Wake Up, It's Over

Wake Up, It's Over- Part 5

~*~Hadley~*~

"Maybe I should walk you back to the service..." He offered looking away from me.

"Oh yeah...That'd uh, you don't have to. I think I'm just going to head home." I mustered together, wiggling my toes in the sand.

"I'll walk you." He said again, turning for the direction of my house.

"How do you know where I live?" I asked following him hesitantly.

"I came to see you the other day, but your mom said you weren't accepting visitors." He said as if it were nothing at all

"How did you even know what happened?" I shot back.

He stopped responding then. Actually he stopped walking all together. I turned back around to face him, studying his frustrated face.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." He shook his head squeezing his eyes tightly. I took a step towards him, my eyes searching for a clue as to what he was thinking about, but it showed nothing. Without warning though, wetness rose over my feet, causing me to shriek.

"Hadley!" He exclaimed within seconds.

I was already scrambling back away from the rising tide, shaking in absolute terror. The instant that the water touched my skin, it was like a filmstrip performing a play by play of the day Spencer died. I remembered the way he looked in the water, the way the waves pulled him away- every thing that I saw before I blacked out.

"It's okay you don't need to be scared..." He murmured dropped down to my height in the sand, following my eyes to the ocean.

"I touched it." I choked out.

"You're okay Hadley." He repeated, tucking my hair loosely behind my ear before pulling me up into his arms and into a standing position. Colton held me close to his body, sliding his arms underneath the back of my knees while I wrapped my arms around his neck in a robotic way, my eyes locked on the waters edge.

For a few moments, I had forgotten of the whole incident and everything to do with the heartache that was so deeply engraved in my being, but now it was back. Why couldn't someone have saved Tristan?He wouldn't be haunting me with these images. He could face the water better then I ever could. This was the first time I realized the water wasn't my friend. I'm sure Tristan could go back to the team, break more records, go to work on Saturday mornings if it had been me instead of him- he was like that. He was strong and had that willpower.

But the water would bring horrific memories to my conscious against my will, constantly if I let it. This wasn't a place where I could come to escape to anymore; this was where I was escaping.

"I'll bring you home." Colton broke my rapid thoughts as he carried me down the beach.

"Sorry..." I murmured closing my eyes with a sigh, slowly regaining composure. He must think that I am an absolute whack-job.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about." He said quietly holding me a little tighter, "The water isn't going to hurt you anymore." He added with an apparent sureness in his voice.

I shook my head contradictorily swallowing the dry lump in my throat and looked up at him

"Are you?" I thought out loud, unsure if he would understand what I meant

"If I stay, yes." He said in a forced manner.

"I...I want you to stay." I muttered. This was insanity Hadley, think rationally! You don't even know who this guy is. But he knows you... so well.

"You don't, trust me." He shook his head stepping onto the boardwalk with a heavy sigh.

"I'll decide for myself." I said just as assertively as he had as we approached my house.

"Hadley we don't even know each other." He shook his head

"Yet you have gone to extreme efforts to give me a stupid bracelet, return my shoes, calm my anxiety attack and now carry me all the way home..." I said fiddling with the bracelet that was now secured to my wrist

"I'm being a good citizen." He said dryly.

"A good citizen would send a lasagna and sypathy note."

"Are you really going to argue this with me?" Colton almost snapped, I could hear it in his voice. I shut up then, not wanting him to be angry with me. But in truth, I felt something good about this, something good about Colton. It was as if for these past minutes I had taken a large dose of medicine and it was finally kicking in. I would hold on to that feeling for as long as I could

~*~Colton~*~

Why does she have to be so innocent looking! And oh so vulnerable. All I want to do is protect this girl from all the harms in the world- I have to. I have to protect her from me. I looked down at Hadley meekly, continuing to walk down the boardwalk.

"Remind me which house is yours?" I ask slowing my pace.

"The beige one three spots up." She answered raising her head slightly.

I brought her up to the front stoop in silence, slowly setting her to her feet. Hadley flattened her dress, stalling on the first step before looking up at me with those deep blue eyes. She seemed to have a permanent glossy film of sadness in her eyes that were purely heart wrenching to look in to- anyone would feel sorry for this girl.

Especially someone who could have prevented this.

"I'll see you soon then?" She murmured shifting her weight between feet.

I nodded letting out a deep sigh before turning away from her.

"Colton?" She chocked out, stopping me. "Do you uh...Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night?" She stuttered.

No, say no. You have to stay away from her- its for the best. "Is seven good?" I asked without turning to face her.

"Seven is perfect." She exhaled in relief.

"I'll pick you up." I said before continuing down the boardwalk beneath the traveling gray clouds.

"What the hell Colton." I cursed myself, shoving my fingers through my hair, gripping the roots. What is it about her that has your interests so peaked huh?

The images of her pale bluish body screamed in my head. The look of unconscious disparity she had in the middle of the storm pushed me to getting her ashore. It was as if something in my being depending on hearing her breathe once again.

But her breath depended on her brother, the one I could have easily saved as well.