Hi all,
So after a year of writing, I've finally finished The Precious One. I've been prewriting this book The Guarded One, for the last couple of months or so and am almost done!
I hope you all love this book.
Happy reading!
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"Hayden comes back today" I announce while sitting on the floor, with my back resting against the sofa.
"No kidding" Jess says while laying across the sofa.
"She's dodging Glimmer" I reveal under my breath, "I think he has something to do with why she was suspended"
"Like what?"
"I don't know yet" I admit, "Oh, before I forget, Ayla told me that you need to write a fifteen hundred word essay on to kill a Mockingbird"
"Ugh," Jess moans.
I look over my shoulder to face her. Fair skin and almost grey lips. Her hair is growing out now. She made her dad style it for her, now she has a messy pixie cut.
"Duncan and Ayla are official" I lower my voice.
"What, seriously?" a grin spreads across her lips just as she sits herself up, "that's great, I knew that they were seeing each other! Now they have those dumb labels that everyone wants when they're in relationships"
"Yeah the whole thing ain't too bad" I admit while pushing myself up from the floor, and dropping my body on the sofa beside Jess.
"I thought you didn't like her?" She cocks a brow.
"Yeah well, she's growing on me" I half-smile
"like a rash?" A new voice says when entering the room.
My gaze meets Tyler, who stands with folded arms and a smirk. I mimic his smile just as my cellphone begins vibrating from the coffee table.
I lean forward, extending my arm to pick up my phone. Duncan's name flashes across the screen.
"Hello?" I press my phone against my ear.
"Jas" a sobbing voice greets fearfully.
My heart sinks. Has Jim gotten to him?
Now don't overreact Jason.
I'm sure it's nothing.
"Duncan what's-" I begin fearfully.
"It's Hay..." he struggles to speak.
My eyes widen. Today Hayden was angry with me for not telling her about Jimmy being back in town. God what if he got to her?
"What's wrong with Hayden?" I cry but he doesn't respond, "Duncan!"
"Jason?" Jess furrows her brows while Tyler walks towards me.
"She's in the hospital" Duncan weeps.
At that moment, my heart stops. A million different scenarios course their way through my head while silence fills the air.
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. Inhaling deeply, I look over to Jess and Tyler who stand across from me.
"Why? What's happened?" I lower my voice to almost a whisper.
"I don't know...." Duncan admits, "she's at Zuckerberg general"
"Alright, I'll meet you there," I nod before ending the call.
"Jason?" Tyler starts in fear.
"Hayden's in the hospital" I struggle to say. "We've gotta go"
"What happened?" Jess cries.
"We don't know," I admit while my shaking hands grab my jacket and car keys.
"I'll come with you" Jess declares.
"No way" Tyler shakes his head.
"She's one of my best friends" Jess argues with clenched fists.
"You know what the doctors said" Tyler reinforces.
Jess is in isolation, if she leave the house she'll risk catching an infection.
"Jess you need to stay here," I say firmly, "I'll call you as soon as I hear anything"
She looks away and nods slowly. Tyler and I exchange fearful looks before leaving the house.
***
"Duncan" I call when Tyler and I walk down the hallway to find him in Ayla's arms. "What's going on?"
"She was in a car accident" Ayla meets our gaze while Duncan sobs like a little boy.
"What?" I raise a brow.
"She had a seizure behind the wheel" a deep voice explains from behind us.
We turn around to find Hayden's parents talking to a doctor a few feet behind us.
"What?" I widen my eyes in confusion. "Why would she have a seizure?"
"Because that's what epileptics do" Hayden's father sighs.
Epileptic?
"I told her not to drive" her mother sobs.
"How bad is it?" Her father asks the doctor.
"It's hard to say" the doctor admits. "Just prepare yourself...." with that he leaves our sight.
I shake my head violently, redirecting my gaze to Tyler. "Epilepsy?" Tyler furrows his brows.
Since when has Hayden had epilsepy?
"You all didn't know?" Her mother raises a brow.
I look down "can I see her?"
Her parents nodded, allowing me to enter the room that they guarded. I enter slowly, holding my breath in fear.
I stood there, perfectly still. She laid in that bed, eyes closed, body all bruised up. She had a brain hemorrhage, internal bleeding, concussion, broken ribs, broken toes, and broken arms.
"How did we not know?" I sigh as Tyler stands beside me. "Why didn't she tell us?"
"I guess for the same reason Jess doesn't want anyone knowing about her cancer" Tyler suggests. "Police found a suitcase in the car...Seems like she was going to run away"
I nod before releasing a sigh. I take a step back to find Ayla.
"She never told you?" She asks.
I shake my head slowly before Ayla walks towards Tyler.
Why didn't she tell me?
My mind then goes back to when we met.
"Are you okay?" I raised a brow while she sat on the pavement.
She nodded slightly "I just have a lot of crap going on right now with my parents"
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
She laughed "not with anyone..."
"Yeah I feel that" I admit.
"I asked around...there's rumors about why you transferred here, but no one seems to know for sure" Hayden explained.
"And no one will" I clench my jaw, "how bout we make a deal...I won't ask you anything about your life if you do the same with me"
Uh, of course, the pact. A deal Hayden and I made years ago that prohibited us from telling one another about all the personal stuff that neither of us ever wanted the other to know.
I take her hand and hold it gently.
What's going on in that head of yours? You and I have known each other for so long, how is it possible that I had no idea? But then again, you have no idea about my father in prison, my sister's suicide, my other sister and her husband's time in jail, my father abusing me, or my mother's death.
"I will never leave your side" I whisper.
"Jason" a new voice greets. I look over my shoulder to find Aunt Laura standing by the door fearfully. Immediately, I jump from the chair and wrap my arms around her when tears roll down my cheeks. "Shh, I know...it's okay...she'll be okay..."