Chapter 12


    I spend the entire day in a haze, oddly lonely without any of the people I''m used to being around... My mom had gone out to get something or the other, I''m not sure, maybe my grandmother had somehow heard of Tyrone''s attack.


    My grandma is also a part of the slew of people who babies me, I don''tin though, she gives the best gifts.


    It''s almost 3:pm in the afternoon, which means Shana and Virgil would be by soon, they would probably go to their homes first to change beforeing over, they''d eat Julia''s chicken soup for ate lunch/dinner.


    I decide that a shower would be the best course of action, seeing as my hair was tangled and all over the ce from rolling in my bed all day. I couldn''t even y with ''Apple'' because, apparently my mom wasn''t exaggerating when she said she slept a lot.


    I finally drag myself off my bed to go to the bathroom and wince at my reflection in the mirror, I look hideous. There''s hair stuck to my face with sheet lines and my eyes are puffy from ack of proper sleep, maybe I need painkillers.


    I limp over to the bathtub, too distracted to take a shower. I fill the pale pink ceramic bowl with hot water and walk back to the mirror to undress.


    It''s just the second day so I''m not surprised with what I see when I take the sweater and shorts I have on, off. Even the lightest of bruises had be a nauseating ck, standing in sharp contrast to my pale skin.


    I quickly get in the tub, thest thing I needed was for any of them toe in and find me bathing - Virgil and Shana both have spare keys - they wouldn''t be happy to see me bathing myself, which was ridiculous, I''m all grown up!


    I struggle to scrub my back while sitting in the almost too hot water, my hair was another issue on it''s own because I couldn''t wash it properly as my entire body hurt. Maybe this wasn''t such a great idea after all, I manage to rinse off, drain the water and wrap a towel around myself without any casualties and if I wrapped the towel around my chest instead of my waist that was no one''s business - what? It was cold.


    Dressing up was quick, I dry off, p some lotion on and throw on another of my mom''s old sweater andfy shorts, I don''t have it in me to blow dry my hair so I just wrap a towel around it, turban style and leave it that way.


    The doorbell rings, startling me because none of the people I''m expecting are going to knock because they have the keys, for a split second, pure, undiluted terror enveloped me, I feel like it''s Tyroneing to finish what he started or maybe some other members of his gang.


    The doorbell goes off again and I decide to at least check through the peephole to see who it is, I have to tiptoe to reach it but I manage it quite well and nearly swallow my tongue when I see who it is.


    "D-Dale?" I gasp, throwing open the door.


    "Hey Hayden." He greets in his low soothing voice, pushing a hand through his inky ck hair.


    "W-What a-are you d-doing here?" I ask in surprise, suddenly feeling very self conscious, I mean the guy in front of me asked me on a date.


    He looks a little bit hurt and I quickly tag on. "I-I d-don''t mind at all, I-I''m j-just s-sur-urprised."


    "Just came to check on you." He replied good naturedly but I''m too engrossed in looking into his captivating green eyes. "Can Ie in?" He asks hesitantly after a while of me staring at him like an idiot.


    "Oh!" I jump. "S-Sorry, p-pl-please ce in." I lead in, stuttering, letting hime in behind me.


    "Is Renee in?" He asks when we both sit down, obviously trying to make small talk.


    "Um, n-no sh-she i-isn''t." I stutter hard, I want to add that she would being back soon but I decide to swallow back my words before I bite off my tongue.


    "H-how was school?" I ask carefully, pronouncing each word slowly so that I don''t stutter and I''m proud of myself when I aplish this feat with only a slight stutter.


    Heunches into a detailed exnation of what went on that day and I unconsciously tune him out, watching his lips move and drowning in his bright green eyes.


    "...den? Hayden?"


    I shake myself out of my reverie, a faint blush dusting my cheeks. "Huh?"


    "Are you okay? You spaced out hard there." He leans forward on the sofa we were sharing.


    I jump in a slight panic, quickly getting up. "N-No I I-I''m f-fine." I stutter waving a hand, the toweles loose from where it was wrapped around my head with my rapid movements and I want to die.


    Quickly I pick it up, throw out some random excuse then rush up to my bedroom to find a way to tame the bird nest that was my hair.


    I try to fingerb it as best as I can, not wanting to waste too much time so Dale wouldn''t think I ran out on him, when I feel I look responsible enough I walk back out.


    "S-so where did you move from?" I find myself asking when I had settled down beside him again - it had seemed like a good idea at the time to sit near him but now I feel like melting whenever his eyesnds on me and it happened a lot.


    "I lived in the city before but then my parents decided that they needed a change of pace so we moved down to Pine Creek, I prefer it honestly, there''s a lot of forest."


    "Y-You like hiking?" I lean forward, forgetting to stutter.


    He smirks. "Yeah, I do. We should go hiking sometime." He suggests and my fading blush returns with a vengeance.


    "W-Will y-you st-stay h-here l-long?"


    "Hopefully." He murmurs, his eyes taking on a far away look. "If all goes well, Pine Creek will be our permanent residence."


    "That''s good news!" I exim before I can remember my social anxiety. "D-Do y-you have a-any s-siblings?" - aaannnddd it''s back.


    "A younger sister but she died when she was still young." He says with a voice full of old pain and I feel bad for bringing it up.


    "I-I''m s-sorry" I start to apologize.


    "No, it''s fine." He cuts off my stammering, looking down at his hands. "I wouldn''t have told you if I didn''t want to." He looks up at me now, his gaze piercing. "You actually look like her a bit." He mumbles to himself, scrutinizing me, his voice unsure like he''s just seeing the resemnce for the first time - he probably is.


    "I don''t know how I didn''t see it before." He whispers, leaning even closer. "Maybe that''s why I mistook you for a girl, you really remind me of her."


    I gulp, my eyes blown wide, I feel like I''m pinned under his intense gaze - I think I have an idea now how deers feel when they meet a headlight - Dale has me trapped under his eyes.


    He leans forward again, one hand reaching out to cup my face as he closes the space between us. I feel my heart stop beating when his body touches mine - is this I think - I think I''m about to get kissed.


    I can''t even escape it, he''s not asking, that''s for sure. I can see it in the way he leans forward with determination, almost like he''s trying to prove something.


    We''re close enough to brush noses and share breaths now and my eyes involuntarily slip shut, unable to handle the close proximity.


    Thest thought that passes my mind as he closes thest inch of space was that Virgil was going to be downright pissed if he finds out.


    A door ms shut and I jump but I can''t go anywhere, I can''t get away because Dale has me pinned against the arm of the sofa, unbothered by the obvious fact that we now had an audience.


    Virgil''s low and pissed off voice floats over. "What the fuck is going on here?"