Twenty Four Hours ✿ Hayes Grier

vii // 11:58 pm

hayes tried calling her name, but the music was too loud for anyone out of a five feet range to hear him. he had to get closer.

he left her alone for a half-hour and she had already gotten drunk. he assumed it was because she hasn't ever been drunk and it didn't take an excessive amount of alcohol to be drunk if you haven't before. that, or she had consumed an unhealthy amount of it.

he watched ava as she threw her head back laughing at what one of the guys next to her said. her hair was strewn about and cascaded down her shoulders. she looked completely carefree.

as he got closer, he noticed a familiar face smiling up at ava. he was wearing a backwards snapback and a white tee shirt. carter reynolds.

when hayes got to ava, he tried to get her attention by waving, which wasn't working. she just would wave back and continue dancing. her carelessness was almost a bit attractive.

ava was heading over to the edge of the table. finally, she was getting off. but unfortunately, ava failed to realize that she was about to fall. she teetered of the table, loosing her balance and falling right into hayes' arms. "oh! hey, hayes, guess what? carter gave me this reallllyyyy yummy drink. and now i'm really excited." she laughed, cuddling her head into his chest. he almost thought she would fall asleep until she tried to free herself from his grasp.

"carter! what the hell, man? she's only fifteen! how could you give her a drink?" hayes left ava on a chair in a corner, hoping she wouldn't wander away again. she did it sober, and she sure as hell might try to do it drunk, too.

"whoa, chill, hayes. she's having fun! and you're fifteen, you've been drunk off your ass plenty of times." carter said.

"it's different for her." he said. "you shouldn't have done that."

"why the fuck are you so angry?" carter chuckled.

"i don't have fucking time for you, you piece of shit. just leave me alone." hayes turned his heel to go find ava and get her out of here, but before he could leave, carter grabbed his shirt.

"don't talk to me like that."

that's when hayes decided that he had had enough. not just with carter, with everyone. something was always expected of him, and he was sick of that. carter was just the unlucky person that hayes decided to take his anger out on. so, hayes brought his fist to carter's face and hit it as hard as he could.

and then he went to go find that girl who had captivated his mind.

she was still sitting in the chair he had left her, playing with her hair and giggling. he had to admit she was an adorable drunk.

"hey ave." he squatted down to her level and held her hands. "i think we should go home, yeah?"

"no!" she looked worried as he spoke. "i like it here! it's fun and the music is loud and the drinks are yummy!"

"but ava, you don't even like this kind of music. and trust me, the drinks are yummy, but the next day they give you a headache and make you throw up." he stroked her hand with his thumb, tucking a stray hair that was in her eye behind her ear. "aren't you tired?"

she looked up at the ceiling, pretending to contemplate. "i guess." she shrugged, giggling and holding her arms out. hayes picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

he carried her to the car, ava being a giggly mess and hayes laughing at how cute she was being.

hayes pulled his phone from his back pocket and dialed nash's number.

he picked up after a few rings.

"are you drunk?" hayes asked.

"no. why?"

"i need to take ava home."

"why?"

"because she is."

"you let her get drunk?" the background noise softened; hayes assumed nash was trying to find them.

"no, fucking carter did."

"jesus christ. i'm coming. wait in the car."

hayes obeyed, opening the car door and setting ava onto the seat. she lied down willingly.

hayes let the girl lay on his lap. her eyes were closed and her breaths were steady.

"hayes." she whispered, slightly parting her eyelids.

"yes?"

"why are you being so nice to me?"

"because, you're drunk and crazy right now."

"i don't mean now, i mean in general." she laughed and reached her hand out to tug on a chunk of hayes' hair.

hayes looked down at ava, her makeup was smeared and her hair was a mess. there were circles under her eyes and her lips formed a smirk. "because it seems like you're the only person who makes me nice, ava."

she didn't respond, but instead hid her face in hayes' chest. he wrapped his arms around her. they stayed quiet until nash opened the driver's door.

"on a scale from 1-10, how drunk is she?" he asked.

"ten!" ava answered then giggled. "nashly, i'm soooo excited right now. i had yummy drinks."

"oh man." nash sighed and started the car. "where are we gonna take her?"

"just take her back to your place. she can have my bed and i'll sleep downstairs." hayes ran his fingers through ava's hair as she closed her eyes.

nash nodded.

as soon as they got home, hayes laid a sleeping ava on his bed and tucked her under the blankets. her mouth was closed and her eyelashes kept fluttering with every breath she took.

hayes sighed and walked towards the door. he had barely made it halfway out the door when a tired voice rang out.

"where are you going?"

"to the couch." hayes said.

"why?" she yawned.

"because you're in my bed, silly."

she laughed and rose from the covers. "you can stay." she said hopefully.

he wanted to. he wanted to stay there with her and take care of her, but he felt like he should let her be.

"okay." he said without thinking, sitting on the bed and scooting to the end. ava smiled and let out a satisfied sigh. hayes knew she would be miserable in the morning; first hangovers were always the worst.

"goodnight, hayes."

"goodnight, ava."