"I want to give you all the love you deserve."
___
Hadley Carter has struggled with her sexuality ever since childhood. She keeps her feelings hidden out of fear of judgement and not being accepted by oth...
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Delaney slows her Honda Civic to a stop next to where I sit on the curb. I don't hesitate to get into her car, pulling open the passenger side door and falling into the seat wordlessly.
Though I refuse to even glance at Delaney, I can feel her stare boring into me; even through the dark sunglasses she wears to shield her eyes from the sun. She doesn't ask any questions as she shifts gears back into drive, yet I know an interrogation is on its way.
I shouldn't have called her.
"Whose clothes are you wearing?" she asks finally. "And where the fuck did you run off to last night? Did you know I called your mom and said you were spending the night with me to cover for you? Why did you call me to come get you, anyway? I don't even know where the fuck we are."
Discreetly, I roll my eyes and gaze out of the window. I'm hesitant to respond to any of Delaney's questions, trying to gather my thoughts whilst my head pounds and my stomach churns. Memories of the night before play out in my mind, haunting me.
"Wait a second," Delaney mutters, "is this Devon Parker's neighborhood? I swear to God we just passed her house."
My heart thuds in my chest as Delaney turns to stare at me, always one to jump to conclusions. Of course—and as usual—she's right, though I can't tell her that.
"Oh my fucking God," Delaney starts. "Did you spend the night at Devon Parker's? Did you hook up with Devon Parker? Hadley, I thought—"
"I didn't hook up with Devon Parker!" I interrupt. My voice is a yell, much louder than I intended for it to be. Risking a glance at Delaney, I find her staring at me in shock and suspicion.
"Look, I got drunk last night and went home with some guy," I lie. "I called you to come get me because I didn't know who else to call. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
Delaney nods, though I can tell by her standoffish demeanor that she isn't falling for my bullshit. She doesn't believe me. Delaney knows exactly what I did last night—of course she does. After all, she was the one who outed me to my mom. She's the reason I was sent away over the summer. Everything I had to go through, all the trauma I endured . . . it was all because of Delaney.
"Did you have sex?" she retorts with a bitter tone. "Did you at least use a condom, or were you too out of it to be safe? Should I stop somewhere so you can pick up a plan b?"
"Yes, we used a condom," I bite back. "I said I don't want to talk about it."
"Watch your tone, bitch," Delaney spits. "You're the one who ran off and left me to deal with the mess you made. Your mom was totally freaking, Hadley. So thanks for leaving me to have to come up with something to tell her. Seriously, the least you could have done was send me a text saying where you were. And of course I'm the one who has to come pick you up at ten in the fucking morning because you made a dumbass decision. And, as usual, I'm the one who has to take care of it. I swear to God, Hadley, it's like you literally don't think of anyone but yourself. Do you know how—"
"Would you just shut up!" I cry, stopping Delaney's rant short. The air around us falls silent. I can tell my outburst has surprised her. I'm simply not in the mood to be fussed at by Delaney fucking Woods.
"I'm sorry about you having to deal with my mom and asking you to come get me. But I didn't ask for the lecture, Delaney. Stop with the caring friend bullshit. I know you were the one who told my mom about Sloane, okay? Cut the act. You know exactly where I went over the summer. And I know why you keep me around and pretend we're still friends. But the truth? You hate me. You think I'm disgusting. You have dirt on me so you can blackmail me into doing whatever the fuck you want me to do. Right, Delaney?"
Her silence is the only answer I need. Delaney and I don't speak for the rest of the drive to my house. I spend the next few minutes gazing out of the window, slumped low in the passenger seat with my arms crossed over my chest. When Delaney finally reaches my house, I climb out of her car without a word, slamming the door behind me.
As I walk up the driveway to the front door, I don't look back once.
___
a/n: i am obsessed with taylor swift. she is a lyrical genius. idk how someone can not like her omg. anyway go stream evermore rn! :)
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