Hazed

by Brittany Butler

CHAPTER FIVE

  “What’s so funny?” Hayze opens the door with narrow eyes.

  Lea continues to laugh as she pushes past him. She walks inside and collapses on his couch. As I walk in I’m hit by a smell, not your usual bachelor pad, dirty clothes smell. No, a candle lit in another room smell. The first time I was in his apartment we were rushed to go out, this time I walk around looking in his private space.

  The living room has a sofa and your typical flat screen mounted on the wall, the walls are white and the laminate floor runs through the living room, kitchen, and hallway. The kitchen is spotless; nothing is displayed on the cabinets. I run my index finger along the bar that separates the living and kitchen area, pleasantly surprised I don’t find dirt.

  A small archway holds two doors. I inch closer to the lone shelf placed by the flat screen. DVDs and CDs line the space. With a cocked eyebrow, I move closer. I cut my eyes back to the couch and then to the shelf. I’m seeing this right, the movies and music collection are organized far beyond my comprehension. Placed in categories and alphabetically listed within each genre.

  “Did you do this?” I turn, inspecting Hayze.

  “Yeah, don’t touch it,” he says. He smiles but I see truth behind his threat.

  “That Corey guy from the bar asked me out today.” My face twists into disgust.

  Hayze looks to me, his gaze is stern. As Lea giggles over the scene and I watch him grow impatient. He sighs, takes a seat on the couch and watches her with a deep scowl growing on his face.

  “It was in public! And she shot him down, you should’ve seen his face,” She laughs.

  “You said no?” His amber eyes dart to me, searching my face.

  “Of course I said no!”

  Lea’s phone rings, she pats her pockets until she finds it. She brings it to her ear, rolling her eyes. “Its work, I’ve gotta take this,” she mouths and covers the speaker. She disappears into the hallway, leaving me alone with Hayze. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of me since she told him I said no. He’s watching me like I’m a weird science experiment.

  “What happened?” He urges.

  “Nothing, she’s making a huge deal out of it. He waited for me after class with his buddies and asked me out… I said no. No big deal.” I shrug my shoulders.

  “He wasn’t a douche?”

  “No.”

  Lea stumps down the hallway and throws her hands in the air.

  “Another no call, no show, I have to go in!” She groans and pulls her black flats on each foot.

  “Oh, that sucks.” I grab my bag that’s tossed on the floor and slip on my shoes.

  “Taylor, wait. I can take you home.” Hayze stands, his hand rubs the back of his head as he waits for my response. “I mean, if you want to.”

  “Yeah, that could be fun,” I say.

  Lea watches our exchange with amusement. Her lips press into hard line, her eyes crinkle as she fights a smile. She pulls her side bag over her head and pulls her keys out before leaving.

  “This doesn’t mean we’re not going shopping! See ya later,” she says, looking at me. She winks at Hayze and he closes the door behind her.

  “Want a drink?” Hayze asks.

  “No, thanks,” I say, gaining awareness of what I agreed to. I toss my bag on the floor and crash on the couch, ignoring the way he watches me. He falls on the middle of the couch, leaving only inches between us. He brings the rim of his glass to his mouth and takes a sip of water. With each breath I take, I grow more self-conscious.

  “How was the family dinner?” He asks, breaking the silence.

  “As good as it could be,” I sigh, “Lea fit in. My mom and brother loved her.”

  He nods. “I heard…You didn’t tell me what happened with that guy. He didn’t fuck with you again, did he?”

  I laugh, “No.”

  “Then why’d you turn him down?”

  I slip my shoes off, tossing them on the floor. I tuck my legs under me and face him. I shrug my shoulders. “I just didn’t want to date him, I guess.”

  “You’re not against dating completely, just that guy?” The corners of his mouth quirks slightly, his dimples make a brief appearance.

  I smile, nodding. “Just that guy, well, and pretty much every guy I went to high school with.”

  “But not all of them,” He asks. When he senses my reluctance, he nudges my shoulder and regards me with amusement. “Tell me, what was Taylor Thompson like in high school?” He chuckles, amused as if he already knows the answer before it slips from my mouth.

  “Well, since, it was,” I say, I squint and pretending to count. “Just a few months ago, I would say I’m the same person.”

  “C’mon, no stories? You never snuck out?” He questions, laughing as my face heats.

  “Absolutely not; all of my friends did but,” I sigh, “I guess I was waiting until my time.”

  “Gotcha, what time is your first class tomorrow?” He asks, changing the subject.

  “Nice try, but usually when you ask someone question after question, you have to cough up some answers, too.” I point my finger at him, he smiles. He doesn’t argue so I take the lead. “So, what about you, I’m sure one of the bar-flies wants more from you…”

  “You’re right, they probably do.” He looks to me, eyes lit with amusement.

  My jaw falls open. “You’re such an asshole,” I say, giggling.

  “Never claimed to be anything else,” he says, smirking at me.

  I cut my eyes at him and move on, “Why don’t you give them more?”

  He laughs once, all traces of humor removed. “The girls in this town…” He shakes his head. “When I look at myself I don’t see the person I am now. I see the person I’ll be in ten years, and no one measures up to that.”

  “Why in ten years? What’s wrong with who you are now?” I frown at him for being so hard on himself.

  “Never mind,” He tells me.

  “No, I’m serious Hayze. You’re going to college full time, and you’re working…”

  He cuts me off. “Those are surface things, Taylor. Not everything is so black and white.”

  “Is something bothering you?” My eyebrows pull together. I lift my hand, and I almost touch him for comfort. Instead, I let it fall to my lap.

  “I asked for a simple story of you turning a guy down and we ended up here,” he laughs. “This is some deep shit. I do have one more question for you.”

  I press my lips to the side, thinking. I guess it’s out of habit, but I always grow nervous when people ask me questions. I don’t want them to know more about me, about who I used to be. But I don’t have to answer it if I don’t want to, so I agree. “Okay?”

  “Can I call you Tater Bug?” Somehow he manages to get the question out before he throws his head back, laughing.

  My jaw flies open. “I’m going to kill Lea!” I declare.

  “I mean don’t get me wrong, I’ll settle for Tater,” he laughs.

  “NO! You can call me Taylor! I need a new roommate,” I say, blushing.

  “I’ll be your roommate.”

  “Ugh no,” I reply.

  “Never say never,” He says and his serious expression falters.

  “Never,” I repeat myself. “I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what tonight was about.” I jump from the couch and gather my things. He watches me with mild amusement as I pull my purse strap over and stand by the door. When he walks to the kitchen bar, I take a step back.

  He chuckles, “That’s not at all what this was about.” He dangles the keys in front of me. “I have to take you to the dorms, remember?”

  “Yeah, I just have an early class tomorrow.” I look down, breaking the eye contact from his amber eyes.

  “Relax Tater, I won’t try anything,” he says, clearly amused with himself. “If you want to stay, I’ll take you home later? I won’t try anything.”

  The front door bursts open and I jump. His roommate, Joel, walks through the apartme
nt. He tenses when he spots me.

  “Hayze, we’re about to have some company,” Joel said, he clasps him on the shoulder and walks to the kitchen.

  “Oh, I’m taking her back to the dorms anyway. Joel this is Taylor,” he says, pointing to me. I smile awkwardly, hoping he doesn’t sense my unease. What happened to our conversation seconds before when Hayze was practically begging me to stay? Now he has company coming over and wants me out.

  “I know who she is,” he laughs without looking back. He walks by, beer in hand and disappears into a back room.

  “Let’s go, don’t want you to be late for your company,” I say as I pass by him and walk to his car. I hear him jog to my side, and I look away from him.

  “You mad about something?” He shoves the key in his car, unlocking it. He reaches over and switches my lock up to let me in.

  “No, just disgusted by your lifestyle,” I say with a calm voice, despite my anger.

  He laughs, “You were just raving about what a great person I am.”

  “Yeah, you are smart, you have good work ethics, but I’m not a fan of the parade of women that fall into your bed every night,” I say. He bursts into laughter, of course, because everything is a joke to him. It’s amazing how a person I just met can get under my skin so much. For a second I understood what everyone sees in him, he had a serious conversation with me and was really sweet. But that moment is long gone. I’m counting the minutes until I can get to my apartment.

  “Parade of women? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re jealous.” He cuts his eyes to me and I fix my sight on the road ahead of me. He chuckles, “For your peace of mind, some of the guys from the frat are coming over tonight.”

  “Okay,” I say, nonchalantly.

  “The parade will resume tomorrow night.”

  I press my lips in a hard line. His grin stretches from ear-to-ear; I roll my eyes. His tone is playful but I know there is truth behind his words, and it makes me hate him. After an eternity we pull up to the dorms. I rip open the door and slam it closed. When the window rolls down, I sigh.

  His grin is so smug. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “What?” I ask, confused. He waves once and drives off without any explanation.