Stained

Chapter 143

I wait for what feels like an eternity for him to say something, anything.

Seeming perplexed, he glances up at the staircase. I look to where he's looking and find Hayden's still standing on the platform, only this time he's looking at us with anger carved into every inch of his face.

I'm unable to mask the alarm of seeing him look at us like that. His lips part to say something but Hannah's voice interrupts him. "Hazel!"

I'm so glad for it I could kiss her. I get a feeling whatever Hayden was about to say wasn't going to be anything particularly good for either party. Not to mention he's intoxicated.

"I'm done, let's go!" Her voice is rushed, matching her steps as she strides toward the door and out of sight. That should also be me but I stupidly look back at Damien, wait a couple of seconds in hopes he'll say something.

He doesn't. Why am I not surprised?

I turn away and begin for the door. He begged for two minutes upstairs but when I just gave him the chance to finish whatever he wanted to say he seemed... ashamed to say it in front of his brother?

It makes me think everything he said upstairs was a lie. The sorry, the I miss you every second of the fucking day... the wishing he hadn't fucked up the only beautiful thing in his life. Not once did I doubt his words up there. The worst part is I do doubt now but only the fact that it could have been a lie.

Could. Wow. I don't believe myself.

It's funny how I always pointed out that love makes a person blind yet when it happened to me, I completely blindsided the notion, like it never crossed my mind, to begin with.

"Damien!" Hannah yells.

Petrified, my heart leaps into my throat. If someone else shouted Damien's name I wouldn't be as scared as I am now, but because Hannah Moon shouted his name I know without a doubt what's to follow can't possibly be good. First Hayden and now Hannah, if they were still together I would say they're made for each other.

Eyes wide, my head twists back at Damien so hard I get actual whiplash. My mind doesn't seem to care though, because despite it, when I hear her footsteps grow nearer it whips forward just as fast. Just in time too because Hannah rounds the corner.

"I need you to unlock the door," she says to Damien.

I almost sag back with relief, but luckily, quickly stop myself, realising there's nothing behind me to lean against. So to let the tightly bound tension out of my muscles, I let out a long, laboured breath.

Unfortunately, it's loud enough to wake the dead and Hannah notices; she gives me a weird look. I can only imagine what Damien and Hayden thought of the overdramatic gesture. But I genuinely was quaking in my heeled boots. Hannah is anything but unpredictable and she sets my nerves ablaze.

Damien walks past me and not once does he spare me a brief look.

'You're accustomed to this,' the mean voices chastise the sharp pain in my chest.

They're right, I am used to this, so I should be now too. Almost everyone I know is either embarrassed for anyone to know they associate with me or be seen around me. Whether it's because of the way I dress or how socially awkward I am and stumble over every word I utter.