Inconvenient Love

Chapter 11

Will hadn't talked to Hazel much but knew she was a pretty sweet girl, especially for what she lived through. Her mother was dead, her father and half brother constantly fought, the rest of her family was dead. Will was honestly surprised that she took it all so well.

And there he was, outside her bedroom door, deciding whether or not to bother her at that time of night. Would she be asleep? He pressed his ear to the door and heard her faint voice.

"Hazel?" Will knocked on the door before opening it. "Can I come in?"

Hazel nodded to him before speaking again into her phone. She laid in her bed, in her pajamas with her blankets covering her. "I've got to go, Frank. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Will waited until she hung the phone up before talking. "I'm sorry to bother you so late, Hazel."

"It's okay." she sat up. "Is something wrong?"

Will closed the door behind him and kept his voice low. "It's about Nico."

Hazel frowned. "What did he do?"

"He came home drunk, came to me. He's passed out now but he's bruised up. I think he got in a fight and I'm worried about his ribs. I...I was going to take him to the hospital," Will fretted. "His ribs could be broken."

Hazel got up from her bed. "Get dressed. I'm coming."

Will ran to his room and got dressed before pulling Nico's shirt back onto his unconscious body. He didn't want him to freeze in the cold air.

Soon enough Hazel was in there, Nico's car keys in hand. "Come on, carry him out. I never should have trusted Leo to watch him."

Will carried Nico out and laid him in the backseat of the car, making sure he was all good before getting into the passenger's seat. As soon as he did, Hazel started to drive away.

"We'll have to go to the hospital in the next town over," Hazel said. "And we'll make up fake names. We can't have any of dad's associates knowing about this."

Will nodded. "I get it."

"I'm sorry he dragged you into this," Hazel continued. "I know you two don't like each other. But he must have trusted you if he came to you."

Will tried to smile but felt as if he just had a face spasm.

"What?" Hazel glanced at him. "Are you okay?"

"I..." He knew she deserved to know. He knew that for a fact. But what Nico said rattled through his head. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell Nico."

Hazel nodded. "I promise."

"We are...dating," Will finally admitted. "We have been. And I...realized tonight...that I deeply care for him."

Hazel swerved, nearly hitting a car or two before coming to a stop on the side of the road. She put the car in park before turning to face Will. "You two are together?!"

Will was gripping to the seats still from the sudden driving spell. "Um...yeah?"

Hazel squealed. "That's so cute!"

Will let himself relax. "You're okay with it?"

"Of course." she hugged him tightly. "He's never had a boyfriend before."

Will hugged back. "Me neither..."

"Why doesn't he want me to know?" Hazel asked, breaking the hug. "Why were you acting like you hate each other?"

"He was scared that mom and your father would find out," Will explained. "Since we're technically going to be stepbrothers..."

Hazel's face fell. "Oh...I forgot..." She shrugged. "Oh, well." With one look around them, she pulled back onto the road and started to drive again.