Beneath The Bruises (A Hayes Grier Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

***A/N: Haay guys, so this chapter is a little short so I'm sorry :( but the last one was like 9 pages so they even each other out haha :P So yea vote if you liked the chapter and comment your thoughts :D Happy reading! :)***

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"Adri!! Wake up!! Adriana!!!" Someone yells at me frantically, shaking my shoulders vigorously. My nose throbs with excruciating pain, and I feel cold tears streaming down my face. My eyes snap open, and Hayes kneels in front of me with intense fear in his eyes. I still slouch against the kitchen cabinet, and blood drops stain my pants as well as the floor around me.
"Thank God," Hayes says and gathers me in his arms. He still looks petrified. "Let's get you upstairs."
The images of my demonic mother flash through my mind, and I shudder with fear.
"Is this the first time she's hurt you?" He asks me in a shaky voice.
"No," I whisper, and new tears leak from my eyes. Sobs claw their way up my throat. Hayes sits down on my bed and holds me close to him as I cry helplessly, unable to control myself. My tears soak into his sweatshirt, and I feel a tear drop on my shoulder. I look up at Hayes, and his eyes are swimming with tears.
"I can't stand seeing you like this," he says weakly, and more tears stream from his icy blue eyes. My hysteria doesn't allow me to comprehend what he's saying. So many feelings of complete terror, melancholy and fury swarm my mind.
"S-she was g-going to kill me!!!" I shriek, and more sobs are let loose. "My own mother!! She was going to murder me!!!" I screech insanely, and my chest heaves with sobs.
"Shhhh Adri, it's all going to be okay," Hayes coaxes in a soft, soothing voice. "You're with me now." He's right. I let the feeling of his arms around me and the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest to lull me into a state of calmness. I feel myself taking steady breaths, and my sobs turn to quiet whimpers. His arms are my safe haven. It's absolutely incredible what Hayes can do. Even after my mother tried to murder me, even after nearly losing my mind, he has a way to make me feel as if I'm floating through clouds. He gives me hope. He gives me faith in there being a rainbow after the storm. He makes me feel loved. Do I love him? I don't know.

But, as I lay here wrapped in his arms, letting myself doze off into a light sleep while listening to the steadiness of his breaths, my doubt slips away with the quiet beats of his heart. I do love him. But does he love me back?

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I slowly wander into consciousness, and I wake in my empty bed. The room is lit with the morning sun. I sit up and I glance around my room, but Hayes is no where to be found. A small piece of lined paper sits on my nightstand with words scrawled on it.

Adri, I'm so sorry. My parents were worried sick about me and they made me come home. If you need absolutely anything, call me and I'll be there in a heartbeat. -Hayes (:

I smile. He actually cares about me. Without Anastasia, I never feel cared for anymore. I would have never thought I would find someone who cares about me, until I found Hayes. Well, until he found me. I trudge over to the shower, and I peel my blood-stained clothes from my body. I stand placidly under the hot water, watching as red-tinted water swirls down the drain. So much is on my mind. Thoughts tumble and fly through my head, making me dizzy. I need to get everything off my mind somehow. All these thoughts are overwhelming me. I decide to go for a morning walk. I hop out of the shower, and I throw on some comfortable clothes. After I climb down the creaky stairs, I pull my grey beanie over my wavy hair and then I walk out the door.

The burst of fresh autumn air tickles my skin, and the quiet crackle of crisp leaves falling from branches calms me. I walk through the serene scenery, allowing my thoughts and worries to slip away from me. I enter a forest trail, and the trees around me block out any outside noises. I stare into the red, orange and yellow coloured trees beside me, when my shoulder makes sharp contact with someone else.
"I'm so sorry!" I exclaim to the person. I look up, and I'm surprised by who it is.
"No worries," Nash says. "What're you doing walking around out here?"
"I needed to get things off my mind," I reply honestly.
"Ah I see," he says nodding. "Well, if you want we can hang out for a bit to clear your head," he suggests with a charming smile. Hanging out with Nash would clear my mind.
"Alright," I agree, and I smile happily. We continue walking down beautiful forest path.
"So what're you trying to get off your mind?" He asks me genuinely.
I sigh at the thought of it. "Family problems and confusing emotions," I explain glumly. He looks at me sadly, and his eyes look truly sorry for me.
"I'm so sorry," he says solemnly. "But today we're not going to stress about life problems. We're going to have FUN!!" He yells, then he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I screech happily, and he starts to run down the path while laughing. I kick my legs, and he laughs even harder. When the laughter finally subsides, he puts me down gently.
"That was terrifying!!" I shout at him, still laughing.
"Terrifying, but fun," he says with a wink. I laugh, and we stroll down the path once again. We joke around together carelessly, just enjoying each other's company. All of a sudden, I hear high pitched screams from behind us.
"NASH GRIER!!!" A girl shrieks, and around 20 other girls scream along with her.
"Oh God no," Nash mutters, and we look over our shoulders. A whole flock of screaming fangirls run towards us, craziness flashing in their eyes.
"RUN!!!" Nash yells, and we break into a sprint in the opposite direction. We run and run down the path, but the girls don't stop.
"Turn into the forest on three!!" I shout at him breathlessly. He nods, and I get ready to make a sharp right turn. "1, 2, 3!!!" We both turn on our heels and we sprint into the trees, leaving the screaming girls behind us. We run through the forest until we come out on the other side. Resting with our hands on our knees and breathing heavily, we look at each other, and then we burst into hysterical laughter.
"That was insane!!" He exclaims. "I was not expecting you to be able to run that fast," he admits, smiling.
"Well, screaming murderous fangirls can make anyone run for their lives," I retort with a laugh.
"True," he laughs while fixing his shirt. I look around us, and we stand on a deserted street in the middle of nowhere.
"Uh... Nash?" I say, anxiety building inside me.
"Yeah?" He says, and looks around. His pale blue eyes widen.
"Where are we?" I ask. He looks at me helplessly.
"I have absolutely no idea," he replies with a shrug. I look around us, and I see a small cabin in the distance. I point to it excitedly, and Nash squints in that direction.
"Let's go there!" I say, and we begin jogging towards the lone cabin. As we get nearer and nearer, I see the little sign on the front door grow larger and larger.

Donald's Ice Cream

"It's an ice cream shop!" I shout. This is pure luck, we get lost in the middle of nowhere, and we find an ice cream shop.
"Yaaassss!" He exclaims, and we run happily towards the little shop. We burst through the door, and an old man sits behind the counter reading a book. A couple simple flavors of ice cream sit in the little display freezer. The old man jumps up, clearly surprised. "Well hey there! Y'all startled me, no one ever comes all the way up here anymore," he says with a kind smile.
"Sorry about that," Nash says kindly. He glances at me from the corner of his eye. "Adriana, what flavor do you want?" He asks me, and continues observing the flavors carefully.
"I'll have chocolate please," I say politely. I've always loved chocolate ice cream, but I barely got it as a child.
"Two chocolate cones, please!" Nash orders happily. The man serves us the cones, and we sit across from each other at one of the two small tables in the small cabin. I lick my ice cream, and it tastes absolutely horrible. I look at Nash, and he has the same disgusted expression on his face. We exchange a glance, and then we burst into laughter because we know what we're both thinking. He does the püma face too, which only makes me laugh even harder. I swiftly lift my cone and I dip the ice cream onto his nose, leaving behind a spot of chocolate ice cream. He gasps dramatically, and I giggle.
"Hey!!" He exclaims, and does the same to me, leaving a spot of chocolate ice cream on my nose. I giggle even more, and he begins to laugh too. By the time 20 minutes has passed, we both have chocolate ice cream smeared all over our faces, and our sides hurt from laughing so much. We say goodbye to the old man and we leave the crummy ice cream place, with most of our ice cream on our faces than what we actually ate.

We go back through the piece of forest that we ran through, and we follow the path back the way we came from. I check my phone, and it's already 8:36pm. Zayum, time flew by! I also got a text from Hayes over an hour ago. I didn't hear the notification since I was with Nash.

From: Hayes👑: Everything okay? Worried about you :(

To: Hayes👑: Yeah I'm okay, I'm so sorry I didn't reply earlier, I didn't hear my phone go off. I'm sorry for worrying you :(

I tuck my phone back into my hoodie pocket, and I finish the walk home with Nash. The whole walk home, we joke around like little kids. He even tried to teach me how to do the püma face, but I was laughing too hard to do it properly. He really is fun to be around.

Soon enough, we're standing outside my front door. Nash is much, much taller than me. I'm only around 5'3, and Nash is 6 feet. He looks down at me, and his electrifying blue eyes glimmer under the light of the moon.
"I had a lot of fun today," he says.
"I did too," I say honestly. The day was really exciting and fun filled, but Nash is just like the brother I never had; nothing more. He's a great guy don't get me wrong, but the only relationship I want with him is as a good friend.

I come to the conclusion that he feels very differently the moment his lips meet mine.