Crash Around Me

Wings

*Hayleigh's POV*

                "May I ask you what the picture is about? Who is that?" I heard Paisley ask.

I teared up and took a deep breath, then said "Can it wait till after practice?" I wiped my eyes and started to stretch. I didn't want to do this, I had never told anyone about him other than what I told Jason that night. It was the worst I have had to deal with and I just tried to make it all disappear. And it had until she had found the picture, now I don't know how to handle all of this.

As I stood there stretching, I got caught up in my thoughts as I did a lot. Thinking back to some of my favorite moments, like a little movie in my head. Most of them were when we still lived in Dallas, I didn't have many favorite times in Dillon but the day at the lake was one of them.

"Ethan are you coming?! It's starting!" I hollered from the couch into the kitchen. "The ladies are going to be out of the limo before you get in here!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He said, smiling and sit down beside me with a bowl of popcorn "I don't know why I even what this with you. It's such a girly show!"

I picked up a piece of popcorn and threw at him "Oh you know you love it Ethan!" I giggled and continued to watch The Bachelor with him. He was literally the best brother I could have ever ask for, he was my best friend. We seemed to be together any time he was home unless his girlfriend was there, but I liked her so that wasn't a big deal.

I was snapped out of it when everyone started practicing the routine. I looked over at Paisley and frowned, at the thought of telling her after practice. We went through the routine several times until everyone pretty much had it down, we only had a few more days to work on it. That is if we were going to do it at this week's game.

Once practice was over, Paisley came over there and said "Can we talk now?"

I frowned and gathered my things, replying "Can we not here? I would rather not cry in front of everyone...You can come over to my house if you want." I looked down "I got this the other day for Jay." I showed her my promise ring.

She smiled, saying "Oh My Gosh Hayleigh it's beautiful! I'm so happy for you!" she hugged me "of course we can talk at your house."

I smiled and told her she could ride with me in she wanted, as we were driving The Red Hot Chili Peppers came on the radio. She said "Oh Matt and Landry loves them!" and she turned it up.

I tried my best to not tear up and started thinking about the band she was jamming out too.

"Hayleigh, you are literally the slowest person ever! How long does it take you to get ready?" Ethan chuckled from the hallway.

I giggled and came out of my room "Ok let's go! Are you excited?"

He nodded as we left driving to the Smirnoff Music Centre here in Dallas, I see how excited he was just by looking at him. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was one of his favorite bands and I liked them pretty good. We got there and it was really crowded, he grabbed my arm all protectively and said "We need to stay right with me okay, I don't what I would do if I lost you Hayleigh!"

I smiled and hugged him tightly "I love you, Ethan!"

He hugged me back and replied "I love you too, Hayleigh."

I sighed and pulled into my driveway, grabbing my cheer bag from the backseat. We walked in and I told my parents we were home, then went upstairs. I teared up and looked down "Paisley...the guy in the p-picture" I stopped, trying to calm down "I know you want me to tell you, and I wish I could. But I can't and I am so sorry about that...just go downstairs and ask my mom, tell her I told you too."

She looked at me concerned "Are you sure?"

I nodded and she left the room walking downstairs to where my mom was in the office. She looked at my mom and said kind of quietly "Hey, Mrs. Porter?"

She looked up and smiled "Hey, Paisley! Are you okay darling?"

Paisley sighed and said "Yes I'm okay I seen this picture the other day" she pointed to the picture framed on the desk "And I ask Hayleigh, she teared up and told me to ask you. So who is it?"

She picked up the frame and held it in her hands, looking at it then up at Paisley. She said "It's a picture of my babies, it was back when we lived in Dallas after a football game. Neither of them wanted to take a picture that night but I think it was the last picture of them together. Hayleigh was 13 and Ethan was 17, losing him was the hardest thing ever. Worst nightmare as a mother and I didn't know how to go on with life for months. It hurt everyone...but Hayleigh was really hurt though." She teared up.

Paisley frowned and said "I am really sorry...I thought Hayleigh was an only child."

Shelly wiped her eyes "its okay Paisley, Hayleigh hasn't ever told anyone here in Dillon. She's been really private since it happened, Callie was her friend since we moved and doesn't know."

She sighed and then said "You don't have to answer but can I ask what happened to him?"

I got to the door and heard Paisley's question and thought about walking away. I walked in and my mom motioned for me to come there, she could I was about to break. I walked over to her, she pulled me down on her lap and wrapped her arms around me. I cried, holding on to her and said "I-I love you m-mommy."

She kissed my head "Oh I love you too, Hayleigh! It's okay, calm down. Mommy has got you." She said, rubbing my back.

I calmed down, sniffling and she wiped my eyes "You are so amazing Hayleigh! You don't deserve to hurt like this baby." She said still holding me and looked at Paisley "Paisley I am sorry to cut you off, you asked what darling?"

Paisley sighed "It was nothing. Not a very important question anyway."

I looked up at mom and said "She ask what happened to Ethan..."

"Yea, that is what I ask but you don't have to say if you don't want too." Paisley said.

My mom sighed "No I'll tell you...it happened and keeping it a secret from you Paisley isn't going to fix it."

"Mom, I'm going to go make some coffee, I'll make you a cup too...I love you" I said and got up leaving the room.

Shelly looked down "Hayleigh still won't talk about it or even be around when it's talked about...Well I don't even know where to begin." She took a deep breathe "He was 17 and it was his junior year and Hayleigh was in 8th grade. They were so close and the sweetest children you could have ever ask for. He was the wide receiver on the football team there, and we tried to go to every game. It was the state Quarter finals, he took a really big hit and..." She started crying and sit there for a minute trying to calm back down.

Paisley said "You don't have to continue if you don't want too."

"He laid there and wasn't moving, when the coach out to him he was unconscious...he didn't wake up after that. It left like my world ending, when we seen him like that and Hayleigh was just a mess. Once we got to hospital, they told us it wasn't good, that he had a lot bleeding and was in surgery. He came out of surgery, he lived for three days but he wasn't awake so we never got to tell him we loved him or goodbye. After that happened, everyone in the whole city wanted to be your friend and tell you how sorry they were. I didn't ever what to leave the house and I didn't want Hayleigh out of my sight. She was just unraveling and wanted to quit all together, she did homeschooling the rest of that year. My husband was the opposite and never wanted to be home, said he couldn't take being there. We just couldn't stay there and that summer we moved to Dillon."

"I am so sorry about all of that, I know it had to be such a hard thing to go through." Paisley said "We can go in there to Hayleigh, she said she was making coffee"

Shelly nodded and they walked into the kitchen, where I was sitting at the bar, drinking coffee. My mom said "Well Hayleigh what are you doing? I figured you might be going out this evening with Jason."

I smiled at her "I'm just coloring, and no Jay is out with Matt, Tim, and Smash. So we can just have a girl's night."

•A.N•
-thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! :)
-Taylor