Settle Down

Part five

 "Can you talk?" Ash whispers scared of what could come out of this discussion, but not as scared of what would happen if Avery was awake right now. Hayden's eyes drift from one side to side, like they need to adjust to the barely-lit room. He wouldn't leave her side, Ashton would never leave her side. Not like that, not right now, not ever.

Hayden shakes her head before waving hysterically and bringing a hand to her mouth. She watches as Ash runs, grabbing a pot that she'll throw up in. When he manages to get her on her feet, he puts a wet towel in her hands and walks her to the window to get some fresh air. She can finally breathe.

Avery is still asleep when she puts on her jacket and lights a cigarette, pressing her arms together against her chest, gesturing to Ash that it's too cold in here. Ash observes her from the windowsill, he cannot seem to find the words. The ones he tried to tell her last night, when they were fighting, when they were kissing, or when he was hitting the wall. He doesn't seem to know how to get her to understand who he became, who he is trying to become even. So, he just watches from afar, trying not to intervene with her waking up to her first overdose.

She is still shaking, having a hard time smoking, when she notices her brother in the chair next to the bed she was lying in just a couple minutes before.

"Why did you call my brother?" she mouths to Ash.

He frowns at her and she can see the change in his attitude, the change in his posture, and in his eyes. He's getting mad. His face turns to anger as she tries to get the words back into her mouth. In the matter of a second, she's back sitting on the bed, looking at Avery sleeping, while Ash gets angrier.

"You were high Hayden. You were so high, you could have died. I didn't know what to do. But I didn't want you dead." His eyes fall on the ground before his raises his hands to his head. Pulling his hair behind his ears, trying to remain calm for once in his life.

"You know what would have happened. You know-" he stops in the middle of his last sentence, hoping he doesn't need to recall the facts. She sights and walks her way out of the room. That is Ash's queue to get Avery to wake up.

But he knows they will have to discuss it at some point. Discuss that one night, three months ago.

***

There is no way her brother is ever going to let her get away with this now. He won't give her money anymore, he will not help her get out of the house late anymore, he is not even sure if he still can calm her down now. She had tried to remain still in the car, but her shaking was relentless. She was still not saying a word, before entering the big white bright house. She had not said a word neither in the alley, nor was she saying a word now that they were by the door, ready to walk in. Silent, Avery remains, not lifting his eyes from the alley they just parked in. Finally, Hayden gets hold of the doorknob, but he stops her quickly, pressing his hand on her shoulder.

"You do know it stops here, right? Me, this, even him doesn't seem to want to see you again. At least, not in the state you were in last night he doesn't."

She pushes his hand away and opens the door, walking in. "You don't tell me what he wants. He can fix this. He can fix me."

There's no time as she rushes away from her brother's car to the big white door. Assuring herself that she will be out in just a couple hours, she doesn't bother leaving her jacket downstairs nor her shoes. Straight to her room she goes, passing by her siblings and her parents' bedrooms, not noticing that there's no noise coming out of them.

When she reaches her bedroom door, she can hear ruffles and whispers. It's like she's eleven again, trying not to trip over her own feet before even opening the door, already afraid of what she'll find this time.