The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Six

❝consent (pronounced kənˈsɛnt or kuh n-sent), noun
agreeance, compliance or permission.❞

They were back home now. Elle stared at herself in the mirror. She was going to do it tonight. She was going to break up with Chad, and then it would all be over, and she could be with Drew. It'd be okay. It'd all be okay.

She steeled herself, before going out the front door. She walked to Chad's house quickly and quietly, and eventually, she was at his front door. There was something so awful, so terrifying about seeing him face-to-face again. She didn't want to. She was scared to talk to him. Scared he would try something again.

Elle gripped her phone in her pocket. She would message Drew if she needed to. He would protect her no matter what happened now. She raised her fist and knocked on the door.

Why was she so scared to break up with him? She didn't know. Maybe it was the guilt of kissing Drew, but she had planned to break up with Chad anyway, so was it really that?

Chad opened the door and greeted her with a kiss, which she didn't return. "Babe! I missed you!"

"We need to talk, Chad," she said quietly.

"Sure, whatever. Come in, my parents aren't home."

She went inside, and he pushed his hair away, grinning. "Come into my room, babe, we'll talk there."

"Yep."

They went up the stairs, and she sat down on his bed. "Look, Chad, I... I was thinking, and I don't think-"

"I was thinking too, and I really think we're ready, babe."

"For what?" she asked.

"You know what."

She shook her head. "I think we're better as friends."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"I don't-"

"No, but I want-"

"I already told you, Chad. I'm not having sex with you. I'm not having sex with anyone until I'm mature enough. I'm not ready." She sounded final about it. "If you keep pressuring me, then we're done. I'm obviously not the girlfriend you need." She turned away. "I'm going home."

He was breathing heavily, like an angered bull. Then suddenly, he smiled, looking extremely pleased with himself. "No, you won't."

"What?"

"You wanna break up with me? Then, I'll tell everyone Hunter Hayes isn't your real dad."

She froze. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, yeah? Try me." He pulled out his phone and began typing. "'Elle Hayes-Lockhart isn't really Hunter Hayes' daughter,'" he read out. "'She was swapped at the hospital. She's got no family. She's just a fake.'"

Her heart was pounding, his words hitting her right where it hurt most. "N-No. You wouldn't actually post that."

"Hmm, should I share it on your timeline? So that everyone who's your friend on Facebook will see? Should I tag Fox News? Maybe I should even tag Hayes. I bet he'd love to see that post on his Facebook wall."

"Don't!" she said, trying to wrestle his phone out of his hands. "Delete it! Delete it, now!"

"Only if you'll give it up."

She was shaking terribly hard. "N-No."

"Then I'm posting it."

"STOP!" she screamed. "I'll do it! I'll do it! Please, just don't... just don't..."