Haylee’s POV
I stretched and pulled my hand back, afraid of accidentally smacking Dan. I ran my hand over the sheets and turned to see that he wasn’t there beside me as he always was. Alarmed, I sat up and looked around, fearing that something was wrong. A second later, the door opened and Dan walked in, a tray in his hands. His hair was curly. I relaxed instantly and leaned back against the pillows. “Good morning love. How are you feeling today?” He asked.
“I’m alright, a bit tired and weak,” I yawned. “What are you doing?”
“I fixed breakfast for you. Phil took Chassidy out for breakfast and I figured you were too tired to go out anywhere. Plus, I wanted to do something nice for you.” He explained.
“Oh, well, thank you.” I smiled, sitting up. Dan sat the tray down in front of me and climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged from me. I looked down at the tray and gasped. On the plates were spinach, bacon and cheese omelets, a cup of coffee, orange juice and toast. “Wow, Dan this looks amazing!” Dan just smiled. I picked up a piece of toast and nibbled at it. A voice in the back of my head told me not to eat, but I tried to ignore it.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about Playlist Live. You’ve heard of it, right?” Dan questioned.
“Yeah, I always wanted to go to that. Never got to, though.” I told him.
“Well, what if I told you that not only where you going, you were also going to be appearing?” I nearly choked on my coffee.
“What? Are you serious?! I – I can’t appear! I’m no one! Sure, I make videos and I have subscribers, but who’s going to want to see some American girl that makes lame videos and is covered in scars? No one!” I began to freak out.
“Love, calm down! You’re going to be great. Everyone is going to love you. You’re appearing because you were requested. Your fans requested for you to appear, so I signed you up! I promise you, no one is going to think badly of you because of your scars. If anything, they’re proud. You’ll have scars, not cuts and it’ll prove how strong you are. I already know how strong you are.” Dan leaned in close and kissed me softly.
“Thank you. I-I’ll try to do this, but I want you and Phil on stage with me. Is Chassidy going?” I asked.
“Ok, and we hope so. I mean, she’ll being going to Playlist either way, it’s just a matter of whether she’ll appear or not. If we can get her to make videos then I imagine she’ll appear. She probably will be with you in Phil and I’s performance.” He replied. We finished breakfast and Dan cleaned up the dishes while I got dressed. I’d become accustomed to wearing a pair of Dan’s sweats and an old t-shirt whenever we stayed home. I slipped into my favorite pair and threw my hair into a messy bun. Quietly walking into the lounge, I curled up next to Dan who was seated on the couch, searching the TV for something to watch. I snuggled closer, my head resting on his chest. Dan chuckled and put his arm around me. He rested his chin on my head as he flipped through the channels aimlessly. “What do you want to watch, hm?”
“I don’t care. Um, do we have American Horror Story on Netflix?” I questioned.
“Yeah, I think Phil got it last week. Season 1 still, then?” He replied. I nodded. Dan set it up and pressed play on the first episode. He pressed pause and I looked up confused. “I’m going to get us some popcorn.” He explained. I whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth from where he’d been sitting. He chuckled at me and ducked into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned with a giant bowl of popcorn and two glasses of soda. We got through a few episodes and I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I winced and jumped, causing Dan to jump. “What’s wrong?!” He cried.
I looked down at the shirt I was wearing. A light colored t-shirt of course, making it all the more visible. A small patch of red spread across the front of it. Dan looked alarmed and nearly fell off the couch; I just casually and calmly lifted the hem of it. As I had thought, one of my cuts had come open. “Dan, calm down, it’s okay. I don’t need a hospital, I just need a couple bandages, alright?”
“Okay… here, come with me.” Dan grabbed my hand and pulled me to the bathroom. I sat down on the stool and he gently blotted at the cut. I winced a little and he smiled sympathetically. “Does it hurt too badly?” He cooed, concerned.
“No, it’s okay. Just stings a bit.” I reassured him. Dan nodded and continued his work. A few minutes later, I was bandaged and good to go. I was starting to feel tired and weak again. “Mmm, Dan, can you help me to bed? I’m really tired.”
“Sure, sweetheart.” Dan quipped. He picked me up and carried me out of the bathroom. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head into his shoulder.
“Dan, is she okay?” A voice broke in. I looked up. It was Chassidy. She and Phil had just come in.
“I’m fine, just a bit tired. I promise.” I yawned. “Dan’s just helping me to bed.”
“It’s only noon…” Phil pointed out.
“I know that, silly. I’m taking a nap, okay?” I grumbled. Phil just nodded and Dan carried me to my room. “Stay with me?” I whimpered.
“Alright, but just until you fall asleep. I need to finish up a video, okay?” Dan relented. I nodded sleepily and curled up happily in his arms.
Dan’s POV
I slid out of Haylee’s grasp and wandered into the lounge where Phil was playing video games and Chassidy was working on a paper. “You guys, I’m worried about Haylee,” I sighed. Phil paused his game and Chassidy looked up. “She’s drifting and I feel like I’m losing her.”
“What do you mean? Did you guys fight?” Phil cut in.
“No, but since she came back, she’s been…distant. I’m afraid she’s slipping away. I fear she’s so far into her depression that she can’t come back.” I suggested.
“Dan, you’re right,” Chassidy agreed. “I’ve known Hays for a while and that girl in there is not her. It’s a distorted, emptied version of her.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Phil mused.
“I don’t know.” I fretted. “Give me time to think…” I paced nervously across the floor, trying to come up with some sort of solution. I knew Haylee would never see a therapist no matter how hard I tried to convince her.
“Dan, Haylee used to sing. She loved it and it was one of the few things that made her happy when she started cutting. Her first few weeks of cutting, she’d play guitar constantly and record her and I singing whenever I came over. She was so alive when she did that and it made her want to make YouTube videos. Maybe you could get her to sing for you.” Chassidy suggested.
“That’s a great idea! She has a guitar in her room! I’ll go see if I can get her to sing something.” I announced as I headed to Haylee’s room. I knocked lightly on the door, waiting for a response. “Haylee, can I come in?”
“Sure.” A voice called back. I stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. “Hey.” She whispered.
“Hi. How are you doing?” I questioned softly.
“OK, I guess.”
“Well, I was talking to Chassidy and she told me that you used to sing. She said it made you happy.” I replied.
Haylee smiled softly at the memory. “Yeah, I loved singing and playing guitar.”
“Sing for me?” I begged. Haylee thought a moment, and then nodded. I got up and got her guitar from the corner of the room, dusting it off as I walked back. I handed it to Haylee and she began to play. She strummed the first few bars and I recognized the song as ‘Only Exception’ by Paramore. I let her sing the first verse and chorus by herself and then I joined in. She was surprised at first, but grinned when I began to sing.
