Reign of the Rejected Rosary (Ryden/Peterick)

Chapter Twelve

Hadley knocked on my bedroom door when I got home from work. I was ridding myself of my wet clothes when she opened the door without my approval. I jumped back and crossed my arms over my bare chest.

"Sorry," Hadley said. She came in and pulled the door shut behind her, not even letting me finish getting ready.

"My door was shut," I said, grabbing an old Metallica shirt from my dresser.

"You know I just let myself in if I don't get an answer."

She does that now after what happened when I got home from prison. She ran in and pried the weapon from my hand before it could touch my skin. She tackled me to the ground and ripped it from my clutch, slicing her fingers in the process. She locked up every sharp object in my room. She never told our parents what I almost did. It stayed between the two of us, hushed up and secret.

"Sorry," I whispered.

She shook her head, her way of saying "don't talk about it." I shut up and kicked my clothes to the corner of my room. Hadley walked over to my pile.

"I'll do your laundry for you. I was about to do mine, anyway." She picked up the pile, but immediately dropped it back onto the carpet. "Ew, why is it so wet?"

I shrugged. "It rained."

"In the restaurant?"

"I was taking a walk during break and it rained on me."

"Ever heard of running?"

I shrugged again. "I guess I walked too far."

Hadley still wasn't convinced. She thought there was more than I was letting on. She bit her lip and looked me over. Her eyes suddenly widened and she walked towards me. I tried to back away, but she pulled down the collar of my shirt.

"Brendon," she said, smiling, "is that a hickey?" I blushed and pushed her hand away. "I told you getting out was a good thing!" She stepped out of my space, a look of triumph on her face. "So who is it? Do I know them?" she inquired. "Oh, is it Crystal? Yes, it has to be. I knew there was chemistry between you two. You should definitely---"

"Hadley," I said, cutting her off, "It isn't Crystal. You don't know him. His name's Ryan."

"So when do I get to meet him?"

"What?"

"Ryan," she said. "Can I meet him? If he's important enough for you to stand in the rain and make out with, your sister should get first class meeting privileges."

I rolled my eyes. "He's not my boyfriend, Hadley. Don't worry about it. You know I can't get attached to anyone else."

"Give it a shot Brendon. Maybe he's actually worth staying for."

I felt racked with guilt at Hadley's comment, dripping with venom. I wouldn't stay for her. She knew she couldn't make me stick around.

"I'm not staying for anyone. That's why this thing I have with Ryan is going to stop."

"I don't think you should just give him up. You'll be around for the rest of the summer. A summer romance never hurt anybody."

"But Hadley there's something wrong about him. There's something going on and I don't know what it is. I don't want to hurt him when I have to leave him. You know as well as I do that you shouldn't break something with a crack in it. You're supposed to fix it. I don't think I can help him. I should've stopped before it started. I don't want to fall in love and then leave him."

"Then fall in love and don't leave," Hadley pleaded. "No one's forcing you to go far. You can stay with me when I move out next year."

"I have to go, Hads," I whispered. "You know that."

"Well maybe if he's having problems you can take him with you. You can't be by yourself."

"He has a life here; I don't. He doesn't even know who I really am. I don't want to explain it to anyone else."

"How doesn't he know who you are? Isn't he---"

"We just know each other's first names," I interrupted. "We're not a thing. We don't know anything about each other. We were out walking and this just happened. Please don't make a big deal."

"But Brendon---"

"Did you need something when you came in here, Hadley?"

"Patrick called me earlier," she said. "You haven't talked to him lately. And he seemed really worried about something. And you. What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said angrily. "I'll do whatever I want. Just get out of here."

I pulled my eyes away, knowing I had upset her. And I did. She stormed out of my room, leaving my clothes on the floor for me to wash myself. I just pushed Hadley further out of my life. Just like Patrick. The one who restarted my life.