by S. J. Sylvis
Silence coated the room as we waited for him. Awkward didn’t even come close to what we were all feeling. It probably took five minutes max, but it felt like five hours with Ann staring at my face and Headmaster Walton pretending he was reading something at his desk.
As soon as the door opened and Christian’s face appeared, I felt my body relax. His angular jaw was the first thing I saw, then his gray eyes which immediately found me. At first, his brows drew together, and then he noted Ann, and he put on his cool, blank face that drove me insane because I could never tell what he was thinking.
“Christian, please come in.” Headmaster Walton stood up from his desk and ushered Christian inside, shutting the door behind him.
He was no longer in his school uniform, but instead in workout shorts and a tight, white T-shirt. His hair was a little mussed on top, and I found myself swearing under my breath as I peeked at his arms. I was instantly brought back to the time in the stairwell when he found me half-naked. He was dressed the same, ready for football practice. And he looked just as casually sexy today as he did then. The only difference was his eyes weren’t full of loathing anger. Today, they were a blank canvas: cool, calm, and collected.
Once Christian took his seat in front of Headmaster Walton, dipping his head in Ann’s direction, Headmaster Walton opened his mouth to ask the question, but Ann interrupted.
“Christian?” He turned his head in her direction and raised his brows. I stood back along the books, praying that Christian would corroborate my story. Once again, saving my ass. Ann put her hand out and shook his. “I’m Ann, Hayley’s social worker. I have a quick question for you.”
“Okay,” he said, his face still cool as a cucumber. Meanwhile, I had sweat dripping down my back.
“Did you see Hayley on Friday night?”
He didn’t miss a beat. There wasn’t even a twitch of a muscle on his face. “Yes.”
My heart began beating frantically in my chest.
“And did anything out of the ordinary happen?”
His lips turned upward just a fraction, and suddenly, I could feel my hope falling rapidly. He was going to throw me under the bus. And what did I expect? I had been giving him the cold shoulder since he told me he read my file. I’d been pushing him away, hoping he’d stop saving me and feeling sorry for me.
Now, I wanted to get down on my hands and knees and beg for him to save me. To keep my secret safe so I could have a chance at a normal life, far away from this city.
“Nothing is ordinary with Hayley.” A soft chuckle left his throat.
Ann wasn’t impressed with Christian’s beat-around-the-bush response, and the only thing it did was confuse me. Where was he going with this?
“Where did you see her Friday?”
Suddenly, I felt like Christian should have been in an interrogation room, under a swaying spotlight, with Ann pacing back and forth, making threats.
Christian leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his tight chest. “I saw her at the game, right after it ended.”
My hope started to climb, and I wasn’t going to wait for him to ruin the half-truth I’d given.
“See!” I threw my hands out, looking at Ann. “I told you, he was there when I fell. He helped me up.”
Headmaster Walton smiled proudly at Christian. “Christian is a gentleman; it doesn’t surprise me that he helped her.”
Okay, relax. I’m not that much of a damsel in distress.
Ann narrowed her eyes in a dubious way. “Christian, is that true? Did Hayley fall?” She glanced at me and then back at Christian. “Please be truthful. I have a hunch that Hayley could very well be in danger, and she’s too stubborn to ask for help.”
I held my breath, waiting, staring directly at Christian. His eyes slowly moved to mine, and we held onto each other in that moment for no longer than a few seconds, but something unspoken was exchanged between us.
“Yes, I saw her trip, and she took quite a fall. I helped her up and then walked her to her friend’s car to make sure she was okay.”
Relief washed over my entire body. I almost exhaled.
“I told you,” I said expectantly to Ann. I straightened my shoulders and made a note to glance at Headmaster Walton’s hanging clock. “Now, if we’re done here, I have to get going, or I’m going to miss the bus, and Pete will be wondering where I am.” Not true.
Ann’s face fell. “Of course, go. I’d give you a ride, but I have a few more stops in town before I'm done for the day. I’ll be back to check on you next week, okay?”
I gave her a thumbs up. “Super.” Then, I turned to Headmaster Walton and gave him a small gesture before bypassing Christian.
I hurriedly left the room and tried not to run at a full sprint out of the office. There was no way he was going to let me get away without a word after he just saved my ass—again. But I needed time to think and to decompress.
My steps grew faster when I heard the office doors open and close behind me. At that point, I was almost running, and before I knew it, I was outside, the cool autumn breeze causing my hair to fly around. I blew air out of my mouth and could taste the freedom, but then my heart stopped as a hand snaked around my arm and pulled me back. Christian spun me around and peered those eyes down at me below his thick, dark eyelashes.
I stifled a yelp. My chest was rising and falling quickly.
“Still don’t want my help?” His mouth was set in a firm line, but his eyes were playful.
I yanked my arm out of his grasp, even though something in my body yearned for me not to. “I appreciate the help in there.” I pointed my head in the direction of the doors. “But I’m fine otherwise.”
A sharp laugh rumbled out of Christian’s throat. He turned around and clasped his hands behind his head. A hefty breath sounded from his direction, and then he turned back around, his arms falling. “Are you that damaged that you can’t take a little help and protection from someone else?”
I pulled back instantly. “I’m not damaged!” Hurt pierced me. But aren’t you, Hayley? I knew Ann would be coming out of Headmaster Walton’s office any second, so I rounded the corner of the building, knowing Christian would follow.
His footsteps were heavy as twigs and crispy leaves broke with each stride. “You’re not? You have some fucking psychos following you and jumping you, threats from years ago coming to the surface, your foster dad locks you in your bedroom and times your showers…but you’re fine? You don’t need anyone’s help? It’s bullshit!”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Christian so frantic. As kids, even when he was angry with someone at school, or with Ollie for following us around and begging to hang out with us, he still acted collected. Cold, but collected. He never raised his voice. The other night, when he was clearly bothered by my injuries, and even more bothered by my story regarding Gabe, he didn’t visibly show his emotions. But now? His face was red, his hands were clenched into fists, and his gray eyes were like a raging storm brewing over the ocean. He shook his head sharply. “What are you so afraid of?”
A gust of wind blew across the bare skin of my legs. I crossed my arms over my uniform. “I’m not afraid of anything.” Oh, but you are, Hayley.
The thought assaulted me, and I knew my expression showed it. Christian narrowed his gaze.
I tore my expression away, feeling my walls cracking a little. Shit. No. Then, I heard a rattling sound, like the old, beat-up truck that one of my past foster dads owned. My gaze went directly to the parking lot, and I froze.
I recognized that truck.
I recognized that skinny arm hanging out of the passenger side window.
Oh my God.
My attention moved back to Christian, and my resolve fell to our feet. My entire body broke out in goosebumps.
“I lied.” My voice sounded like broken shards of glass. Sharp and choppy. Breakable.
“What?” Christian stopped pacing and placed his hands on his hips.
I swallowed and moved beside
him. I looked out into the parking lot again, meeting a pair of eyes that matched mine. “I lied.” I craned my neck up to Christian, his body heat warming me for a fraction of a second. “When I said I wasn’t afraid of anything.”
He tilted his head while peering down.
I gulped as my mother climbed out of the rusty, old truck. “I lied.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Christian
Fear provoked our worst behaviors.
That was why I was acting so unlike myself. I was flustered, angry, baffled, and downright desperate to get Hayley to admit that she needed someone to lean on. I’d never acted so idiotic before—not over a girl, at least.
And then, when she hit me with those blue eyes full of straight, unending fear, I knew I was a goner. It killed me. The thought of Hayley being afraid or hurt sent me straight to the red. It felt like an open wound in my chest, a burn only she could soothe.
“What are you afraid of?” I asked as her hand clenched onto my forearm. She was staring at something behind me, and I craned my neck in that direction, but before I could get a good look, she squeezed my arm and stole my attention.
“My mom.”
For fuck’s sake.
“Your mom?” I spun around. Hayley’s hand stayed glued to my arm, and we watched a woman who I’d seen many years ago—but definitely couldn’t have pointed her out in her current state—climb out of an older, beat-up Chevy.
“Christian.” The breakage of Hayley’s voice had me grinding my teeth. She looked up at me, and suddenly, I was taken back several years ago, looking my best friend in the face after she told me her parents were fighting every night. “I need you to keep your mouth shut but stay beside me at all times.”
“Why? Has she hurt you before?” My heartbeat was in my ears.
She shook her head, the pink color of her cheeks fading. “Not physically, but the man she is with?” I locked eyes with the man in the driver's seat. The distance between us was far, but even so, I could tell he was a fucking scumbag. “He’s bad news. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Can’t promise that.
Her soft hand squeezed my arm again and brought me back down to earth. “Christian. Please. Promise me.” The pleading in her voice almost broke me in half. “I’ll do anything. You can stay in my room every night. You can even take the other half of the bed. I don’t care. Just don’t say a word. I can handle it.”
“Fine,” I finally answered. As soon as her hand left my arm, I grabbed it and clasped our palms together, interlocking our fingers. She paused, looked down at our hands, and let out a shaky breath.
Then, I let her lead the way.
Her mother looked like shit. Complete and utter shit. If you were to look up the word death in the dictionary, Hayley’s mother's photo would be beside it. She reeked of stale cigarette smoke, her face was wrinkled, and a too-dark shade of makeup coated every deep crevice on her cheeks. Big bags hung underneath her eyes, and if you lifted her shirt, I was certain you’d be able to count every rib in her body. She wore a pink top that went around her neck and shorts that looked as if they belonged to Daisy Duke herself, except Hayley’s mom’s spaghetti-noodle legs stuck out from below.
We were only a few yards away from the truck, tucked away on the side of English Prep. Hayley’s hand was still clasped in mine, but I could still feel the nerves rolling off her body.
“How did you find me?” She stopped just a few feet away from her mother. I peered around her body and looked at the man in the driver’s side of the truck again. His dark gaze was dead set on us. He looked just as ragged as Hayley’s mom with a cut-off flannel shirt and a bandana wrapped around his head.
“That doesn’t matter,” her mother answered, reaching out to touch the bow around Hayley’s neck. Hayley jerked backward, clenching down on my hand. I squeezed it back, reassuring her that I was still here.
Hayley leveled her mom with a stare. “What do you want? Money? I don’t have any.”
Her mom smiled with her yellowing teeth. Her painted-on pink lipstick made my stomach turn. Desperate much? She looked like a hooker on meth. “Maybe not, but I bet he does.” Her eyes flicked over to me, and I hoped she could read what I was thinking. Not a fucking chance, you piece of shit.
I didn’t know the entire story of how Hayley had landed in foster care, but I knew it had to have been something extreme if CPS took her on the first call, and judging by the looks of her mom, it was rightfully done.
“Are you that desperate to come begging me and my…”—Hayley looked at me for one second before the word flew out of her mouth—“friend for money after abandoning me? I haven’t seen you for three years, and do you remember what I said the last time you came around asking for money?” Hayley’s mom sighed as she wrung her hands together. “I told you to fuck off and to never contact me again.”
Thatta girl.
It was almost as if her mom didn’t hear a word she said. She reached out again and tried to touch Hayley’s uniform—with no success—then she glanced at the school behind our heads. “Look at you. All grown up and at this fancy school. You always were smart.”
Yeah, no thanks to you.
The more I stared at Hayley’s mom, the angrier I grew. How? How did this happen? One day, Hayley was a normal seventh-grade girl, and the next, her dad was murdered, and her mom dragged her away to some trailer park.
Then, she ended up in shitty foster homes for the next five years?
Hayley kept her mouth clamped, and I did too, although it may have been the most difficult thing I’d ever done, next to watching my own mother self-destruct.
“You need to be smart now.”
Hayley’s body moved a fraction, but I kept us in place. “What are you talking about?”
Her mom bit her lip with her decaying teeth before bringing her bloodshot gaze to Hayley. “I didn’t just come for money. You know they’re coming for you, right? You’re almost eighteen. They want their settlement.”
A chill ran over my spine.
“You should come with me and Tank.” Her mom looked back and blew a kiss to the man in the truck. “He protects me.”
Hayley laughed. “At what cost? Your pussy anytime he wants? Prostitution on the side? Making him money?”
I almost laughed out loud. Jesus fuck. What exactly had Hayley seen and been through in these five years apart? Her mouth was a force to be reckoned with. Her knowledge went far beyond the luxury of English Prep and trust-fund babies.
The red in Hayley’s mom’s cheeks grew brighter. “It’s better than those men having me. They’ll come for you and do the same. You’ll be their little doll to do whatever they want with after they get the settlement.”
Now it was my time to squeeze Hayley’s hand. I squeezed so hard I heard her small intake of breath. I slowly let go, found my footing, and took a deep breath.
Hayley’s voice was near breaking. “Do you know who they are?”
Her mom’s eyes lit up like a sparkler on the 4th of July. “Yes, if you give me some money, I’ll tell you some stuff that’ll be to your benefit since you won’t join Tank and me.”
Is she fucking serious? Almost as if Hayley could read my thoughts, her hand clamped down onto mine. “I have three dollars. It’s all I have.”
She had three dollars? That was all? I surely hoped that wasn’t true. Hayley let go of my hand and whipped her backpack off her back. She reached into the pocket and pulled out the three dollars, and fuck me, it was in quarters and dimes.
Her mother snatched it out of her hand quickly as I scanned the side of the courtyard for any wandering eyes. It was pretty desolate as school had ended a little while ago. The last thing we needed were more rumors.
“So, tell me and then be on your way. I don’t want to see you again. Ever.”
Hayley’s mom rolled her eyes as she flung her tangled hair behind her shoulder. “Your daddy got into some debt, made some bad investments, and was trying to cover his ass by launderin
g money through his company.” She fidgeted on her feet, and Tank yelled out the window, “Let’s go!” She jumped, her blue eyes piercing Hayley. “The cops know who did it; they just didn’t have much evidence other than my word. Watch your back. They’re bad people. They make the people I hang out with look like angels.”
Then, she turned around and ran back to the truck, hopping in and slamming the door shut. Hayley let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around her middle. She shouted, “What settlement were you talking about?”
Her mom glanced at her once, and then Tank took off, smoke billowing from his exhaust. Once the truck was out of sight, a held breath left her mouth. I stood back with my hands on my hips, completely baffled at the exchange shared with her mom and even more baffled that I was able to keep my shit together.
“Go wait in my car,” I demanded, still staring down the road. The truck was long gone, but the achy feeling it left behind was stuck in my limbs. I needed to punch something, or run, or yell. I needed to do something to get this pent-up anger out of my system before I blew up.
“I’ll take the bus.” Her words were nothing but a whisper in the wind.
“Hayley, goddamnit,” I seethed through my teeth. “Don’t fucking play with me.” I leveled her with a glare, and it only made matters worse. Her eyes were glossed over, and her pink cheeks were as white as her school blouse. “I kept my mouth shut while that piece of shit you share DNA with filled your head with nothing but riddles.” I stalked over to her, trying to ground myself before I went ballistic and started running after the truck to demand more information. I put my hand under her chin. She was reluctant to look up at me, but in the end, she did. My voice was softer now, but I could still hear the edge. “Go sit in my car. I’ll be back in a few to take you home.” She clenched her teeth together and worked her jaw back and forth. Her eyes were watery, but she didn’t dare let a tear spill. “And I’m staying in your room and will pretty much be your shadow until this is figured out.”
“Why?” her voice cracked. “Why won’t you just stop? I don’t need you getting mixed up in this. I don’t need anyone else butting in.”