Hazed

by Brittany Butler

CHAPTER TWELVE

  I walk across the manicured lawn. The damp air is cool, no longer threatening to claim my life at any moment. The stale dorm lobby sours my mood each time I walk inside. Not all dorms resemble a dark, damp prison cell, but unfortunately for a late registration freshman, mine does. Lea whirls around the room, grabbing scattered clothing as I walk inside. She stops, lifts her head, and waves to me. Hayze sits on her bed, watching me as I walk in.

  “You’re cleaning?” I look around the stale room, impressed.

  She pops out an ear bud and smiles. “Yeah, I guess so. We’ll both be gone for Thanksgiving break…”

  My mouth forms an O. “I don’t think I’m going home for Thanksgiving,” I say.

  “I’m not either, but I’m not staying in this shithole all week.” She shrugs, her eyes cut to Hayze. “What are you doing over the break?”

  “What I do every year,” he deadpans. He throws his body back on her bed, tucking his hands behind his head.

  “You should go see your mom,” she says.

  He exhales, “You should see yours.”

  She throws the clothes in her hands to the floor and crosses her arms. “If I had the type of mom you have I wouldn’t give a second thought about going home! I wouldn’t skip holidays!”

  “Knock it off, Lea. Thanksgiving, Christmas,” he shrugs, “They’re just another day.”

  “Maybe to you, but your mom would be thrilled if you went,” she says.

  “She has Glenn.” He cuts his eyes to Lea. She rolls her eyes and groans.

  “I’ll go with you,” she says. Her eyes rise with hope as she waits for his answer.

  He stares into space, reluctant to show emotion. “If you wanna go somewhere, just go to Colorado and get off my back.”

  “Hayze…” She whines.

  “Oh for fucks sake,” he sighs, exasperated. He pushes himself from the bed, watching me. “Taylor will you go with me to my mom’s for Thanksgiving? Apparently it’s a huge fuckin’ deal.”

  My brows shoot up. “Uh, when you put it like that,” I laugh, “Sure.”

  Lea clasps her hands together in victory. “Your mom is going to be so excited!” She squeals.

  I look to both of them. Hayze is slumped on her bed, his fingers tap anxiously on his lap. Grinning, Lea taps on her phone, probably alerting Hayze’s mom. Before I can stop the question from tumbling from my mouth, it happens.

  “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”

  “Hayze has fuckin’ Mother Teresa for a mom and he won’t even go see her,” she says. So many questions flood my mind. I pinch the bridge of my nose, piecing together their family and their relationship.

  “Ok, so, what’s up with your mom? Why won’t you go home?” I ask her.

  She pushes her thick blonde bangs from her hair and chews on her lip. “We just don’t get along. I stayed with my grandparents or Hayze’s mom growin’ up.”

  He shifts uncomfortably on her bed and stands. “Hey Taylor, I’ll call ya later, okay?”

  Her hand rests on my arm. I turn to see her watching me with empathy. He acts so strange each time family is brought up. He can’t get away from the conversation fast enough.

  “He gets like that,” she explains. “It’s not you, trust me, that guy’s in love with you.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and walk back to the bed, pacing several times before sitting. That has never crossed my mind. She can’t just blurt something out like that and move on. Has he said something to her about it? We aren’t even together right now; at least I don’t think we are. He doesn’t love me, right? That would be…weird.

  “I mean I could understand if his mom was like mine, but she’s not. I know it’s a shitty situation and his mom takes the blame but she doesn’t bring it up anymore.”

  I glance to her, nodding my head without knowledge. “Yeah,” I say.

  “I’m fucked up, too. I mean how many people’s dad is going to spend the rest of their life in prison? It sucks, I get it, but what he’s doing is unhealthy. He’s gotta stop.”

  I start coughing, no, choking on air as the words leave her mouth. Prison? Her eyes hold mine as if I hold the answers. My face is cool, showing no emotion.

  “What’s he doing, Lea?”

  She sighs and blows her bangs from her face. “I’ll never let a friend date one of my brothers after this.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to put you in the middle of this, but what is he doing? What am I getting myself into here?” My eyes dance across her face, she thinks and slowly a soft smile curls on her lips.

  “Nothing either you can’t handle. Especially together,” she says, nudging my shoulder. “Go easy on him right now. This month has been a year since everything happened…”

  “Yeah, of course, I will.” I nod my head and offer a tight smile.