One Day

Chapter 16

My anger was rising as he got a few punches in, but I kept on going.

I screamed, "Stay the fuck away from her! She doesn't want you!"

I heard Hailey keep on begging me to stop and she even tried to grab my arm, but she has zero strength.

"I'll kill you if you ever touch her again!" I slurred, still punching him.

Before I could get in another punch, I felt a light body throw themselves on me and tackle me to the ground.

This feeling was all to familiar for me to not know who it is.

Hailey.

She straddled me as I tried to get out of her hold to continue punching some sense into that asshole.

Before I could get her off she took my face in her hands and leaned down to me.

I was still fuming but I was calming down due to the proximity.

"River I'm fine. I'm here. Nothing happened." She whispered to me so that only I heard.

'But what if something had happened?' I thought. I would've never been able to live with myself knowing I could've stopped it and didn't.

I started getting riled up again due to this thought before she got even closer and said, "Please calm down. I'm ok."

I finally calmed down and closed my eyes and enjoyed Hailey being this close to me.

After awhile she asked, "Are you ok now?"

I nodded in response.

She helped me up because now that the adrenaline wore off, I was back to falling everywhere.

We walked outside and she asked for my keys.

She reached in all my pockets to find them and I almost had a coronary. She was touching me everywhere and I couldn't get enough. Something is seriously wrong with me.

Once we got to the car I grabbed her hand and slurred, "Be careful."

Once I said it I realized I was pretty vague which led to her next question, "what do you mean?"

"Driving. Be careful driving." I struggled out.

I couldn't handle it if anything happened to her too.

"Ok. I will." She assured me.

Once we started driving I got thinking.

I guess I let my thoughts slip out of my mouth when I said, "Hails, are we friends? Because I think we're friends."

I don't know what answer I wanted or was expecting but she replied, "Yes River, we're friends."

Although this wasn't a bad answer, I didn't want it. I looked at her and said, "I don't want to be your friend."

She looked shocked and then hurt. I guess I should've clarified because I definitely didn't mean it the way she thought I did.

Before I could tell her that she quietly gets asked, "Why?"

I thought about this. I could really only come up with one answer that hurts to say and I've never really admitted.

"Because if we're friends you can hurt me. If I let you in, you'll hurt me."

She looked pleased for a second, then confused, and then kind of sad.

"What do you mean? I would never hurt you." She said looking at me and the road simultaneously.