If I Can't Love You

Chapter 11

Kian's POV

It breaks my heart to see Hailey, the person I love most, so hurt.

"What? Why would your dad do something like that?" I ask concernedly.

Hailey swims to the side of the pool and pushes herself out and onto the ledge. I do the same.

"My dad, um, he's an alcoholic. And on top of that an ex-drug-addict. My mom claims that he stopped doing drugs, but I seriously doubt it. I know alcohol has big affects, but the way he acts... I mean there's no way that it's just the alcohol making him behave so badly.

"My Dad's an angry drunk, and he makes me do stuff for him like get him his beer or whatever when he runs out... Anyways...but if I mess up- if even I don't do anything- he'll..."

Hailey stops talking. I see tears forming in her eyes that she tries to fight.

I place my hand on her knee. She turns her head and looks into my eyes. "It's okay." I tell her. "You can cry in front of me, it's okay.
But please keep telling me what happened."

Hailey nods, letting the tears slip from her eyes. She takes a deep breath, and then continues with a shaky voice. "He'll get a belt, or a beer bottle, or even just his fist, anything he can use, and he'll beat me."

Hailey takes another deep breath. "For no reason!" She exclaims, finally letting the sobs come.

"And- I constantly- constantly ask myself-" she tries to say between sobs and sniffles. "Why me? Of all people, why me? I haven't done anything wrong! I always try to be kind and do the right thing and I get stuck with a alcoholic dad and a mom who's too much of a coward to do anything to help me."

I wrap my arm around Hailey. "Sometimes really bad things happen to really amazing people." I say. "That's just life, I guess. And I'm not saying it's okay that it happens, it just does."

Hailey continues to cry.

I place my hand under her chin and lift her head to look up and to face me. "But now that I know what's going on in you're life, I'm apart of it. So I'm going to keep you safe. I'm going to do anything and everything to make sure you don't get hurt again."

Hailey leans into my shoulder and her crying slows.

After a few minutes in silence, Hailey speaks up. "Kian?"

"Yeah?" I reply.

"You don't have to get involved. You don't have to be with me, with my scars and burdens- I don't want you to have to deal with that; To deal with me. You can just leave now and save yourself the trouble. I'd understand."

Then she gets up and just, leaves.

I shake my head. "Hailey." I shout to her, following behind.

"Hailey! Come back!" I shout again.

Geez this girl runs away a lot.

I step inside and into the living room, looking around. "Hailey where are you?"

I hear crying from my room and immediately run there. Sitting in my bed in tears, is Hailey.

"Why are you crying?" I ask her as I sit next to her.

"I've had friends. I've had people in my life. And they find out about what I go through, my scars and burdens, and they find out more and more about me and they leave. Every single one of them left me. And I don't want to get too attached to you and fall in love if you're just going to leave me in the end."

"Hailey, you're 'scars and burdens' are apart of you, and that doesn't change how I feel about you. I'm not gonna leave you."

Hailey looks at me with wonder. "Why aren't you leaving like everyone does?"

Startling her, I cup Hailey's face with my hands and crash my lips onto hers.

For the quick moment I pull away and say: "Because I'm not everybody. I'm Kian Lawley. And I love you."

Hailey looks shocked. "You... What?!"

A big grin appears on my face. "I love you."

Hailey and places her lips lightly on mine.

"Hey Kian?" Hailey says after breaking away, our faces only inches apart.

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

//aww well that's the end of this chapter, I've been slow on writing right now too bc I have exams and school comes first, but I'll be updating more often bc summer starts next week! AH!! Anyways thanks for reading you guys! You're all the best!💙