Because You Love Me

Chapter 26: I'd most likely be on house arrest.

Chapter 26: I'd most likely be on house arrest.

We get back to the house quite late, except it's not mine, it's Jays.

Seth and Zach's cars are still there, meaning that they must have waited up for us.

When we get inside, they're laying on the couch lazily, watching some TV.

Jay goes in first and grabs the remote, turning it off. Seth and Zach protest automatically.

"Stop whining, it's time to talk." He replies to them, sitting down. He looks up to me and motions his head to the armchair across from them.

I hesitate before sitting down; I know what's coming.

By now Seth and Zach are sitting up and all of their eyes are on me.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself if that's what you're thinking." I blurt.

"We know, they weren't the pills for that." Zach replies.

"Well then I'm sure you know what I was doing." I say, looking down.

"How long has this been going on for Hazel?" Seth asks.

I look back up, "I don't know, a while. But since I've come back it hasn't been as constant as before."

Everyone goes silent, and I look over and Jay and see him staring at the wall behind me.

His eyes jump to mine and he holds his hands up to his face in a thinking position.

"Why?" He asks softly.

"Why what?" I reply.

"Why did you do it? Why did you feel you had to do it?" He asks.

I shrug, "When you felt the way I did for almost half my life, it tends to get scarred in your memory. I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I was going to go back to the way I was, and I couldn't let that happen."

Jay nods, as though ending the subject with just that.

"Fine, what I want to know is why you were in such a mess when we found you?" Zach asks.

I sigh, "I ran into Roman on the way home."

They all frown, "What?" Jay asks.

I nod, "He set me off and I felt like it was the only way to reassure me, to make me feel better."

"Hazel, there's tonnes of other stuff you can do, like talking or at least hanging out with us." Seth says.

They all nod in agreement.

"You don't understand," I reply, "It's not that easy."

"It is." Jay nods, and we're going to help you."

I roll my eyes, "Trust me, I'm fine."

They all look around at each other, as though they don't agree.

I couldn't blame them really.

"We need to talk more about Robert." Zach says.

Jay jumps in at the word, "What about Robert?"

Zach nods his head to me, "She knows about him."
"What about him?" Jay asks, looking back to me.

I shrug, "Not too much."

"Hazel, we need to be on the same page here." He replies.

I sigh, "I've had a few run-ins with Roman relating to him, but they haven't physically hurt me. I'm fine."