The Guarded One ✔

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"I'm sorry that happened to you" Laura sighs, "I was a little older then you are now when it happened to me"

"You too?" Hayden looks up.

"It's hard to come across people these days who don't have a story that resembles ours in some way" she admits. "You need to report him, kiddo"

Hayden shakes her head. "He's confessed...He's in custody right now, Tyler told me"

"Thank God" aunt Laura nods.

"Please don't mention anything to Jason" Hayden begs.

"Of course" she assures. "Who does know about this? If you don't mind me asking..."

"Just Ayla and Tyler"

Aunt Laura pushes her brows together. "Ayla?"

"I don't trust anyone more than her..." Hayden admits, "she keeps my secrets...I keep hers...No matter how twisted"

Not knowing what she meant by that, Laura nods hesitantly, standing up.

"You're a good parent, Laura" Hayden adds, "just one last thing before you go...what's my last name?"

Laura stands still for a moment before answering with "get some sleep"

Aunt Laura walks out of Hayden's room slowly.

"Well?" I ask, standing in the hallway.

She simply nods. "Take good care of her, yeah?"

Stunned for a moment and not knowing how to respond, I look up to find Tyler and Jess walking in our direction.

"You all are fuckin idiots!" Jess snaps when approaching us, "memory loss, and you didn't tell me, are you fucking kidding me? This is Duncan all over again!"

"I'll wait in the car" aunt Laura tells me awkwardly before walking down the hall.

"and you all knew?" Jess continues to vent, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this" she declares before storming through Hayden's room. "Hey" she smiles as hugging Hayden the bed.

I'm glad that Jess is back to her aggressive, hostile, truculent, old self. I mean, I enjoyed seeing that vulnerable side of her but I miss this Jess.

"Hey yourself" Hayden smiles.

"How's your memory going?" Jess asks.

Hayden shrugs. "Ty, I'm sorry, I can't seem to remember the guy that you told me about..."

I pause. What guy?

"What name was that?" I ask her cautiously.

"We don't need to—" Tyler shakes his head.

"His name was...Jimmy" Hayden admits.

I freeze at his name.

Jimmy?

Why the hell is Tyler asking Hayden about Jimmy?

How can Hayden not remember Jimmy? Afterall, we fought about him before her accident. Fuck, this memory thing just be more severe then I thought.

"Ty, can I speak with you outside" Jess looks over to her cousin.

Good idea.

"I'll be back" Tyler informs Hayden before the two exit the room.

"Same," I tell her, following them outside.

Why would Tyler try to get Hayden to remember Jimmy? Duncan still doesn't have any memories of him, thank God. A part of me hopes that Hayden will be the same.