I lied down in my bed at eleven o'clock, and I didn't move until at least two thirty. I knew that my parents were asleep by now, so I slowly sat up and threw the blanket off of me; walking over to my dresser and grabbing a change of clothes. I wasn't sure what I was planning to do, but there were things I needed to find out, and staying home wasn't going to help me.
So, throwing off my pajamas and changing into a pair of black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, I pulled on my Vans, quickly brushed my hair and grabbed my phone off of the dresser. Once I was certain that I was comfortable with what I was doing, I walked over to the window and slowly slid it open; trying my hardest not to make too much noise. I didn't want to wake my parents, especially if I wasn't going to be here when they made it into the room.
From the moment the idea came to me, I knew it was out of character, and that no one would see it coming, and I guess that helped me. Haydn wouldn't expect it, Jayson wouldn't expect it, and I was certain that Trace wouldn't either. I could go out, find the information I wanted and then just go back home. As long as I didn't run into anyone I knew, I was perfectly fine.
If I was lucky, I'd have good karma on my side today, so I blew out a deep breath, stuck one of my legs out of the open window, and began to climb down. I could swear I heard the sound of one of my parents walking in the direction of the room, so I stopped and held myself up; trying to look into the room without being seen, or falling off. After an exact sixty seconds, I exhaled again and finished climbing down. Once I had safely made it to the bottom, I rubbed my arm at the chill that I had just experienced. Only I would be the idiot to not bring a sweater in the middle of winter. . .
I couldn't worry about it though; I had to get to where I was going and back home in less than three hours or risk being caught. Being cold really couldn't be a priority when there was so much I was risking. No pressure though.
My eyes began to scan the snowy darkness around me, and I decided that the best way to go was downtown. Haydn's not the type of person to hang around the uptown area—and he made sure people knew that. He hung out where he did because it was dangerous and he knew that no one was stupid enough to go after him.
He clearly hadn't been thinking about me when he decided that.
He most likely took me as a girl with an early curfew who wouldn't dare sneak out, and had circumstances been different, that would have been true. But, my life was in danger—rather, I needed protection from something, which was pretty much the same thing—and I had a right to know what was going on. Since Haydn was my so-called 'Protector', I was going to find him, and I was going to ask what exactly it was I had to be afraid of. It wasn't my smartest plan; not even close, but you can never get anywhere if you don't try, and I was about to try pretty damn hard to find out what it was that had me in this situation.
To get downtown from where I lived—by foot—took at least twenty minutes, and since I didn't have a sweater, the best thing I could do is run to try and heat up my body. The only problem with that was I didn't want to slip on the ice and find myself in the hospital again. If that happened, my parents would know that I sneaked out and they would take every precaution there was to keep me in the house—even if that meant keeping me locked up like an animal. They cared about my safety, and I couldn't knock them for that, but sometimes they took things a little too seriously, and it was kind of irritating. They didn't really care as much until Trace came back into the picture, so maybe they know something about him that I don't. . . I'll have to ask them later.
Shaking it off, I continued walking until I finally found myself in the unfamiliar downtown area. As soon as I saw everything around me, I felt tempted to turn around and just go back home, but I came for answers, and I was going to get them. Sure, there were groups of guys standing near an alley, and there was graffiti on pretty much every visible wall, but it wasn't enough to scare me away. At least, I made it seem that way.
I had walked right past the group of guys, and cussed under my breath when one of them called out to me in a demeaning way. “Hey baby cakes, where do you think you're going?”
My first instinct was to ignore him and just continue walking, but that would only make things worse for myself, so I stopped walking, and turned to face him. The rest of the guys were staring at me with a hungry look in their eyes, and I couldn't help but shudder at what they could be thinking. “I'm looking for Haydn Jackson.” I smiled inwardly when my voice came out without so much as a crack in my voice. I seemed confident, and I guess that took the guys by surprise because they started to drunkenly mutter a few words before they broke out into laughter. “Do you know where I can find him?”
The main guy who approached me nodded with a grin on his face. “Of course, Doll. Would you like me to take you to him?”
With my eyes scanning over his body, I felt myself begin to panic. Even though he had a coat on, you could clearly see that he was built, and trying to run away wouldn't make anything better for me. He also had a scar under his left eye, and I couldn't help but think back to Trace, who had a similar one. Maybe this was the guy who gave it to him? It started under his eye, and made its way down to his chin. His shaggy brown hair covered part of it, but not enough that I couldn't see it. Whoever gave him the scar planned on leaving a mark, and they did a pretty good job at it.
I pushed that thought to the back of my mind, and took a step back when he took a step towards me. “I don't need a baby sitter, so if you could just tell me where Haydn is-”
Before I even had time to finish my sentence, he reached out and pulled me into his chest; a coy grin still playing on his lips. “Or, you and I can have some fun in the alley. I'm much better in bed than Haydn is anyway.”
The guys behind him laughed, and that made me try to pull away; an attempt that did almost nothing for me. “I'd really rather just find Haydn.” Doing the only thing I knew how to, I lifted my knee and watched as the muscular body fell to the ground. Using that as my time to run, I turned on my heal and began to run in the direction opposite of which I had originally came. I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind me, and that only made me want to run faster—which I eventually did.
Sadly, there was at least seven guys chasing after me, and there was no doubt in my mind that one of them would catch me. I was a small five-foot-seven girl and they were all muscular guys who looked as if they were six feet tall! The chances of me escaping were slim to none!
That theory was proven true when someone threw their hand over my mouth and pulled me into a dark alley; pressing my back against the front of their body. My first instinct was to attack the person holding me, but when I watched the other guys run past the alley still in search of me, all I could do was swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. Even if it wasn't one of the guys that was chasing me that had caught me, someone still did, and the outcome was going to pretty much be the same.
I didn't even notice the tears rolling down my cheeks until the person pushed me slightly away and turned me around to look at him. When I looked up, I met a pair of almost cyan-blue eyes, and I gasped. His eyes are beautiful. . .
“Why are you crying, Adri? I'm not going to hurt you.”
Widening my eyes a bit, I took a step back until my back was pressed against the other wall. Since this was an alley, there was a little less than three feet of space between us, but some was better none at all. “How do you know my name?”
He laughed a small laugh before shaking his head and sticking his hands in his pockets. The way he acted was familiar, but I couldn't really place where I had seen it before. “I've known who you are for quite some time now. But that was supposed to be a secret, so don't tell anyone.” And then he winked at me.
I didn't smile, but I could feel myself relaxing a bit, and that was good. “How do you-?”
“-these questions will be answered later, Adri. For now, I'm going to ask you to come with me.”
“Where to?” My voice was still as calm as it had originally been, and the tears had stopped flowing, but that didn't mean the wave of panic that I was feeling had disappeared. I just knew how to control myself, and thank God for that because if I didn't. . .
“I'm going to take you to a party. It's only,” he looked down at his watched, “three a.m. And I want to show you something.” Sticking out his hand for me to grab, I simply looked at it.
“How do I know you won't kidnap me or rape me or something?”
I watched as he took a step towards me and placed his two fingers under my chin, making me look up at him. A chill shot up my spine, but that was probably from the cold and my lack of a coat. “If I wanted to rape you, Adri,” he began, breaking me from my thoughts again, “I would have done it already. And besides, I have a girlfriend.”
When he pulled away, he stuck out his hand to me again, and this time, I grabbed it. I was cautious, and when he pulled me out of the alley and in the direction of a large black van, I was taken back. Relax, Adri. He has a girlfriend. . . If he wanted to hurt you, he would have done it already. With that in mind, I let him lead me to the car, and I couldn't have been happier when I climbed inside the warm car; escaping the cold winter air. I watched as the boy walked around to the other side of the car, and when he climbed in, he gave me a quick once over before shaking his head and starting the car and driving off. I wanted to know what was going on in his head, and since I was already in danger, I might as well take a shot in the dust, right? “You know, it's gestures like that, that normally start fights.”
A grin found its way to his lips. “Oh please, you couldn't fight me if your life depended on it. You're too small; you barely escaped those guys!”
Thinking back to how he had saved me not even five minutes before, I shrugged and crossed my arms in attempt to keep warm. Sure, the shirt I was wearing had long sleeves, but that's all it had. There was no extra layer to keep me warm, there was no built in heater inside; it was just an ordinary long-sleeved t-shirt, and I was freezing! “You know,” I said as my teeth continued to chatter inside my mouth, “you never told me your name. I really don't want to go around calling you Superman all night, so. . .”
That earned me a laugh, and for the first time all night, I couldn't help but smile. “Why in the world would you call me Superman?”
“Because you saved me. . .”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, really.” I looked up at him again and waited for him to say something—which he never did.
He must have noticed he was getting stared at because he looked at me with an eyebrow raised and a somewhat confused look on his face. “What are you staring at? I know I'm gorgeous, but that's not a reason to stare at someone.” Letting my face fall into an emotionless expression, I watched as he thought for a second and then smiled when it looked like a light bulb had gone off in his head. “Oh! Right, my bad. My name is Chase.”
That's when I began to laugh like a mad woman. “Your name rhymes with my brothers'!”
He shrugged, not finding any humor in my discovery. “Sadly. Your brother is a d*ck.”
Taking another look at him, I saw that all humor in his face was gone and he was as serious as a rock. My mentioning of Trace must have pissed him off, but since I was in a moving car with a potential rapist, I wouldn't say anything about it. If he wanted to talk to me about it, he would.
As we sat in silence, I couldn't help but feel another chill shoot up my body, and Chase must have noticed because he reached for the heat and quickly turned it on; earning a small 'thank you' from me before we went back to our silence. I wanted to ask him so many questions, like how he knew me, why he was here to save me, and other stuff like that, but a voice in the back of my mind was telling me to back off; that things would be answered later on. I wanted to believe that, but curiosity got the best of me, and I had to know what was going on. “How do you know me, Chase?”
“Um. . .” He pulled one hand away from the steering wheel and ran it through his brown hair, “I'm Haydn's brother. I'm assuming he told you about you needing protection?” I nodded, laughing slightly. “Yeah well, he told me to keep an eye on you from afar—which is pretty easy considering who my girlfriend is.”
“Who's your girlfriend?”
“Can't tell you that yet.” I wanted to object to that, but I simply nodded again and let him continue. “Anyway, my job tonight was to watch your house and make sure no one got in or out—it seems you managed to sneak past me. May I ask what you're doing down here at this hour, anyway? It's dangerous, especially for you.”
I wasn't sure if he was saying that because I was a girl, or because of the 'danger' I was in, but I didn't question it. “I needed to talk to Haydn, and I figured he was going to be here. Where exactly, I don't know. . . I stopped to ask for help, but you saw what happened.”
He laughed again, and shook his head. “You really shouldn't have done that. The guys who are out at this hour are all after one thing, and if you're caught at the wrong time, that's pretty much it for you. Had I not saved you, who knows what would have happened.” When he said that, I looked over at him again and tried to compare him to Haydn. They had the same dark brown hair, but that was where the similarities ended. While Haydn had dark brown eyes that scared you away, Chase had a beautiful pair of blue eyes that could lure any girl in. Also, Haydn was fairly tanned, whereas Chase was almost my complexion. They probably had different dads. . .
We drove in silence for a few more minutes before I remembered something he had said. “Wait, you were watching my house? Why?”
“Why else? Everyone knows about what happened on Friday. Haydn wanted me to make sure it couldn't happen again.” Taking in all the information, I bit my lower lip and thought about everything that he had just told me. “The fact that you managed to sneak by me is going to piss off Haydn. . . He trusted me with this, and-”
“-screw it.”
Chase looked down at me as if I had lost my mind, and then raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean screw it?”
“Haydn keeps a bunch of secrets to himself, and then he expects people to trust and listen to him? I don't think that's fair! I mean, sure, he must have his reasons, but if he doesn't tell people anything, how are they supposed to trust him? How is he supposed to trust them?”
“He doesn't. He never has.”
That caught me off guard. “How can you go your entire life without trusting someone?”
He shrugged as if it weren't that big of a deal. “He's gotten by just fine by doing so, and I really don't see a problem with it. If he doesn't want to trust anyone, why force him? That'll only make his trust issues worsen.”
“. . .has he ever tried?”
“Yeah,” I smiled slightly, “but she f*cked him over, and now he has no intention of trusting anyone. I don't even think he trusts me completely, and I'm his brother.” That seemed to upset him, but I didn't dare to ask anymore questions. There was so much tension in the car that I could have probably cut it with a knife, but speaking of sharp objects in the car right now probably wouldn't be a good idea.
As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about what Chase had said about Haydn not trusting anyone. So what if one person screwed you over. That doesn't mean you shut out your entire world. . . Maybe that's why Haydn is the way he is; he's afraid. Bringing my fingers up to my mouth in a nervous manner, I began to bite my nails in attempt to keep myself calm.
An attempt that wasn't very successful.
Looking down at the clock, I noticed that it was twenty after three, and that we had been driving for a little less than twenty minutes. Where we were going, I still had no idea, but Chase said he was bringing me to Haydn, and since I was already in the car, I had no choice but to cross my fingers and hope he wasn't lying to me. Of course, judging by the way he was telling me everything that I asked, I knew that he didn't mean me any harm. If anything, he was doing a better job at protecting me than Haydn was—and that was saying something.
When the car finally stopped, I looked out of the tinted window and saw a large apartment building. Graffiti ran up the sides, a few people were smoking in front of it, and from what I could see, there was a party going on in one of the lower floor apartments. It definitely wasn't something I was used to seeing, but I kept my cool and reached for the handle to the door; jumping in surprise when it locked.
I turned my attention to Chase with an eyebrow raised and watched as he reached in the back seat of the car, handing me a sweatshirt that was definitely too big for me. If I put it on, it would probably reach my knees or something—seeing that Chase is so much taller than I am. “Put this on. It's bad enough that I brought you here; he'd kill me if I let you freeze to death before you even got inside.”
Like an obedient child, I threw the sweater over my head and smiled when he unlocked the door. When I climbed out, I felt the heat from the car leave and be replaced by the cold winter air. I didn't shiver like I thought I would, and I knew it was because of the sweater. I really need to remind myself to thank Chase for this later.
At the mental mention of his name, he showed up beside me and draped his arm around my shoulders; walking me over to the front of the building. He said a quick hello to the two people smoking, but they seemed so transfixed by me that they didn't even notice. I was going to question what they were staring at, but I had already gotten myself into enough trouble tonight; I really didn't need anymore.
“OK, he's going to be super pissed that you're here right now.”
“That's fine.”
Chase stared at me for a while before laughing to himself and opening the door to the apartment building. The walls were concrete, and all covered from top to bottom in graffiti, but it wasn't as interesting as the designs outside. There was even some along the walls of the stair case that Chase motioned for me to walk down, and when we finally stopped walking, we came face to face with a wooden door with two gold numbers on it. Apartment number A16.
Without a moments hesitation, Chase walked inside, motioning for me to follow him. Once we were both inside, I couldn't help but choke on the strong amount of smoke that had filled the room. I didn't have to be a genius to know that it was marijuana, but again, I didn't say anything. I simply followed Chase to the back of the house and looked up at him with a confused look on my face when he stopped to face me. “Are you sure you want to see him-?”
“-I'm already this far into the apartment, Chase. Just tell him to come out.”
Nodding, he knocked on the door a few times. I could hear Haydn grunting from inside, and I couldn't help but frown at the thought of him having sex with someone else. Why I frowned, I wasn't sure, but I wouldn't think about it. It wasn't my business or my problem. “Haydn, open the door.” There was no reply, which only further aggravated Chase. “Damn it, bro, I know you're not sleeping. Open the door!”
In what seemed to be the fasted movement ever, the door flew open and a shirtless Haydn greeted us. His eyes went to Chase first, but when he saw that I was standing next to him, his eyes narrowed even further. “What the hell is she doing here? I told you to watch her, not bring her.”
“I know that, but she slipped past me-”
“-if she can slip past you, how do I know that someone else can't? I swear, I can't trust you with anything!”
The tension around the two of them was worse than the one that Chase and I had had in the car, and I couldn't help but find myself annoyed with it. They were brothers for crying out loud! They needed to start acting like it!
Sadly, Chase simply muttered the word 'whatever' before turning on his heal and walking back to the front of the house; leaving Haydn and I alone. When I looked up at him, I noticed that his eyes were red and that his hair was messy. He stilled smelled like his Polo cologne, and judging by the tired look in his eyes, I knew that he hadn't been having sex.
He was sleeping. “It's really not his fault, Haydn-”
“-I don't want to f*cking hear it.” He stared at me for a while, and I couldn't help but make a fist, even though I knew he couldn't see it with the way the sweater hung down my arms. Maybe I was angry because of the way he treated Chase; maybe I was angry because he was staring at me in such a belittling way, but whatever the reason, I was pissed. He must have noticed because he sighed and moved to the side. “Go sit on the bed. I'll be right back.”
Seeing as though I didn't really have a choice in the matter, I brushed past him and found myself sitting in a dark room. The only light was coming from a streetlight outside, but since we were in the basement, it wasn't really doing much to help. So, when Haydn left the room, I turned on the light, using the switch that was behind the door, and I watched as the room came to life. I was expecting to see a mess, but it was actually pretty clean excluding the unmade bed and scattered papers everywhere. His room wasn't small, but it wasn't huge either. He had a closet on the back end of it, and his bed was placed right next to it. From what I could tell, it was dressed in black sheets, black pillows, and a black comforter. There was a dresser that had all of his cologne and other toiletries on it, and next to the bed was a nightstand with a lamp and his phone on it. When I turned around, I saw that there was a few more dressers, and that was pretty much the end of the room.
It was a plain space, but it was livable considering he was the only one who slept in here.
As I continued to look around, I noticed a picture frame placed upside down on one of the dressers, and I found myself walking over to it. When I picked it up, I saw a woman with long brown hair, and the same cyan eyes as Chase. She was smiling with two small boys in her lap, and just by looking at them, I knew that they were Chase and Haydn. The boys couldn't have been any older than five, and I found myself smiling when I saw that they all looked so happy together. How could Haydn go from being such a happy child to what he is now. . ?
I had just brought my fingers up to run them across the picture when the sound of a door opening caught me off guard. Turning around, I met a pair of angry brown eyes, and I couldn't help but find myself afraid for a second. When I realized who it was though, I calmed down and put the picture back where I was. “Who's that woman-?”
“-didn't I tell you to sit on the bed?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but-”
“-then stop looking through my things!” Walking over to me, he put the picture face down again, and pinned me against the dresser. When he did that, heat shot right through me, and I couldn't help but notice that the anger in his eyes had quickly changed to something else; something more. . . Dominant.
Lust, my mind screamed at me.
“Haydn, what are you-?” I was cut off when a pair of lips met my neck, and I frowned when I couldn't hold back the moan that had surfaced. Just that alone encouraged Haydn to continue, and even though I did like it, I couldn't let that happen.
Using all of the strength I had, I pushed him away and tried to calm my breathing. Haydn looked confused; almost as if he wasn't expecting me to push him away, but he quickly recovered and pointed towards the bed. When I didn't move, he rolled his eyes and went back to laying down; staring up at me the entire time.
While things in the room were quiet, they weren't awkward. It was a nice kind of quiet, and for once, I wasn't worried to be alone with Haydn. Sure, he had just attacked my neck and possibly turned me on, but that was as far as it would go. I couldn't lose myself; not with him.
“Take off that sweater.”
When he said that, I found myself breaking loose from my thoughts, and looking at him with a blank expression on my face. “Why?”
“Because it's not yours. . . Or mine.”
I was thrown off completely. Is he being possessive? Over me? Deciding the play the cards that were given, I crossed my arms and took a step towards him. “What if I don't want to take it off?”
As quickly as he sat down, he got right back up and pulled me into his chest again. “I'll just take it off of you then.” And with that, he pulled it over my head and looked down at the shirt I was wearing. It was tight, and it hugged my body in all of the right places. Had I been paying attention when I got dressed, I wouldn't have picked such a show-y shirt, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it now. “You look nice without that ugly uniform hiding your body. I want to see more. . .”
Growing wide eyed, I shook my head and tried to pull away, only to be pulled back into him. “Haydn, you're supposed to be protecting me, no seducing me.”
That earned me a laugh, and I couldn't help but be amazed at how relaxed it made him seem. Haydn was always uptight and quiet; a huge mystery. But now he was being calm and having a laugh, even if it was at my expense. “I can do whatever I want with you as long as you're safe.” With that, he placed his lips back on mine, and for a while, I fought it. I was here because I wanted to know what was going on, not because I wanted to hook up with Haydn! He had probably done it with so many other girls in his bed, and I didn't want to be just some other whore!
So, using all of my power, again, I pulled away from him and watched as he looked away from me with yet another confused look on his face. “Why do you keep pulling away from me?”
“Because I came here to get answers, not to have meaningless sex.”
Laughing to himself again, he shook his head before running a hand through his hair. “You'd have sex with me if it meant something?” I didn't answer, which made him continue on. “You're a virgin; I don't have to be a genius to know that.”
A blush found its way to my cheeks, and I couldn't help but look away from him. Yes, it was true that I was a virgin, but that didn't mean I wanted Haydn of all people knowing that. Of course, I didn't want him to think I was some kind of whore either. “Look, just answer my questions so I can go home. I don't want this to be a waste of a trip.”
Eying me for a bit, he nodded and sat back down on his bed. “What do you want to know?”
“Why do I need protection?”
“Why else? So you don't get pregnant.” I gave him a look, causing him to role his eyes. “You need protection because Jayson's gang is after you.”
I grew wide eyed and shook my head. “Jayson isn't in a gang. And neither are you. . .”
“Do you really believe that, Love?”
I knew it was true the moment he said it, but it was still a lot to process. It would explain why Jayson was showing up after two years of not being around, but there were still so many unanswered questions. “Why are they after me? What have I done?”
“You can blame your stupid ass brother for that one.”
“Trace is in a gang, too?”
He nodded. “He's in Jayson's gang. His 'mission' was to get you to them, but he snapped and made you stop trusting him. When he hit you, Jayson knew that it was going to be hard to get you over to him, so he had his entire gang come after you.” I couldn't say anything like that. What was I supposed to?! “You know Eric? The blonde kid who approached me at lunch? Yeah, well, he's the one who broke into your house.”
That's why he looked familiar! “But why? What was he expecting to accomplish?”
“Well, for starters, he wasn't expecting you to escape, that's for sure.” A small smile was playing on his lips, but it wasn't much.
As I processed all of the information that was being thrown my way, I noticed that Haydn was watching my every moment; trying to read me. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but I continued with my questioning. “Why are you the one protecting me? Is there someone who asked you to do it?”
He shook his head. “No, I'm doing it because I don't want to see someone else get hurt for his idiocy.”
So, he didn't trust anyone, but he cared about me? “You care?”
“I don't need the cops on my ass about another disappearance. With his connections, he can make anything seem like my fault, and I don't need that.” There looked like there was something else he wanted to say, but he stayed shut and let out a yawn; stretching in the process.
This time, it was me who was staring at him like a hungry school girl. When he stretched, every muscle in his arms flexed, and when I looked down, I noticed that his abs had tightened. He was every girls fantasy; the misunderstood bad boy who had the hot body and the secret sensitive side that everyone wanted to break open. Haydn may seem like a cold guy, but I saw past it. I knew that there were things he was afraid of—whether he wanted to admit it or not—and I was going to break them out.
Even if it killed me.
“Are we done with these questions, now? I want to go back to sleep.”
Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I sighed when I saw it was already four a.m.. I had to be home in about two hours, and it would only take about half an hour to get there. I could sleep until five thirty, and maybe have Chase bring me back, before my parents woke me up. Of course, there was that small chance that they already knew I was gone, so no matter what time I went back, I'd be in trouble anyway.
With a sigh, I stuck my phone back in my back pocket and looked up at Haydn. “Go ahead, I have to go anyway.”
“Where are you going?”
I turned my head to the side in confusion. “I have to go back home. As much as I enjoy your company, I don't want to get in trouble with my parents.”
That caused him to frown. “Lay down with me for a bit. I'll drive you back and-”
“-I really can't-”
“-it's not an option.” We stared each other down for a while, and without knowing what I was doing, I kicked off my shoes, and lied down next to Haydn after turning off the light. I tried to keep to one side of the bed, but he pulled me into his chest again and I shuddered at the heat that was radiating off of his body. Everything about Haydn screamed irresistible, whether it was his smell or his looks, he had me wrapped around his fingers, and now I was also stuck in his web of games. Whether I liked it or not, things with Haydn and I would never be simple.
But if they were. . . We probably wouldn't be like this right now. Deciding to worry about it later, I snuggled up next to Haydn and blew out a deep breath. “Goodnight Haydn.”
I received a snore as a response.
* * * * *
“Stop, Haydn, I'm so tired. . !”
He let out a small laugh before placing me down on my bed. He had managed to unlock my front door, and make it up to my room without making a sound—while carrying me! How he did it, I wasn't sure, but it was already five-fifty, and my parents would be awake soon. “I know you are, but I have a way to fix that.”
I closed my eyes, and tried to fall back to sleep, but when I felt Haydn grab my arm and stick something sharp in me, my eyes shot open and I turned to look at him. Before I had the opportunity to ask him what he was doing, he pushed down on the needle he was holding and I felt something cold shoot through my body. I held back a scream, but soon, I found myself wide awake and full of energy. “Holy sh*t! I feel amazing!” Laughing, I watched as Haydn pulled out the needle and stuck it back inside his pocket.
“It's just a little bit of speed. You should be OK until lunch. . .”
I nodded. “What will you-” My words were cut off when I heard my mom call my name from down the hall. Growing wide eyed, I looked over at Haydn and swallowed the newly formed lump in my throat. “What do we do?!” It was a whisper, but I'm sure he heard it.
He shrugged before placing a kiss on my forehead. “I'm going to wait down the street for you. I'll drive you to school, OK?”
I nodded and watched as he quickly walked over to the window, all but jumping out. Just as he made it out, the curtain flew open and my mom walked in with a confused look on her face. “Who were you talking to, Sweetie? And why are you dressed like that?”
Looking down at my jeans, I cussed under my breath and sent her a smile. “I went for a walk at five. I just had so much energy.”
She gave me a once over before nodding and walking out of the room. Once she did that, I threw off my clothes and rushed over to the shower. My entire morning went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I found myself fully dressed in my uniform with my brown hair flowing down my back. I had enough energy to run a marathon, but I couldn't let my parents know.
So, grabbing a pop tart out of the cabinet, I grabbed my book-bag and walked towards the front door. It was only six-fifty, but since I had so much energy, I didn't mind getting to school early. “I'm going now, Mom!” Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the house and headed in the direction that Haydn told me about. Once I was there, I looked for the familiar black van from last night, and frowned when I couldn't find it.
I had just about turned around to begin walking to school when a voice called out to me. When I turned around, I saw that Haydn and Chase were waiting for me in the black van that I had failed to find on my own. “Where are you going, Adri?”
Looking at Chase, I shrugged. “I feel like walking. I've never felt more alive!”
Chase eyed me up and down for a second before turning to look at Haydn. “You gave her speed, didn't you?” It didn't sound like a question; more like an accusation, but Haydn didn't deny it. He simply shrugged and motioned for me to climb into the car. Once I was inside, he drove off in the direction of the school. “Haydn, you have to be careful with that stuff-”
“-I already know that, Chase.”
Chase had begun to say something, but he decided against it when he saw the look on Haydn's face. I couldn't help but laugh at that, and when Haydn's eyes met mine from the rear view mirror, I found myself blushing. Why the hell am I acting like this? What the hell did he inject me with?! I shook my head in a way to calm myself down, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that was coursing through my veins.
Sending Haydn a look from behind his back, I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. This is going to be a long day. . .