by Vera Hollins
I knew it was foolish of me, but I couldn’t waste more time. I jumped on Hayden’s back and wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him backward.
“Get away from him,” I shouted into his ear.
“Get off me!”
Effortlessly, he threw me off his back, and I landed in the grass. My move was a much-needed distraction for Mateo to defend himself and punch Hayden back, which threw Hayden off Mateo. Soon, the tables were turned, and Mateo was on top of Hayden, giving him a taste of his own medicine.
I stood up with a racing pulse, watching them hit each other and drawing more blood. It was horrible, and with each crunching sound I became more distraught.
“Do something,” I yelled at two guys who were the nearest to them. “Separate them before they kill each other!”
They glanced between me and them, looking as if they weren’t sure if they should listen to me and risk their own heads. Just as they stepped forward, deciding to intervene, Hayden managed to get up.
He pulled Mateo up by the front of his shirt and punched him hard in his jaw, making him lose his balance and stumble backward. Unable to stop himself, Mateo fell right into the pool, hitting the surface with a loud splash.
“No,” I screamed, afraid he might drown if Hayden’s blow left him incapacitated.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Melissa yelled, running to us with Steven and Jessica. I was relieved to see her, hoping this madness would finally end.
“What do you think you are doing?” she shouted at Hayden and punched him in his already bruised cheek.
I let out a gasp, not believing my eyes. She actually hit him!
Feeling both awe and fear for her safety, I itched to do something to protect her from Hayden’s possible violent outburst. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mateo swim to the pool ladder.
Hayden grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. “I’ll kill you for this.”
I could clearly see the fear in Melissa’s eyes, but she didn’t even flinch. “You can try, asshole, but you’re going down with me.”
“Hey, Hayden! Chill, bro!” Steven jumped in, separating Melissa from him. “That’s my sister you’re threatening!”
“Then keep her on a tight leash. She’s barking too much for her own good,” Hayden snarled at him.
“What did you just say?” Melissa shrieked, jumping at him, and clawed his face, which added to his bruises and wounds. Steven snaked his arms around her and barely managed to separate her from him.
“If you keep up with this bullshit, I’ll forget you’re Steven’s sister and make you regret it.”
“Oh, I’m so scared!”
Mateo was swaying, wincing after each step he took closer to us. Despite being injured, he looked like he would fight Hayden again, so I headed to him with the intention to stop him and protect him from further conflict.
Just as I passed Hayden, he yanked me to him. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he hissed into my ear.
“Leave me alone!” I jerked my arm away, but it was futile since his grip only increased.
“Didn’t you hear her? Let go of her,” Melissa shouted at him.
“And what makes you think I’ll actually listen to you?” he jeered at her.
“Drop her arm, jerk!” Mateo spat out and rushed forward, set on hurting Hayden.
Hayden released me a moment before Mateo swung his fist at him, easily dodging his attack. They were about to continue fighting, but then Masen and Blake appeared and split them up.
“Hey, hey, man.” Masen tried to hold Mateo still. “Calm the fuck down.”
“What is going on here?” Blake glared at Mateo as if he was ready to fight him too.
Jessica approached me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked me, her voice giving away her trembling.
I half-smiled at her, feeling better with her next to me. “Yeah.”
“Steven, get your hands off me!” Melissa broke their contact and stomped to Hayden. “This has escalated into a disaster. I don’t know what your goddamn problem is, but if you don’t leave my house immediately, I’ll call the police.”
Hayden’s body tensed, his arm muscles flexing as he fought to keep his anger at bay. “Gladly; not that I actually believe you will call the police when your house is full of minors drinking.”
She clenched her jaw, unable to find a response to that. He closed the distance between us, grabbed my upper arm, and tugged me after him toward the house.
“Wait, Hayden! Wait! What are you doing?” I yanked my arm and dug my heels into the pavement, trying to set myself free.
“Whoa!” Melissa came to a stop in front of us. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“We’re leaving.”
“No, you’re not! You’re mental, dude! Leave my friend alone!”
“I own your friend !” A collective gasp sounded all around us.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Sarah and I are leaving together.”
“You aren’t going anywhere with her,” Melissa screamed at him, and Jessica joined her side, glaring at Hayden. “Leave her alone, or I’ll call the police—a house full of underage drinkers or not.”
“Be my guest,” he told her with no sign of any emotion. He leaned down, his lips only inches away from my ear. “Right now, after your dick move in the bathroom and getting all mushy with this shitbag, I have zero patience,” he whispered. “If you don’t come willingly with me, I’ll go back and kill the shit that put his hands on you. I don’t care about the police cocksuckers or anyone here, so you better not test me.”
He was definitely crazy! “Don’t threaten him!”
“I’ll do whatever I fucking want. Now do as I say, because I swear I’m two seconds away from snapping.”
The way aggressiveness seeped out of him, twisting his injured, bloody face lines into ferocious hatred, made the dread flow through my veins, and I believed his every single word. There was that darkness in his eyes again, which gave him an inhuman appearance, like he truly didn’t care about the consequences.
Besides, he had Blake and Masen on his side, who would support his craziness if needed. Mateo couldn’t win against the three of them.
“Okay,” I whispered in defeat, a wave of pure hate washing over every fiber of my being.
I hated him for putting me through all of this. He could use his brute force if he wanted, but what did I have? I wanted to finish what Mateo started and make him bleed. I hated him for making me feel this violent, but damn it, I was so mad!
“Fucking great. Now, move.” He tugged my arm, moving forward.
“Stop,” Mateo shouted and halted next to Melissa and Jessica, the three of them forming a sort of a barricade. I looked at them with my pleading eyes. I didn’t want this to turn into an uglier mess. It was horrible already, and I felt miserable because I was the trigger for all of this.
Masen and Blake stopped in between us and them, prepared to pounce on Mateo.
“Please,” I pleaded Mateo. I couldn’t even look him in the eyes, ashamed and devastated.
There he was—a boy who wanted to give me a chance. He was the person who showed me nothing but kindness and the one I almost kissed this evening... And here I was, letting Hayden get away with his violence and hate. I didn’t want Mateo to get hurt. I just didn’t want to watch anyone get hurt because of me again.
“Let us pass,” I said through gritted teeth. “Everything will be okay.” They gaped at me, bowled over, and I forced myself to endure this humiliation.
“I’ll be fine. Hayden and I live next to each other, so he’ll take me home. Right, Hayden?” I had no idea what I was talking about, since there was no chance that would actually happen. I was burning with shame, awaiting his cruel response.
“Right,” he replied, surprising me that he agreed this easily. Masen and Blake glanced between each other, their confused expressions telling me they had no idea what was going on with Hayden
now.
That wasn’t a good sign.
“There’s no way I’d allow this—” Melissa started, but Hayden silenced her when he said, “Steven, either you make her shut up or I will, and we all know what happens when I lose my shit. Let’s go.” He pulled me after him.
Melissa and Mateo burst out yelling, attempting to stop us again, but Blake and Masen blocked them. Their screams and the sounds of commotion drifted after us, and I just wanted to tune them all out and forget about this complete chaos.
Hayden never took his hand off me as he led me around the house, following a garden path that was faintly illuminated by the street lights in the front of the property.
“You don’t have to drag me around! I’ll follow you!”
“No. I don’t trust you.”
We reached the driveway, but I still hoped someone would stop us. My hope was crushed when we reached his car.
He took the key fob out of his pocket and unlocked the car, bringing me to the passenger-side door. “Get in. And don’t even think about running, because I’ll easily catch you.”
He released me at last, but he didn’t move from his spot, waiting for me to obey him. Reluctantly, I opened the door and got inside, despising him for limiting my every single move.
I looked all around me, taking in the luxurious interior of the car filled with his pine tree scent and a faint cigarette smell. It radiated sheer power, just like Hayden, and I felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe where this evening took me. Their fight had pretty much sobered me up, and I already missed the blissful alcoholic daze that made me feel like I had absolutely no worries in this world.
Hayden entered and started the car immediately. “You better buckle up.”
I barely had time to do that because he sped up in the next moment, swerving around the parked cars, and reached the road at full speed.
He was driving too quickly for my taste, and I had to grab my seat to steady myself each time he made a sharp turn into a new street.
My stomach did a flip because I remembered I was in a car with a drunk person, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, as if that could bring me any reassurance that we wouldn’t crash. The bruises on his cheek and the dried blood on his swollen lower lip were a grim reminder of how brutally he attacked Mateo.
“What you did to Mateo was horrible.”
“So that dickhead has a name.”
I glared at him. “Don’t call him that!”
“I’ll call that shit what I fucking like. Nobody touches you.”
“Why the hell not?”
He glanced at me, his eyes searing into me. “Because I hate when other guys touch you.”
My chest constricted at the undertone of his words, but I refused to give them any significance. “You hate everything. You hate me, you hate when other guys touch me... Enough.”
“No, it’s never enough. Don’t even think about hooking up with him.”
I couldn’t believe him! “You’re sick.”
“Yes, you’re right. I’m sick. You’re making me sick.”
“This has gone too far, Hayden. You can’t control my life, and you certainly can’t make my choices—”
“Of course I can. I already am making your choices.”
I was fuming, digging my nails into my palms. “ Fine . However, you can’t control my heart. You’ll never control my feelings. You can keep me away from other people, but you won’t ever stop me from loving them.”
He didn’t answer, and for a fleeting moment, I felt good I said something that finally made him shut up, but then our eyes met and I noticed his distressed expression that took me completely by surprise. He was searching for something in my eyes, desperate for... What?
He tore his gaze away from me and brought his attention back to the dark, empty road. “This Mateo... Did you meet each other just now?”
What was up with that question? Did he actually expect me to spill the beans? First, he attacked him, and now he was acting like a police detective, so fixated on him.
“You sound jealous,” I blurted out, even though this seemed implausible after all the monstrosities he committed.
His eyes found mine again, and all the air was sucked out of the cabin. I felt tingles all over my body as he gazed deeply into me. “Do you want me to be?”
Whoa. “What kind of question is that?”
“I kept thinking...” He focused on the road again, looking like he was lost in thought. “Once, Kayden said something to me that really made me curious. You two were in the Nepaug State Forest the evening before, almost three months before he died.”
All the hairs stood up on my neck. I stared at the floor of his car, my heartbeat too fast.
Kay and I kissed that evening in the forest.
“Kayden looked like someone killed his puppy. I knew you two were together, so I assumed you argued. When I asked him what happened he said only one thing.”
I held my breath, impatiently waiting for him to continue. He didn’t.
“What did he say?” I hated that I was giving him the pleasure to see me curious.
“ You won .”
I gaped at him. “What?”
He glanced at me. “Yes. He just said that and locked himself in his room for the rest of the day. I had no clue what he meant then.”
Why did Kay say that? We kissed, but it only happened because he offered it. He even told me I could pretend he was Hayden...
A shot of pain coiled through my chest. I didn’t want to remember that shameful moment. After our kiss, he confessed his feelings for me, and I reacted like a complete idiot, ignoring the way he felt.
I hurt him so bad, but he always knew how I felt about Hayden. Why would he go to Hayden and say that, especially when Hayden wasn’t even involved?
What if he was involved? Hayden was jealous because I spent time with Kayden, but what if he wasn’t jealous of me for taking his brother away from him?
What if he was jealous of Kayden?
“Why are you telling me this?”
“As I said, I didn’t understand what he meant that day, because I was sure you two were in love. Then I heard what you said at Kayden’s grave. You said you wanted to help me and be strong for me. I thought I was fucking delusional in that moment, convincing myself I probably heard everything wrong, but then you returned my kiss. And later, I saw your drawing of me. The drawing of a person who did nothing but hurt you.”
Fear arose in me, sending my heart into overdrive. I finally understood what he was getting at.
“I put two and two together and got my answer.”
I wanted to run away immediately. I wanted to be anywhere but here.
He cast me a glance, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. “Despite everything I did to you and having Kayden by your side, you actually liked me.”
Chapter 26
NO, NO, NO.
This was terrible. I couldn’t allow this to continue any further. If I confirmed I’d liked him, he would make my life even more difficult, and I already lived with a huge load of shame in me.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
He frowned, taken aback by my answer. “What?”
I snorted, faking my indifference. “I never liked you. How could I when I always loathed you? I could never stand the sight of you.”
To my complete surprise, all his previous confidence evaporated into nothing and a hint of vulnerability appeared in his eyes. “You’re lying.”
“And you’re delusional.”
He clenched his jaw and the steering wheel. “Then why did you say those words in the cemetery?”
I winced, feeling like he had me cornered. “And why are you acting like you care?” I shook my head. “You’re my biggest enemy. You swore to make my life living hell, yet you’re concerned a lot about my feelings now. You even kissed me. What is wrong with you?”
He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his hands started shaking, and as always, I was shocked at
how fast his emotions changed. My instincts screamed at me to shut the hell up and stop provoking him.
“You didn’t answer my question about Mateo.”
I ignored my instinct and voiced my anger. “Oh, so we’re dodging a question now?”
“Fucking answer me!”
“I fucking won’t!” He crossed the line too many times, and I wouldn’t let Mateo get involved in this.
He veered to the right and stopped on the side of the road, the screeching of tires grating on my ears.
“What are you doing?!”
Hayden killed the engine and unbuckled his seat belt. “Give me your phone. I want to make sure you didn’t do something as stupid as taking that asshole’s number.”
“What?” My pulse was frantic as I attempted to come up with a way to avoid giving him my phone, but then I remembered one thing.
I left my phone and my bag in Melissa’s car.
Damn it.
“I never ask twice,” he growled and started searching for it himself, tapping his hands over the front and the back pockets of my jeans, reminding me of a cop frisking a criminal. I felt violated and vulnerable, and no matter how much I kicked and wiggled, trying to take his hands off me, it was pointless.
I closed my eyes, sensing like I could start crying any moment.
“Please, stop this,” I whispered, defeated.
At that, his hand grazed the inside of my thigh, dangerously close my core, and we both froze, our eyes locking together. I was scared of his next move, but my body anticipated it, and I hated my reaction. I refused to acknowledge it as pleasure and hunger for that touch.
“Where is your phone?” he said so quietly, a note of insecurity shading his words.
For once, I was glad the truth worked in my favor. “I left it in Melissa’s car.”
He exhaled a heavy sigh and leaned back against his seat, breaking the contact between us. “What were you doing with that asshole?”
“That’s none of your—”
“It is my fucking business,” he shouted at me, making me flinch. “You won’t see that guy again.”
“What? You can’t possibly be thinking that—”
“I won’t repeat myself, Sarah. I’ll fuck him up if I see him with you again.”