Beside You

Going Home

     Ryder 

 "Well, when I was eight my mom and dad got divorced. My dad left us, and now he has a whole other family, I guess we just weren't good enough for him. It really messed me up. If I thought it had been hard on me, it was worse on my mom. She barely slept, and she called in sick for work a lot. There wasn't much that Addie or I could do to help her so my aunt took us in. Of course, this meant that we had to move. This meant that I had to leave my school and all of my friends behind. I had trouble making new friends at first, I didn't realize how hard it would be to be the new kid." I feel Hadley reach out and take my good hand in hers. "It was really hard on me, but my mom did start to get a lot better. I thought that this meant we would move back to out old town, but I was wrong. She ended up getting a job and a few years later we were able to get the house we live in now. 

 "After that things did start to get better. When I was 13 I got involved in soccer again. I hadn't played at all since before I moved. Halfway through grade eight Colton moved to my school and we became good friends. Plus, the whole only having one friend thing meant that I was able to focus on school work more. This allowed me to get the scholarship to Preston, one of the best things that has happened to me. It was so great to get a chance to start over, but this time because I wanted to, and I knew Colton would be there. When I started at Preston in grade nine I met your brothers and then you and all of our other friends. I've been happier ever since. I think that's why soccer is so Important to me, it was the first good thing to happen after I moved, and it felt like it set off a chain reaction of more good things." I finish. 

 She gets off the bench, pulling me up with her, since our hands are still connected. Once we're standing she turns to face me and gives me a hug, resting her head against my chest. It takes me a moment to react by hugging her back.

  "Thank you." she whispers.

 Now I'm confused. "For what?"

 "For telling me."

 "You didn't give me much of a choice."

 "You always have a choice." 

I smile. "Well I told you what you wanted to know, so-" 

 She steps back and looks at me. "Yes."

 "Yes? Yes what?"

 "Yes. I'll go to prom with you. You're clearly very desperate to not go alone."

 "Hey-" 

 "Calm down, it's a joke." she rolls her eyes and then pulls her phone out to read her messages. "Now come on, we have to meet everyone else for dinner."

 ~*~

 We take a bus to meet the others at the restaurant. When we arrive the hostess directs us to our table, where everyone else is already seated. Hadley sits between her mother and Grayson; and I take the seat beside Mitchell.

 Hadley turns to her mom. "Hey, sorry we're late."

 "That's okay, did you have a good day?" 

 "Yeah, it was awesome." the waitress comes to take our orders before Hadley can continue. We all order and she leaves again.

 Once the waitress is gone Hadley and her mom continue their conversation, causing the rest of the table to break off in to smaller conversations. I find myself talking to Maddi and Arya.

 "So, what did you guys get up to today?" Arya asks, wiggling her eyebrows. 

 "Oh, not much. We went to the falls, and then the park. And then we talked." they stare expectantly at me. "What?" 

 "That's it?"

 "Yep." I nod. "That's it." It's not up to me to tell them about prom. Hadley will tell them on her own time. 

 I turn to join the guys' conversation before Maddi or Arya can ask me any more questions. Our food arrives shortly after. We eat dinner, talking about the weekend so far, and the plans for tomorrow, Hadley and Grayson's birthday.

 After dinner we go back down to the falls to wait for the fireworks to start, a birthday weekend tradition. 

As we wait for the sky to get dark enough the temperature drops. Everyone else came from the hotel and had the foresight to bring jackets, but as Hadley and I had been out since the early afternoon we weren't dressed as warmly.

 As she talks with Maddi and Arya she has her arms crossed, and is clearly trying to hide the fact that she's practically shivering. 

 As soon as we find a place to stand and watch the fireworks I take my hoodie off and hand it to Hadley. "Here, you're going to freeze."

 She looks as if she's about to argue, but just pulls the sweater on instead, then smiles. "Thank you."

 ~*~ 

 After the fireworks end we go back to the hotel and hang out in the girls' room. With an hour left until midnight we try to decide how to pass the time. We try to think of some sort of game to play. All of Arya's suggestions are out of the question. Truth or dare gets too rowdy for playing in a hotel room at 11pm. Spin the bottle just doesn't work when your group consists of Maddi and Max, a committed couple; Hadley, Grayson and Mitchell, siblings; then Arya and I. We end up playing go fish on the hotel room floor with some playing cards that Maddi found in her suitcase.

 As soon as it's midnight we sing happy birthday to Grayson and Hadley as quietly as we can. After the song ends we end up spread out around the room. Maddi and Arya take one bed, Max stretches out on the floor, and Mitchell and Grayson monopolize the chairs. Hadley and I are the last ones to move from our seated position on the floor. Hadley gets up and lays down on what I assume is her bed. My only options are to stay on the floor or sit on Hadley's bed. I think about it for a few moments and decide that my best option is to sit at the foot of her bed, leaning against the wall.

 We talk about school, and all the assignments we have coming up in the final month and a half of the school year, and our plans for the summer. At quarter to one we realize that Arya has drifted off. Max, Grayson and I decide that it's time for us to go back to our room. I turn to see that Hadley is barely awake, and still wearing the sweater I had let her borrow earlier back at the falls. The others leave and I let them know that I'll be there in a minute. Maddi is asleep before they're even gone.

 "Hey, Hads, I'm going to go to bed now."

 "Good, I'm too old for this whole staying up late thing."

 I laugh. "Really? You haven't even been 17 for one hour." 

 "Not technically true. I wasn't born until 3:37 in the afternoon."

 "Okay, you're just full of technicalities. Anyways, I'm leaving. See you in the morning."

 "Wait." She sits up on her bed.I turn around to face her. "What?"

 "Don't forget your sweater." With that she pulls my hoodie off and gives it back to me. 

 I turn back around and leave their room. I cross the hall and use my room key to get back into my own room.