Commitments, Changes and a whole lot of Complications

Chapter 23

---------- Chapter 23 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(A week later – back in the Adler Institute)

                “I’ll catch you guys later,” I call to Sienna and Blaine as I duck into my room.

I close the door behind me and sigh deeply.

                “Haden?” I whisper, softly.

As promised, Haden hasn’t left me for Persephone. He’s been hiding out in my dorm room, barely ever coming out.

I thought it would be nice having Haden around so often, but I was pretty oblivious!

Don’t get me wrong! I love the boy to bits. But being inside for so long has him sort of down in the dumps and a little clingy. He gets all pouty lipped and sad when I leave for class in the morning. When I get back and I want to go out with my friends he gives me the cold shoulder. Obviously nobody can know he’s here, least of all the kids here in the Institute – I mean Haden’s plan is to get everyone believing he’s in a coma somewhere in Persephone after all.

                “Haden!” I repeat.

Where is he?!

I dump my bag on the floor and tip-toe around the room. I first check the window. Who knows, he may have wanted some fresh air and might have climbed out the window.

The window is locked though, just the way I left it this morning.

I turn around only to find him lying on the floor, his eyes open, his ankles crossed .

                “Hay?” I whisper cautiously, edging towards him.

He ignores me, carefully scrutinizing a spot on the ceiling.

                “How was your day?” I ask, settling myself by his head, and slowly lifting it up onto my lap.

                “My day? Oh, well, the same as every other one of my days. I stay here,” he mutters.

I stroke his long hair as I chew on my lips. He’s dead bored!

                “We could play some board games if you like?” I offer.

He shakes his head. “Nah, the ceiling is oddly fascinating.”

I rub his temples, trying to figure out how to broach the subject of my going out tonight.

                “Umm…how about I rent you a movie? You could watch it on my laptop?” I try.

His eyes immediately narrow. “Are you going out somewhere?” Of course he’d realize I said ‘you’, instead of ‘us’.

Come on Skye, just tell him! Haden’s a big boy!

                “Oh,” he mumbles taking my silence as a yes. “Where are you going? And with whom? How long will you be gone?”

I chew on my lip. Why is it so hard to tell him?

                “I…uhm…I’m going to the library,” I end up saying. What a lie!

Haden nods his head absent mindedly. “Guess you’re going to have as crappy a night as I am, huh?”

I smile nervously.

Ugh! I suck!

But at least he won’t feel so bad. If I tell him the truth that I want to go to a party with Blaine and Sienna, he’ll get hurt. He’ll somehow find a way of jumping to the conclusion that I don’t want to spend time with him!