Still Falling (A Hunter Hayes FanFic)

Chapter 10

Hunter's POV

*****4 MONTHS LATER*****

"This tour has been so amazing. I've loved every minute of it. All of the fans have been so awesome and supportive of everything we've done on the tour, and I can't thank them enough for being the best fans I could ask for." Nettie and I are wrapping up an over-the-phone interview with another radio station in the back room of the bus. The tour is officially over. Last night was the last concert in California and it was spectacular.

"Glad to hear that. And Antoinette, how was it finishing your first tour?" She smiles. "It's one of those things where you can't even describe the feeling that it gives you. I just love the fans so much, they mean more to me then they'll ever know." We finish up the call and just relax for a bit. Nettie and I lay on the couch, talking and cuddling. Suddenly, her phone rings. She gets up to answer it and goes to the corner of the room. When the person on the other end speaks, she drops the phone in shock.

Toni's POV

Hunter and I are laying together on the couch in the tour bus as we are headed back to Louisiana. I get a phone call and quickly answer. "Hello?" "Hey, Buggy." I drop the phone.

No. No, I don't understand. How did he get my phone number? Did Mom give it to him? Why is he calling me after 15 years of not speaking? I crouch down and pick up my phone. "D- dad?" Hunter looks at me with concerned eyes. I try to tell him it's okay by shooting him a weak smile, but I can't, because it's not. My father left my family when I was 9, and him calling me out of the blue like this is anything but okay.

"Buggy, you alright there? You seem a little taken aback." He replies into the phone. "You're damn right I'm taken aback. When you don't talk to your dad for 15 years and then he suddenly calls you, some people may be a little surprised by that." I hate my father. He didn't even say goodbye to us. He just left with no explanation. This man that I loved with every piece of my heart just up and left me, like I didn't mean a damn thing to him. "I'm sorry, Buggy. I had always meant to call you and-" "But you didn't, did you?" I fire back. Hunter is up now, standing in front of me. He has never seen me like this, mostly because I never wanted him to. I feel the bus come to a halt and I know we're at a rest stop. I have to get off.

"How did you even get my number?" I ask when I'm off the bus. I walk into a small woodsy area, and I tell Hunter to give me some space and stay at the bus, but he doesn't listen. He stays back a few feet but still follows me to make sure I don't do anything stupid. Thanks, Hunt, I think. "Social media is a great way to find out things about people." "What do you want?" "Can't a father just call his daughter to see how she is?" "Not when it's been 15 years since the last conversation you had." He isn't the kind of person to call you just to 'see how you are'. He either needs something from you or you owe him something, and neither situation ends well.

He sighs. "So what have you been doing nowadays? I hear you went on tour, like professionally singing for people. That's great, Buggy." He's called me 'Buggy' since I was a baby. I was chubby and my family said I reminded them of a little bumblebee and that's how 'Buggy' came to be. I feel my heart break a little. What if he actually cares about me now? Has he changed? "Oh yeah, I went on tour with Hunter Hayes for a few months, it was really nice." "Ah, yes, Hunter Hayes", he says. "A very famous young fellow. And he's your boyfriend, isn't he?" "Yes, he is." I smile. "So how much do you think he makes a year, just an estimate?"

This is nowhere near relevant to what we're talking about and besides, that's none of his business. That's not even any of my business. "Uhm, I don't know." "Because, I could really use some cash to help me get out of trouble with my buddy-"

My heart hits the floor. He is trying to use Hunter. This piece of trash hasn't spoken to me for years. This man broke my heart, ruined my childhood, and he thinks he can waltz back in here and ask me to ask my boyfriend for money?! I cut him off.

"Don't you ever speak to me again, you hear? Don't call me, don't try and communicate with me, don't talk to Hunter, don't associate your life with mine. You are a dirtbag and a low life." I feel a ball in my throat and tears well up in my eyes. "If you even dare to communicate with either of us ever, I'll get rid of you like that." I snap my fingers. "No hesitation. I thought that you had changed. That maybe, just maybe, you would like to be a part of your daughter's life, considering your other one is dead." That slipped out. Since no one knew where my dad was, nobody had told him that my sister died. I can tell he's shocked by what I said, but I don't care, so I continue.

"But no. Do not call me again. I am not your daughter, and you are not my dad." I hang up the phone and fall to the ground in tears.

Hunter's POV

I don't hesitate to run over to Nettie when I see her knees begin to give out. I reach her just in time, sliding my arms under hers to keep her from crashing down. But by the look in her eyes, it seems like she already has.

I have never heard or seen her cry like this, it breaks me inside. Nettie is my other half, and it kills me to see her hurt. "It was my dad." She says, still crying. "He found out we were dating and he wanted money from you so he could get out of some stupid gambling thing." She finally takes control of her breathing. "I know I may be overreacting, but I hadn't spoken to him in over a decade, and finally, my life starts to fall into place, and he just creeps back up." She loses control again and begins to cry harder. "He was my best friend, and then one day, he just left! No warning, nothing! And the fact that he wanted to use you-" She stops herself. I rock her in my arms, listening to the distant sounds of cars and semi-trucks arriving and leaving the rest stop. "Shh, it's okay, I understand. It's alright." She pushes herself out of my arms and looks at me angrily.

"What?!" she screams, her voice weaving through the tall pines. "Are you kidding?! You have no idea what this feels like!" She turns away and starts walking deeper into the trees. I follow her trail. "Nett! Nettie, stop walking away, please." I whisper just loud enough for her to hear. She whirls around. Her face is red with tear-stained cheeks and pouty pink lips.

"You live this perfect life, Hunter. With a perfect family and supportive friends. You're this angel in disguise and I'm a sick, lost puppy with no home. Then, I find you and I pretend like I'm worthy of being with someone as amazing as you, but I'm not. I'm a broken vase that no one can fix." I'm shocked. "Really?!" I raise my voice, which surprises her. I never raise my voice, but this is too much.

"The only reason my life is so perfect is because of you! Don't you get that?!" I come closer to her and grab her hands in mine. I rest my forehead on hers and she closes her eyes. "I used to be a broken vase too. But you fixed me. I had this hole in my heart because something was missing. That something was you." She takes a deep breath, absorbing what I'm saying. I squeeze her hand and she opens her eyes, moving her head to kiss me. "I love you too."