Ice Cold

Chapter Two

          I wake up the next morning early and stretch before getting up to start getting ready for school. I pull on a shirt and skinny jeans and slipped on some shoes that matched. I brushed my long, straight waist-length dark brown hair and then brushed my teeth. I put on my small amount of makeup and tossed my bag over my shoulder.

          Hayden was sitting in the kitchen with his eyes closed and his head down. When I walked in he opened his eyes and looked up at me. He grabbed the keys and walked out the door. When I followed him and got in the passenger seat I turned the radio on. In a car with Hayden, you had to, or the silence would kill you.

          We lived a little less than ten minutes from the school. The only thing between us and the school were other houses and trees. When we pulled up in the school parking lot I immediately felt everyone's head turn towards us. I knew they weren't looking at me though. They were looking at the mysterious Hayden.

          Everyone here knew Hayden wasn't my brother. They knew Hayden's story just as well as I did. A lot of people told me I was lucky to be able to live with Hayden, a.k.a. the girls, but I told them that they had no idea and I made sure they didn't take it in a positive way. I didn't make living with Hayden sound like a dream but I didn't make it sound like it was terrible either. Mostly because I didn't want to put a bad reputation on Hayden.

          When we got out we walked to the double doors and the football coach walked up to Hayden. "Practice after school today," Coach Hayes said but Hayden didn't stop, he just nodded. Other football players would have been punished or fussed out for being the way Hayden was to Coach Hayes but Coach Hayes never did anything to Hayden. Most people say it's because Hayden is one of Coach Hayes's top players.

          When Hayden and I got to inside I looked over at him, "I'll see you after practice," I said and he nodded and turned down the hallway. I had cheerleading practice today anyway and our practice usually got out an hour or two before the football players practice got over. I usually have to sit in the car and find something to do until Hayden got out. Other times I would go somewhere else in town and go pick Hayden up when he texted me and told me he was done since we only had one car since dad used his car for work.

          On days when one had practice and the other didn't then the other would find something to do until the one who had practice got done. It was almost like an agreement we had. We almost never went back home and waited for the other to get out unless there was absolutely nothing to do. Hayden would usually take a walk in the woods when I had practice and he didn't and I would usually go to the library or the café with Jade.

          I walked into class and took my seat before the bell rang. Jade came in and sat beside me, giving me a bright smile and I smiled back. When Mrs. Henson walked in she immediately started with her lecture. I tried to pay attention but I usually zoned out while Mrs. Henson lectured us. I was glad when the bell finally rang and everyone started rushing towards the door.

          "Well that was boring," Jade said, coming to stand beside me. She pushed her shoulder-length fashionably curled blond hair behind her shoulder and looked at me with brown eyes and smiled.

          I smiled back and nodded, "yes it was," I said and we headed to our next class together.

          English 12 was next and that was almost as boring as Mrs. Henson's lecture about Economics. I sat through another boring lecture as Mr. James explained his point of view on the lesson. I was more than happy when the bell rang this time and I rushed out the door along with everyone else. Jade was right behind me as we dropped our books off at our lockers and then headed over to the cafeteria.