More Than Friends - A Hayes Grier fanfiction

Chapter 47 - Missing you more than ever

School the next day is the same as the one before. I get there, o to my lessons, go to lunch, go to more lessons and go home. Wake up, school, eat, repeat. I don't even fnd getting home to be any better. Missing Hayes is taking up too much of my life. Even Nash's little escpae for me didn't seem to solve anything. I arrive home and shout hello to everyone then head back upstiars to finish my Biology. Going through the questions, I can tell my mind isn't focused. The tme on my bedside table reads 07:23 and I sigh. This night is going slowly. I don't want to go to school tomorrow but I need a distraction, like the one Nash just gave me.

I pace downstairs quietly, finding my family lounging around on sofas watching a film. Sneaking past them, I head for the kitchen andopen the fridge. I spot what I am looking for immediately. I pull out dad's six pack of the fridge and haul them back to my room.

"Who has drinks?" I read out as I send out a message in our homeroom's group chat. I wait a minute or two and kyle pops up telling me to come meet him. I check my clock one last time. Sneaking out wil be hard but I text Molly telling her to cover for me and then I head out.

Come pick me up.

I text Kyle and he replies moments later with a sure. I don't know how he will as he doesn't have a car but oh well. Ten or so minutes later, a car drives up and I recognise who is in the front seat. Levi, Tanne's older brother. I roll my eyes – tanner is obviously here too – but go to the passengers side and climb in.

"Hi Levi."

"Sup."

"Sophie, did you bring drinks?" Tanner asks and I roll my eyes again before turning to face him.

"Yeah. You?"

"I did."

We drive in silence, me drinking a beer whilst we go, until Levi drops us off in some derelict field where I see Kyle, Noah, Kaitlyn and Alyssa waiting. I climb out and run over, Tanner following.

"Why's Tanner here?" I question Noah.

"He wanted to come. I couldn't say no."

"Ugghhh. Anyway, here." I show them dad's beers and we head up a small hill to the crest of it, where we can see over town. I can see the lake in the distance and the spawl of houses. If I look closely enough, I can spot my house.

The others are pulling out blankets and coats to protect themselves from the harsh November winds. I pull one from Kyle and wrap myself up. The others are gathered in a circle a bit away from me, but I sit by myself, taking in the sunset, almost delirious with the pain of missing Hayes.

"Sophie, here you go." Tanner is beside me and hands me a bottle which I crack open and chug.

"Woah." He laughs and I waft him away with a wave of my hand. I pull the blanket round me tighter and close my eyes. I can grasp a few words for my friends' conversation but only words and the second drink sitting beside me is calling my name.

I hear the flick of a lighter and turn around to see Kyle lighting up a joint for Alyssa. She grins at me, her eyes red and I crawl over. Distractions.

"Someone's keen." Noah comments and I roll my eyes.

"I need this high." I whisper as Tanner sticks a joint in my mouth. I feel guilty; abondoning my family for this when I should be with them. Carrying on, I take a drag and blow rings into the cold nights air. The sky is black but from this height we can see the stars dotted on the blanket that has been drawn across the sky. This is the first time I have appreciated my surroundings. I take in the lights from town and listen to the whisper of the wind through the bushes. I crawl back to my spot with my joint and a beer.

Once we are seated in a little carriage, the wheel slowly lifts us into the air. I lean over the edge and watch the sun sink beneath the trees in the horizon.

"Look." Hayes is pointing to two swans flying beside the carriage. They kind of remind me of Hayes and I, not because we are swans, but because they are so close together, like a couple.

"They're like us..." Hayes says, speaking my mind.

"That's what I thought..." I say. I turn round to face him properly and I see him smile shyly at me.

"Come here." he stretches out his arm and I sit beside him. I feel his eyes on me so I look up and see his face millimetres from mine.

"Let's finish what we started..."

Memories of the funfair have flooded my mind and I am overwhelmed. I need Hayes more than anything right now. He has been in the coma for little over a week but it feels like infinity. I can feel the buzz from all the drinks I have had, making my head and my eyes swim. The tears roll down my cheeks but I force them to stay in, maintaining my image. The others have started to sing aa drunken version of 'Can't Feel My Face' and I groan at the sound. My vision is spinning but I sense someone sitting nex to me.

"Hey." Tanner says and I roll my eyes for at least the millionth time this day.

"Hi."

"You looked lonely." He states and I cosy up in my blanket.
"Well, sometimes I need space." I say but he doesn't take the hint. He comes closer to me and I flinch at his touch. How did I date him? I shuffle away slightly and I hear him sigh.

"Why are you pushng me away Sophie?" He asks and I groan.

"tanner..."

"You know you like me Sophie. Why did we break up?" He says and moves even closer. I turn my fac and suddenly he grabs my chin, twisting me to face and he plants a kiss on my mouth. He pulls in fr more but I shove him off, stubbing out my joitn and I shriek.

"What the hell Tanner?" I wipe my mouth and run back towards the road. The others shout after me but I stumble away, my vision swirling and I collapse against the field gate. My ankle has twisted but I get up and run down the road. My phone dings and I see mom has messaged me. She is furious. She knows I took the drinks and she has guessed that I am drunk. My breathing gets ragged and I find my legs buckling under me. The last thing I feel before I knock out is my head hitting the ground.