Falling for a Superhero

Chapter ThirtySix-"Hayden's Family"

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he lied. I shifted my look. "I'm just bummed that a girl from the rural country is more outgoing than me."

"Country girl, huh?" I asked. "And where are you from?"

For the first time, I realized I had been with Hayden for a couple weeks and I didn't even know where he was from. As much as I thought it didn't matter, it really did. 

"All over," he shrugged.

"I mean where were you physically born?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure...somewhere in California, I guess," he shrugged once more.

"You don't know?"

He shook his head.

"My family is...complicated," he said. I added my hand to his arm.

"Tell me," I muttered. He closed his eyes and shook his head. His eyes opened and they were a dull blue. "Come on. It can't be that bad...you can tell me, Hayden."

"I can't," he said and those words made me question whether or not my discovery from last night was correct or not. I stopped giving him a reassuring smile like a good, supportive girlfriend, and then looked down, not knowing how to respond. "But I'm going to try." 

I looked up at him patiently.

"I moved around a lot as a child because my dad was in the military before being an agent...but I've been emancipated since I was fifteen," he started.

"Why's that?" I asked. He never said a bad word about his family. I couldn't imagine any bad blood between them that would result in him being emancipated. His eyes left mine and he shifted positions. His arm went across my shoulders and I scooted closer to him off of pure instinct. However, I knew he wouldn't answer me. So we sat there for a while just doing that; sitting.

"My family died about four years ago and I did't want to stay in the system so I got some strings pulled two, almost three years ago," he whispered. Now his head was leaning on mine and I felt every breath he took. I knew by the deep breaths and cracked voice that he had never told anyone this. "We had just moved maybe two weeks before they passed. My father and mother were killed first and then my—"

"Wait. They were killed?" I asked him, raising to look up at him.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Then my older brothers were killed."

"Why?" I asked him, curiosity taking over. "How were four people just killed like that, leaving you all alone?"

"Just leave it alone, Angela..."

"I can't leave it alone, Hay," I told him. "You're...you're alone everyday because someone murdered your family. I can't just leave it alone. Haven't you ever wondered why—"

"No I don't wonder," he interrupted with a calm voice. He searched my eyes with his. "I know what happened—I know all about it. And that's why I want you to leave it alone. I know what happened..."

I hugged his torso with all that I could, giving him whatever sympathy I could muster without wishing to have the Proliator's super powers.

"And for the record, at least I'm not alone anymore," he muttered. He kissed my head. Because he had me: his girlfriend who was constantly torn between him and a literal superhero. My insides twisted. 

"And two other people..." I reminded to try and make both of us feel better in the moment. He pulled away from me.

"What?" he asked confused. It soon turned to anger. "I swear to God, if you say Chad and Ve—"