Recovery | On Hiatus

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

IT TOOK AN hour of Hayden's obnoxious noises and our detention teacher's loud snoring to finally block them out with my wandering thoughts. Initially, they went straight to the sleepover I was expected to attend tonight. Was Hayden right about the outcome only causing trouble? I'd managed to keep my situation with Darrin a secret from everybody else, what could two girls I barely knew do to change that?

      Hayden was wrong. I had more self control than that, no matter what he said or believed. In fact, the only reason Hayden knew anything out about my situation in the first place was due to the state Darrin left me in. It was by chance that he walked back into my life and started to care for me, which his actions were gradually proving despite my stubborn judgement. Would he still care about me if he hadn't found me half-beaten in a pile of snow? Would we still be arguing and pulling crude pranks on the other like we meant less than dirt to each other?

      The questions made ignoring him significantly easier. No, we wouldn't have become closer after all this time. If he hadn't found me, I would be sitting on the opposite side of the room with my head down, completely ignoring the jackass who put me here in the first place. Nothing would have changed, and all the stress I was feeling over not speaking to Hayden was for nothing. We were nothing. Although the realization came like a helpful splash of cold water to the face, I still didn't feel any better. There was an an empty feeling in my chest, like something important was missing whenever we weren't communicating.

      My gaze drifted over to Hayden before I could think better of it, but he didn't seem to notice. His hand drifted quickly across a page in his notebook as he sketched a half-assed tree in the corner. The only indication he'd been following the teacher's instructions was the number one at the top of his page that he'd managed to smudge with his wrist.

      Hayden's hand movement halted suddenly and I froze, eyes lifting up to meet his sideways stare. His gaze narrowed into slits for a moment before he focused on his paper and went back to his sketching. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and laid my head down on the desk. Why can't these two hours be up already? Some part of me knew I'd regret avoiding Hayden if I went through with my plan to do so. I was already feeling the rush of air leave my lungs every time he looked at me with that angry, spiteful expression. He was mad and hurt, but so was I, and he needed to see that and accept it.

      Things were just different now. Even before, whenever Hayden and I decided to stop being friends, we'd still had some kind of contact. It was like we couldn't accept that we weren't friends anymore, so we found ways to communicate—even if the means were aggressive. We'd never just avoided one another and decide to never speak to them again. If I was being honest with myself, it hurt. A lot.

      Resisting the urge to bang my head off the desk, I let out a sigh and sat up. I shouldn't let these kinds of thoughts fill my head. If I dwelled on the past or the what ifs, I would end up giving in to Hayden and my anger, and that would only end in chaos.

      By the time the two hours of punishment came to a close and I could finally leave this horrid place, Hayden was up and halfway out the door before we were even given permission. I took my time gathering my things in the hope of not running into him on my way out, though some part of me hoped I still would.

      Pulling my phone from my pocket to check for any missed texts, I noticed one on the screen from Laura telling me she'd be here to get me at five o'clock on the dot. Of course, it took an expected fifteen minutes later for the red pickup to pull up, David and Aiden in the truck bed with grins plastered on their faces.

      I quickly jogged over to the truck and sent a curious glance towards Sasha as she peeled herself from the passenger seat. Her face was nearly green and went hand in hand with the arm wrapped around her stomach.

      I sent her a reassuring smile. "You okay?"

      Closing her eyes for a moment, she shook her head. "Trucks don't agree with me."

      Laura waved her off, leaning out of the driver's side window. "You'll be fine, you just need to get used to her."

      I smiled, eyes raking over the large vehicle. The classic matte red paint was chipped and dirty from what must have been years of use, and there was mud not-surprisingly splattered on the wheels and sides of the two-door truck. With no room in the back, it was safe to assume I'd be sitting in the bed with David and Aiden. "Her?"

      Aiden hopped over the side and took a second to steady himself after reaching the ground. He was tall, maybe an inch or two taller than me. Although he shared a similar height with Laura, I had no doubt she drove him crazy wearing heels that left her towering over him. Which she did often.

      Unbeknownst to Laura, Aiden shot a sparing glance at Sasha before quickly recovering and focusing on me as he spoke. "It's her baby. She's been calling it a 'she' since she got it." He shrugged. "She even named it."

      Laura smiled. "Lola."

      David raised an eyebrow but didn't bother jumping out of the truck's bed. "Sounds a bit like Laura, doesn't it?"

      "You, shut up," Laura mumbled, reaching back to give David a big smack on the side of the head. He ducked out of reach. "You named your car, too."

      "Yeah, but I'm a guy," he argued. "It's normal for us."

      She seemed incredulous. "Yeah, okay. That's sexist."

      I smiled at the friendly banter. It was just what I needed after the tense day I'd been having. Except, as the two of them continued on, I suddenly noticed our change in situation. There were four people here to get me, not just the two females that I was staying the night with. My eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, guys?"

      All bantering slowed to a stop as everyone focused their eyes on me. Heat rose to my cheeks at the attention, but I shoved it aside. "Not to interrupt or anything, but what are all of you doing here?"

      "Oh!" Laura exclaimed, grinning. "We're all going out, first. To LuLu's Café."

      My smile slipped. Lulu's Café was where Darrin met Victoria, and he'd gone there several times since as a way to remember her. If he was there, I definitely wouldn't be able to avoid him.

      The ever perceptive David seemed to notice my change in attitude when he asked, "Is that okay? We don't have to tag along; it's not a big deal."

      I shook my head and let the lie slip out like hot butter. "No, it's fine. I like Lulu's." I glanced around. "Why isn't Hayden going?"

      He seemed unsure, but nodded nonetheless as Sasha stepped in to answer. "He said he had something to do, but didn't really say what." I dropped the subject. Whatever Hayden was doing was he last thing I wanted to be thinking about right now.

      "Are we ready?" Laura asked, anxious to slam the gas pedal and go. Her excited eyes watched me like a child at Christmas.

      I laughed lightly. "Let's do it."