****
Hours later, Hayze knocks on the door and Lea lets him in. He stumbles in, still in the same clothes, and the hospital band is in place. He sits on the bed beside me, I scan his face. His eyes, the deep amber eyes that are framed with thick lashes, are lined with dark circles. His complexion is pale.
“You look like shit,” Lea says.
He flips her off. “Yeah, well, I’ve felt better.”
I push his hair from his forehead then grab his arm for support. “Are you okay?”
“I will be,” he says.
My lips press in a hard line. Suddenly, the clipped responses are not enough. I stand and place my hands on my hips. He looks at me, his face lined with exhaustion. “Here we go,” he whispers.
“You can’t just disappear and show back up with a hospital band on and expect me not to be upset! Your attitude is pissing me off! What happened, Hayze? What the hell happened?” I yell.
His hand cradles his forehead. “First of all, stop yelling, I have a headache. I had my stomach pumped. It’s no big deal, babe.”
“Wait…What? Why?” I look to Lea then to Hayze. “You dropped me off at school, drank so much you had to get your stomach pumped, and then you don’t come to work? Or even call me!”
“Yeah…Something like that,” he says.
“Just tell her,” Lea says.
“Yeah, Hayze, just tell me!” I seethe.
“Lea,” he warns.
She stands, frowns at him and walks outside. He hangs his head and props his elbows on the knees. I take a seat beside him and place my hand on his thigh. When he looks at me, my face falls. He just doesn’t look like Hayze.
“You have gotta give me some answers,” I say. His eyes dance across my face; he looks down and shakes his head. “Is this a regular thing?”
“Not anymore,” he says.
I stare at him with my lips pursed to the side, thinking. He knows how to manipulate answers. I ask a question and he gives me an answer that could go either way. I get so frustrated with him. Either way, I’m led to believe that this used to happen a lot.
“So, whatever this is, you just can’t talk about it right now? You will tell me some day, right?” I urge and he looks away from me.
“I hope I don’t have to,” he says.
“You left class, got drunk. Some random person took you to the hospital? Did you lose your phone?”
He sighs, “The details are not important. It won’t happen again,” he promises.
“But what won’t happen again?”
“Your something shitty,” he says and the corners of his mouth quirk in a weak smile.
I wipe my palms on my jeans and keep my eyes focused on the wall in front of me. “I don’t know what to do,” I say and shrug my shoulders. “What were you doing? Do you even remember? I mean, you could’ve cheated on me.” I shake my head in anger.
“I said I wouldn’t cheat on you!” His voice booms, startling me, I jump.
“You are not exactly forthcoming with answers, so I don’t know what to believe,” I seethe.
“I wasn’t with a girl, Taylor! I was with Joel, my roommate! We were,” he stops, groaning in frustration.
I throw my hands up, “Please, for the love of God, finish that sentence,” I say.
“You trust me right?” He grabs my wrists, pulling me to him.
“I thought I did,” I say honestly. That’s the only answer I can give him. I thought he was capable of changing, that he had already started changing. But I was wrong. I don’t know how I still manage to be optimistic with people.
“Girls can talk to me in class and flirt with me at the bar. You name it, but I’ll never do anything to hurt you, I promise. You are it for me, remember that. Stupid shit like this may happen, but it’s not another girl, Taylor, it never will be.”
“Then what is it?” I manage to ask through clenched teeth.
“Something that will never come between us again,” he says. He runs his thumb across my cheek. “I don’t wanna be responsible for that frown on your face.” He kisses my lips.
“Then just freaking tell me what it is!”
“Trust me, that wouldn’t make your frown go away,” he says, and for the first time today, I actually believe something that came out of his mouth. He studies me, but I give nothing away. I fix my eyes on the wall and shift to the floor. Lea comes in the room, her eyes dart between us.
“I have homework to do, so, I’ll uhh… I’ll call you.”
His brows shoot up, his eyes cut to the side. “That’s it?” He asks.
“That’s it,” I repeat.
His face falls, his hands grasps my arms. “C’mon Taylor, don’t do this!”
“Just go,” I say.
Despite the thoughts swirling in my mind, my voice remains calm. He doesn’t move. His hands clench my arms. He lowers down to be even with my height. His soft eyes plead with me and it almost works.
“Hayze, go.”
When he doesn’t move, Lea steps toward us. “Maybe you should go,” she says. His face holds a forced smile as she studies him.
“Don’t do this,” he says.
“What…. Me? Hayze, you don’t do this! Call me when you’re ready to grow up!” I said, his chest rises with each breath. “Go,” I whisper. He unclasps my arms and storms from the room.
Hazed Page 18