𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 ~ 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐡

16. Tobias

[⚠️ TW: mentions of self harm towards the end, read with caution.]

ANGELO sat himself up, "Ah, you. Hayley." He sneered with great unamusement. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a lighter on you, now, eh? This next set of greens won't light themselves!" He laughed groggily along with the two other men.

Hayley grabbed a bottle from the case of water sitting in front of the couch, "Nope. Come to think of it, that looks like my last stash I earned that you're smoking."

Angelo scoffed, "Undeserved."

Carlo cut in shortly after, "If you don't supply and serve your own father, then what do you do around here besides give lip?"

Hayley gave a tut, mocking what he had just said, "'Serve your own father.' My arse. He's not mine to serve nor am I to be ridiculed as some maid living off of weekly wages. I live here— no, I survive here. I go to school to strengthen my education and knowledge as well as pursue my desire to become someone important in this world, and that is more than I can say for you."

The three men roared with laughter. The third one finally spoke up, "She's a feisty little hyena, ain't she, Angelo? I like her already!"

Angelo tamed his laughter, "You'll like her even more once you have her to yourself, wait and see."

Hayley glared back and forth at Angelo and the man seated besides Carlo. She had never seen this man before and Angelo's comment made her stomach churn wickedly.

Wanting nothing more than to get away from the degrading behavior, Hayley took off towards her room when Angelo called out to her, "Hey, don't wake him up in there!"

Hayley spun around and peered out around the corner, "What?! Who?!"

"Your lover boy, Rob. We gave him your room for the night. Poor kid was exhausted from searching for you all day yesterday."

"Oh fuck that." Hayley spat. "And he's not my lover!" She shouted down the hall.

Hayley flung open her bedroom door to see Robert asleep in her bed. Infuriated, she swooped her bag off her shoulder and hit him with it.

"Wake up, you bitch!" Hayley swung several times as the boy stirred in his sleep.

It wasn't long until Robert was fully coherent enough to begin guilt tripping his ex girlfriend, "Argh! I could've been dead, Hayley! What if I was dead?"

Hayley formed a look of morbid disgust on her face, "I don't know what that's got to do with anything but I wouldn't mind if you were!"

Robert sat himself up, rubbing his eyes, "The point is, if I had passed away in my sleep, then you would've been hitting a dead body. Now is that any way to treat the dead?"

Leaning in menacingly, Hayley fumed in a low voice, "I'm about to make you the dead if you don't get your rat ass off my bed and out of my room."

An unfamiliar voice came from the entrance of the bedroom, "Everything okay in here?"

Hayley turned to see the man she had never seen before until today. "Erm—"

"Hayley, isn't it? Come." The man gestured her forward with his finger. She sat on the ground staring aghast before reluctantly getting up.

Hayley approached the man in the hallway, who looked to be in his late thirties to mid forties.  

He eyed her slowly, "My gosh, you really are quite the sight."

"I'm sorry?"

The man gave a slight chuckle, "Pardon me. I'm Tobias Kraw, it is lovely to finally meet you, Hayley." He stuck his hand out.