Dark Tides

Chapter Nine

        As the aquarium disappeared behind her, Hadley could think of only one thing. Who was he? Hadley now had a name to put to a face but that didn't solve anything. It only created more problems. Like, why did she feel that odd flutter in her chest every time she thought about him? She barely knew him. One could argue she didn't really know him it all. That made the whole scenario quite infuriating and terrifying and electrifying all at the same time.

          It was difficult for Hadley to handle it all and so she did the only thing she could for now -- she tucked it all away until she could sort things out. Doing so allowed room for more questions. For instance, why did he insist on being so damn cryptic? Was it even possible for him to give a straight answer?

          "Penny for your thoughts?"

          "Oh, sorry..." she said, glancing towards him a moment then back out the window. "Nothing worth that much, just tired. It was a pretty busy day at the aquarium today."

          "You looked more than tired, you looked upset, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Eli pressed. Hadley tried to keep from feeling annoyed – she failed.

          "I said it's nothing," Hadley snapped, her tone coming out a lot harsher than she had intended. Despite feeling guilty for being mean, she still didn't understand why he felt the need to pry. "Sorry again. Like I said, I'm tired."

         "Right," he replied. "No problem. I shouldn't have pushed." Even as he said it she could tell he was hurt by her abruptness, or maybe it was the fact that she shut him out. She wasn't entirely sure what Eli was looking for and she wasn't in any position to dig around for clues or answers. If it was friendship, she could handle it ... anything else and she was going to have to sort some other things out first. She just really wished she knew for sure – it would make all of this a whole lot easier.

          An odd sort of silence fell after that. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly companionable either. Hadley was more than grateful when the SUV finally rolled to a stop in front of her house and she wasted no time hopping out. While she generally enjoyed Eli's company, she was anxious to get inside and to talk to her dad. Eli climbed out as well, heading around back to get her bike.

          "Sooo..." Eli began, sounding unsure. Hadley had a sinking suspicion she knew what was coming next. "Any chance you'd like to go get dinner with me sometime? Just as friends... or whatever," Eli asked as he pulled the bike free of the vehicle. Hadley did her best to smile.

          "After my father lets me off the hook... maybe, things have just been really weird lately," she admitted. "I just have to get some things sorted out." Even if she hadn't been grounded she wasn't exactly in the mood to go out on a date – even a 'just as friends' sort of date. There was so much going on inside her head that she just wanted to be a lone for a little while. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and took her bike from him.

          "Sure, sounds great," he replied, though Hadley could tell he was disappointed. Probably because she hadn't given him a definite answer. Eli looked like he wanted to say more but instead just turned away and climbed back into the vehicle.

          Hadley offered a final wave as he drove off and let out a deep sigh before turning towards the house. When did life get so complicated? Wheeling the bike beside her, Hadley made her way up the foot path towards the front porch. She leaned her bike against the railing before letting herself inside.

          "Anyone home?" she called, closing the door behind her, she tossed her house keys absently on to a side table cluttered with unopened mail and other odds and ends.