. Both his parents seemed taken aback by this. "That's all I want, just- just-" He suddenly burst into tears.

Ryan hugged him gently. "What happened, pumpkin?" she asked.

"N-Nothing," he sobbed. "Just let me take a shower, I just want to take a shower."

"Hold on, Spence. Where are you bleeding from?" she said quietly. "I promise, you don't have to do anything else. Just tell me where it is you're bleeding from, and we can check if you need stitches. Hunter, grab an ice pack from the fridge for his eye."

Pa did so immediately, and Spencer pressed it to his face, still sniffling. "It's on the side," he said. "L-Left."

She parted his hair as gently as she could and pursed her lips. "I'm not sure. Hunt?"

"Let's see," he said. He looked concerned. "It looks like it's been bleeding for a while. How long has it been like this?"

"A while."

"Were you mugged, honey?" asked Ma.

"No. It was nothing. I just crashed into a locker."

"Did you pass out or something?"

"No."

"Do you feel dizzy? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Give the kid a break," said Robin, walking into the kitchen. "Come on, I've had worse than this from kickboxing, he's hardly going to die. Spence, does it hurt?"

"A little."

"Alright. Go take a shower, wash off the blood. When the gunk is gone, we'll see if you need stitches." She looked at Ma and Pa. "Is that fine with you?"

Pa nodded, and Ma slumped into a seat, looking defeated. "I'm sorry, Ma," he said softly.

"It's alright, my darling," she said. "What do you want for dinner?"