What's Mine | ✓

7 - i didn't expect

HAYDEN

The tension in the air was thick.

I was sobering up enough to get my ass back home, drinking water and eating some pretzels. But what I didn't expect was to find Lina running away from Collin.

Asshole was trying it again.

We've been sitting in this car for a solid eight minutes in silence. She had turned it on, cranked up the heat. But she hasn't made a move to actually start driving.

"What did he mean, Hayden?"

Her voice was so soft, I could've missed it if we weren't alone, surrounded by the quiet. I turn my head to look at her and see the glassiness in her eyes, still indicating she's on the verge of tears. So I huff a breath.

"I had..." I ball my hand into a fist. "An encounter with Collin about a year ago. I found him trying to take a girl who was clearly passed out drunk into a room." At that, Lina let go of a shuddered breath. "I walked in there, stopped him. We got into it, I..."

"You what?"

I turn my gaze back to her. There was no judgment in her eyes, like there normally is. There was just sadness. Such sadness, it weighed heavy on my chest.

"I kinda lost my temper and started beating the shit out of him. Brooks had come up looking to find me, broke us up. He had Collin leave the whole party before we left. He's the only one who knows about him and why I can't stand him so much. About who he really is."

"Oh."

I couldn't tell if that was a good oh, or a bad oh. She just started picking at her fingers, suddenly nervous. I have a feeling it has something to do with Brooks.

"I won't tell him, if that's what you're worried about."

Her eyes shift back up to mine. "I'm just..." she sighs. "I don't want to go home yet. Brooks is there, Avrey is waiting for a full report on my date. And I," she shakes her head. "I'm not ready to face them. Not tonight."

"So come to my place."

Words. Words have been coming out tonight that were never meant to be spoken between Lina and I. I can tell by the way her eyes widened in surprise, again, that she never expected to hear that.

Hell, I never expected to say it.

"No," she shakes her head quickly. "No way."

"I'm being serious here, Lina. What other option do you have? Staying here?" I scoff. "Stop being so damn stubborn for once in your life and just let me help you."

I know she doesn't trust me, I can tell in the way she's eyeing me right now. But she lets out a big breath and pushes her hand through her hair.

"Fine."

Another thing I didn't expect? Lina Andrews driving me home, her coming to my place at all. Yet, as we pulled up into my driveway, the realness of the situation was setting in.

I appreciate the porch light being on; if I'm going out late, my mom always leaves the porch light on so I can see my way to the door, and so I can know she went to bed. As Lina kills the ignition, I step out and lead the way.

Lina has been to my house plenty of times, courtesy of Brooks. But she hasn't been into my room, which is new territory for me. I don't mind bringing chicks up here when I know they're not staying the night. But Lina is.

In the dark, I could feel Lina right behind me. As I made my way inside and up the stairs, she was right on my heels. We climbed up all the sets of stairs until we got into my room. I flicked on the switch that controls my LED lights around my ceiling.