Battles and Bruises (TW)

Chapter 4- A worrying discovery (Hayden)

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of suicide and drinking

Detention wasn't the worst thing ever, but Hayden didn't want to go back the next day.
The kids there were huge, rude, and very tough. And worst of all, Michael was there to make his life even more difficult.
  Hayden was assigned cleaning windows, which wouldn't have been bad, if Michal hadn't smudged them as soon as he had finished them. He would have been home an hour earlier if the huge idiot had left him alone.
   Hayden had to walk home from school, which wasn't the worst, but it was still 3 miles away. He defiantly would have preferred the bus. When he was about a mile away, he realized that Haylee would be sitting at the front door waiting for him, because he had the house key. Their dad, Mr Johnson, had to work a lot more, and he had given Hayden a house key so they could get in after school, because he usually wasn't home until about 8:00 pm.
   Sure enough, Haylee was at the front door waiting for him, a few tears falling from her face. 'God I probably scared her.... way to go Hayden...' As soon as Haylee spotted him, she ran over and embraced him in a tight hug.
   "Oh my gosh, Hayden, I thought you died!!!!" Haylee cried into his shoulder, her grip on him tightening a little bit. Hayden embraced her as well, and started to calm her a bit.
   "Where were you?!" Haylee looked up at him with huge, tear stained blue eyes. Hayden wiped away a few of her tears before answering.
  "Some stupid kid named Michal got in a fight with me."

   "What?! Why?? Did you win?!"

"Kinda. And a kid was crying. He and his friends were rude to him so I told them to shut up. Then we fought."

"Why was he crying?"

Hayden paused, not wanting to tell his 9 year old sister that some kid's friend had killed himself. That would not be great information for a young kid like her. "Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

"Oh, ok. Can we pLeAsE go inside now??"

Hayden smiled and nodded. He unlocked the door and walked in, relieved to be home from his living nightmare. He took off his backpack and started on his homework, and thankfully there wasn't a lot of it.

"Hey Hayden..?"

He turned around at his sister's voice. "Yeah?"

"I saw Helen and dad fight outside earlier. Dad left, and Helen cried a little before going home. I was hiding the whole time. I think they might break up.."

Hayden felt a rush of triumph at the news. He hated Helen. She hadn't done anything to him, but he felt like his dad was replacing Mom. He didn't think Helen was that amazing of a person. She was decent; she wasnt mean or anything, but his dad deserved better. But then he realized, Haylee had only known her dad to have to romantic feelings for Helen. It might be a little tough on her if they did break up.

"I'm sure they won't."

"Dad mentioned it."

"When?"

"In the fight. And a few other times."

Hayden didn't reply. He turned back and did his work, not really wanting to talk about it. Haylee seemed to get the message and went to her room to do her own work. Hayden wished it was still summer. School was the absolute worst. And not even because of the work. The people there were awful. He felt totally alone there. He started to hum "Waving Through a window" as he did his work. He loved musicals. Especially Dear Evan Hansen. He felt a lot like Evan sometimes. Actually, a lot of the time.
  He just hoped that things would get better soon.  
                               .        .        .

   Hayden found himself still awake at about 11:45 at night. His dad and Helen had been at the house all night, and he couldn't clear his head of all his thoughts running around in his head.
   Hayden was snapped out of his thoughts when he realized his dad and Helen were talking loudly to each other, and not very kindly either. He got out of bed, and went to the edge of the stairs, where he could peek down and watch them.

"Helen, I don't think we should be together anymore!!"

"Why?! Am I suddenly not good enough?! I've been dating you for 2 whole years now, and we've been fine up until you started to go to the bar! You have kids that need you! You can't get off work at 6 and drink until 7:30, Charles! You have kids that need you and your attention! Not some drunk man who could abuse them if he gets to drunk!!!"

"I would never- hOW could you ever think I'd do that?!?!"

"Charles, the same thing happened with my dad. He thought he could control it, but no. He couldn't. He ruined his life and mine by drinking, Charles!!!"

"Well I'm not your dad!!!! Why don't you just leave!!!"

"Fine!!!! But if anything happens to those kids, I swear to god-"

"LEAVE!!"

"FINE!"

Hayden watched in horror as Helen stormed out the door with tears streaming down her face. He didn't realize how much Helen actually cared about them. And he was also in shock that his dad had been drinking. He new he kinda smelled funny when he came home, and he'd go straight to bed as well. Hayden wanted to curl up in his room and sob. He didn't know what to think of his dad, or Helen. He also didn't know how to break the news to Haylee. He wiped away a few tears that had formed in his eyes and snuck back to his room, where he laid sleeplessly in his bed the rest of the night, wondering if somehow any of this was his fault.