Broken Souls (Souls #1)

Chapter 3 - Destiny

After dinner Hayden helped me unpack my limited amount of clothes just like he promised. Unpacking took less than an hour and afterwards I took a shower and collapsed on my new bed. I fell asleep immediately. No nightmares invaded me during the night and I had to admit, it was probably the best sleep I had in ages.

...

Loud pounding awakes me rudely and I gasp and fall off my bed, completely startled. My foot gets tangled in the sheet and ends up suspended in the air uncomfortably. Only my back and my arm touches the ground. My door is pushed open and laughter fills the room shortly after and I'm met with the devil who so rudely awoken me.

"Trying aerobics or something?" Hayden asks jokingly. He stands in my doorway with an amused expression on his face. His honey coloured eyes are alit with mischief. He's just in his pyjama bottoms his dark brown hair is sticking every which way. He also has that guitar of his on its strap and slung over his shoulder. Did he sleep with that or something? I wonder to myself. If he did though, I wouldn't be too surprised.

"I'm stuck knucklehead," I hiss at him. "Help me get untangled!"

"Hmm, just for calling me that I'm not going to help you," he responds, feigning hurt, and turns on his heels to exit the room.  He makes sure to close the door behind him soundly with a 'thud.'

I groan out loud as I stare at the closed door.  "Hayden! Come back! I didn't mean it," I call while struggling to disentangle myself.

A few minutes pass by and I lay on the ground, tired without any success. It seems as if I made it even worse by trying to untangle myself. Half of my leg is now tangled in the sheet and is hanging suspended. Hayden strolls into the room and smirks at me lying on the floor in a mess. I can tell that he is freshly showered by the water droplets which hang from the ends of his hair and the towel he has draped around his neck. He is wearing jeans now, but is still shirtless. During any other situation I would have questioned him about his preference of walking around the house half naked, but I need his help so I keep my mouth firmly shut about it.

"How's it hanging?" He says and then laughs at his own lame joke.

I know that I must sound pathetic when I tell him, "Please, help me get untangled, Hayden."

He grins and slowly strolls his way over to me. "Well, only since you asked nicely."

...

"Coming through!"

I gasp and clutch my books close to my chest and make myself as compact as possible when a guy in a skateboard whizzes by and nearly knocks me over.

The skateboarder turns around briefly to look at me to say, "Sorry 'bout that," and then turns back to face forward.

Hayden laughs and clamps a large hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" He asks.

"I almost got killed by a loony skateboarder. Never been better," I say with sarcasm dripping from my last sentence.

I turn my head to the side to see Hayden grinning at me. He leans in close to my ear and whispers, "Keep up that attitude and you'll fit right in, no problem."

I look past him and notice a few people around us begin to slow down and watch us. They all eye us with a questionable look in their eyes. I now begin to wonder what type of reputation Hayden has over in this school. I catch a snippet of what someone says when they lean over to whisper in their friend's ear. They say, "Is he with her now?" And the friend grunts before saying, "Expected."

I turn my head away from them and say to Hayden without looking at him, "I'll keep that in mind." I then begin to walk faster so that he has to drop his hand.

"Running away from me so soon? Usually I got 'em running to me," he says and then chuckles lightly with a grin overtaking his face.

"Well, there's a first for everything. Besides, people are starting to stare at us now and they are talking about us. They think we are together!"

"Afraid of a little attention I see, hmm?"

"For your information," I spit out while still walking quickly. "I hate any kind of attention period. Plus, I really don't want people thinking that we're together. I don't want to be thought as of just another notch in your bedpost by everyone - 'cause I'm not."

"You might want to quiet down that ranting, babe," Hayden says and then grins wickedly. He keeps pace with me and leans in close to whisper, "People are starting to stare."

And damn it, he has the nerve to wink at me. Just as I'm about to show him what exactly a rant is he talks again.

"We'll have to change that attention phobia thing you got going on, 'cause if you're hanging out with me..." he trails off and then chuckles lightly before continuing, "well let's just say that there will be somewhat of a spotlight over you."

"Just beautiful," I say with distain.

Hayden shoots me with a full on smile which I'm sure is his super power that he pulls out to charm anyone. I roll my eyes at him and he drapes his arm over my shoulders.

"Let's go get your class timetable," he says.

"Arm," I growl and try to shrug it off, but he only tightens his grip and pulls me closer to him.

With a laugh he whispers in my ear, "Better get used to it."