Wrapped around your finger - Post Malone

55

"Is this real?" Austin asks, his voice a low hum as he holds the paper out to Hazel. "Of course it's real. I found it myself," Jan whines beside him. "Leave...now," Austin says to her without taking his eyes off Hazel, the tone of his voice has Jan slinking away and disappearing very quickly. Hazel reaches out a shaking hand and takes the paper. "Is it real?" Austin asks again, his voice still low and controlled. Part of her wishes he would scream at her, she would deserve it. Hazel looks down at the paper in her still shaking. It's a picture of her and Cathy at the hospital, a day before she passed. "How did Jan get this?" she whispers to herself. "That is not what I asked...I will not ask again," he warns, his words coming out slow and cold. Hazel can't look at him, she can't talk either so she keeps her eyes on the photo and nods her head slowly. "Who are you?" he asks, the tone of his voice kills her. "Cathy is my sister," she whispers. She doesn't know how she finds her voice. "Look at me," he says. It takes all Hazel has to lift her head and she hates what she sees when she does. Austin is staring at her, his eyes icy cold but still after her confession she can see hope in there, hope that what she is saying is not true, hope that she is not who she just said she is. "Why did you come here?" he asks softly. Why is he not shouting? Why is he not screaming? Just fucking scream at me. "Cathy asked me to," she whispers. Austin looks at her, for a long time and she watches as that hope that was shimmering behind the ice slowly drains away. Then he stands up straight and squares his shoulders, placing his Stetson on his head. He tilts his head back and looks at her again, void of any emotion. He nods his head and purses his lips as he takes a step back. "You best be gone when I get back, miss," he says like he doesn't even know who she is like she is just a stranger. He then turns and walks away.

It can't end like this. She can't let him go without at least trying to get him to understand. Her frozen body finally comes alive and she leaps off the porch and runs after him, running around him, and then puts out her hand to touch his chest but he steps back and shakes his head. "J-Just listen to me, please. Let me explain, listen, please, please," she begs, she is acting crazy, she feels crazy. She can't lose him. When Austin does not move, she talks. "Cathy contacted me and told me that she was dying and asked me to do right by Evelyn and regretted what she had and, and, and I came here with her ashes, they are in my room. I wanted to tell you, but things just got out of control. I kept trying to tell you, but you scare me. No, you didn't scare me, losing you scared me. It was never the right time, to tell you, there was never time. Never the right time. Please. Please don't hate me as you do her. Please, just listen to me, please" she tries to explain. She is fumbling her words but she is just so desperate to get her words out, she can't think straight. She grabs his shirt and balls the material into her fists. "Please, please, please," she begs, pushing her face in his warm chest. Austin does nothing, his hands just hanging at his sides.

"Let go, miss."

She looks up at him, he is not looking at her but rather over her head. "What? No, I-" she tries but he speaks over her, cutting her off. "I don't hate you as I do Cathy...I hate you more. You made Evelyn believe that you loved her and that's worse than anything Cathy ever did. What you have done is unforgivable. You made a mockery out if everything Cottonwood stands for. If you ever show your face here again, so help me...I will bury you where you stand," he keeps his voice in that low hum as he speaks, barely moving his lips then he looks down at her, eyes icy cold. He means every dam word. Hazel's ears are ringing and her chest feels like it is going to explode. Austin prise her fingers off his shirt carefully and then steps past her. Hazel feels her legs give out and she drops to the floor. She has nothing, she is nothing and she feels her heart rip from her chest and seep into the ground below her as she cries. When she leaves this place she will leave her heart, fallen, right here in the middle of the ranch house yard - she has no longer any use for it. She stands slowly on her wobbly legs and walks into the house and then up to their bedroom. She slowly starts packing and when she is done she walks down to the kitchen. Linda is waiting for her, her face stoney. "Take this. The least you can do is try and do some good," she says handing Hazel the contract those suited men had left. She lifts her head to say something to Linda but she is gone. She sits down at the kitchen table and stares at Cathy now on the kitchen table. "I hate what you did, but Austin is right...what I did was worse. I pretended to be something that I am not. Something I would never be...good enough for them...for this place. They deserve better than you or I could ever give," she whispers then takes a piece of paper and scribbles a note for Austin. She has no right to ask him to forgive her but he needs to know that she never intended to cause him this pain. When she is done she stands and places the note next to Cathy then turns to the kitchen door. She reaches for her Stetson out of habit but thinks better of it. She has no place here so she steps out, leaving her Stetson on her hook.

She stops when she sees Tina leaning on her truck. "If you have come here to fight...I can't take any more. Austin..." she lets her words die in her dry mouth. "I don't know why you did what you did and I don't condone it. But I know a good woman when I see one," Tina says. "I hurt him...very badly," Hazel says. "Aye, that you did," Tina answers. "I love him. Evelyn too," she says. "Even a blind man can see that," Tina answers. "Do you think he will ever forgive me?" she asks. Tina looks at her sadly and then shrugs. "That's between him and the ranch...Austin is a hard man to understand. Come on, I will give you a lift to the bus stop," she says opening the truck door for her. Hazel walks down the steps and over to Tina slowly. Then suddenly Jan pops her nasty little head up from behind the truck and walks up to Hazel. "You never belonged here. You better never come ba-" she is cut off when Tina slaps her. Hard. "All you have done is caused pain. You are a hateful person, Jan. Austin will never want you and if I ever see you on Cottonwood again I will beat you myself. You are no longer welcome anywhere near my family. Now get!" she shouts. Then points for Hazel to get in the truck.

"Why are you being nice to me? I would think you would have taken Austin's side," Hazel whispers. "The way I see it there ain't no sides in this, just a woman who went about things the wrong way and a cowboy too stubborn for his own dam good," Tina says. "And a little girl that will have hate in her heart for the things I have done," Hazel whispers swallowing the lump in her throat. "Miss Evelyn ain't even got hate in her heart for that snake that took Zip from her," Tina answers. Hazel sits up as they drive past the barn, Lightning is out front which means that Austin is in there with Evelyn breaking the news to her. Hazel lets out a whimper at the thought of Evelyn's face crushing as she listens to her father. But then suddenly Evelyn appears in the barn doorway, tears on her cheeks as Hazel watches her. She breaks into a sprint, through the grass, over the fence, and then onto the road. Crying and calling out for Hazel as she runs. Hazel turns in her seat and watches her, crying just as much. She hopes above all else that Evelyn knows she loves her and is not leaving by choice - she would never leave by choice. Evelyn gets tired of running as Tina does not slow down, and she slowly stops, sitting down in a heap on the ground as she continues to cry. Austin walks out of the barn and slowly up behind her then he picks her up, wrapping her in his arms as she buries her head in his neck. He doesn't look at Hazel before he turns and walks up to the ranch house as Lightning follows slowly behind. Hazel can't tear her eyes from them, begging him silently to look back. If he looked back once, just once, she could hold onto some hope that she stood a chance...but he never looks back.

"She will be ok, miss Hazel, her Daddy has her," Tina says softly, rubbing Hazel's back as she buries her face in Christmas Dinner's feathers while she cries. "Some things he just can't protect her from..." Hazel whispers through her tears.