Livewire ⇢ Hayden Romero

;colors

AND NOW I'M COVERED IN THE COLORS

PULLED APART AT THE SEAMS

Paisley held a tray of neon pink and green glow sticks, careful that no one stole any of them. As she weaved herself through the crowd she received at least three elbows in the gut, "God I hate all ages night." Liam spotted Paisley and rushed towards her. "P!" He leaned in and engulfed her in a side hug careful not to tip her tray over. "Liam, save me." She dragged out her e's, hoping he could somehow actually get her out of work. 

"Hey can I have a glow stick?" A girl approached her, tall, long auburn hair and flashed a smile. Her teeth slightly glowed and Paisley smiled back, "Sure thing, fifteen bucks." Paisley held out her hand and the girl rummaged through her back pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill and five one dollar bills. She selected a neon pink glow stick and slapped the money down onto Paisley's hand. "Thanks babe."

"Oooh." Liam nudged her side, smiling as Paisley's eyes trained on the girl, "Shut up."

"Aren't the glow sticks ten dollars?" Liam's brows furrowed in confusion, "Yeah but I owe someone two hundred bucks."

Paisley held out her tray for Liam to grab and he did so, she dug through her front pocket and pulled out some crumpled bills. She began counting the bills, folding the ones she'd counted. "Forty three bucks." She took the tray back from Liam, the bills now resting under the tray between her thumb. "Give that to Hayden."

"Ugh, why do you hate me?" He wiggled the money out from the tray and her thumb.

"Run along little one." 

A few minutes after Liam had left, the power shut off causing the crowd to cheer louder and wave their glow sticks in the air. "Are you kidding me." Paisley rushed through the crowd and towards the back where the latch to turn the power back on. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Liam and Hayden in what seemed like a heated discussion. She knew it was wrong but she stood there quietly and listened in.

"I gotta be honest Liam if you're trying to be a good guy, I really don't care."

"I'm just trying to make up for the sixth grade."

"Nothing will make up for the sixth grade."

Hayden lifted the bottom latch but was having trouble with the first one"Come on!", which is when Liam jumped in, hovering his hand over hers before placing it on hers and helping her push it up. Paisley intently watched the two, an odd feeling of jealousy surging through her veins. 

"If you wanna keep hating me, go for it. You said Paisley owes you two hundred, so here's forty three more." Paisley knew he was going to turn and enter the party again, so she stepped back and then forward again, acting as if she had just gotten there. Liam quickly brushed past Paisley and she could immediately sense he was upset and that didn't settle well with her. Her jealousy was replaced with anger and she stomped towards Hayden.

"I don't know what he did to you in the sixth grade but I think you need to let it go." Paisley spoke through gritted teeth, the boy has been through enough in her eyes. "What?" Paisley rolled her eyes and chuckled, "You treat him like shit." Hurt was eminent in Hayden's features and she felt her eyes begin to water, had she really already screwed up a new friendship. She opened and closed her mouth as she contemplated what to say and suddenly Paisley felt an ounce of guilt, "Look if you're going to be my friend you're going to have to get along with that dork as well." Hayden bit her lip and nodded, "Sorry I didn't mean to be so... harsh."

P wiped the tears bordering Hayden's water line and smiled, "Just... he's like my brother so when he's upset, so am I."

"It's fine P, really."