Stained

Chapter 70

I snap my head back, only to groan when I see the guy I just hit approaching my car.

Crap. Crap. Crap. I don't have time for this.

I roll down the window.

"I'm so sorry. I was in a rush and I wasn't looking in my mirrors. Are you ok?" I stammer out before he even reaches me.

He leans down, his curly shoulder-length ginger hair half falling into his eyes and smiles. I don't recognise him and a part of me is glad I don't. Maybe I can get off scratch-free.

"I'm used to pretty girls hitting on me, but not actually hitting me," he laughs.

Is he seriously flirting with me right now?

"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" I ask, ignoring his flirting.

"I don't know really. You might have to check." He looks down at his crotch with a mocking frown.

"Jerk," I say harshly under my breath and turn my window up. I don't care if he's hurt or not anymore.

Looking through the mirrors this time, I get out of there.

Traffic wasn't that bad and I make it to Hannah's in less than ten minutes.

The house is empty as I had guessed.

I know without a doubt, if even one person was at home, Hannah wouldn't have broken down like this. I'm not blaming them. It's not their fault. They couldn't have known. I just hate that it's happened.

Her mum left for her friend's house this morning. Her older sister and brother are at work and her younger brother is at school.

I sprint up into Hannah's room in the attic and immediately engulf her with a hug. Hannah usually hates physical contact or affection but when she is upset she completely loses herself and accepts any kind of comfort from those closest to her.

After calming down a little, she tells me she had a huge argument with her mum and dad this morning, because of which she didn't go to uni. And then not even thirty minutes later, Hayden messaged her saying he wanted to talk. Explain the cheating. That things aren't as they seem.

Then their beautiful memories evaded her mind, reminding her of what they lost and all she wanted to do was bring it back. To feel the happiness of being loved again. It all became too much for her and she completely broke down.

"I'm okay now. You should go back to college," she says wiping her nose.

I shake my head. "I'm not leaving you alone like this."

A huge wave of deja vu hits me from when Damien said those exact same words to me. I swallow hard. It's different with Hannah. I'm a burden. She isn't.

"Hazel. No." She chucks the tissue in the bin then grabs another one from the box. "You just started bloody college. You cant be missing classes."

"I have one class left," I lie and pretend to check the time on my phone. "And I'm already late for it. With the time it takes for me to get there... there's no point going now." Another lie. I'm five minutes into the one hour lesson.

"Regardless, you should get your mark."

"I doubt she'll even let me in the class." Lie number three, my English teacher is very sweet and would let me in.

"You should take your chances." She finishes wiping her face and throws that tissue in the bin too.

My eyebrows rise on my forehead. "Why are you so persistent on me leaving?" I know I'm a burden but she hates being alone during a breakdown. It's why she called me over in the first place.

"I'm not," her voice comes out as a whine.

I search her face for a moment and then it hits me. She needs me to leave so she can call over Hayden or go to him. Either way, it's a bad idea and she knows I won't let her. If the roles were reversed she wouldn't either.

I stand up and the hope that flares in her eyes confirms my suspicions. "Come on we're going?"

She jolts, shocked. "What?"

I open her wardrobe. "Get dressed we're going out."

"Where- I mean no. I'm not going anywhere," she sternly shakes her head.

"Yes. You are," I punctuate each word.

She mimics me and does a way better job than me. "No. I'm not."

Her tone leaves no room for argument. So I pull a different tactic. "Fine, then we're not doing anything for my birthday." I want to adamantly cross my arms across my chest to really send the message home but my hand won't let me.

It took a lot of convincing on hers and Sarah's part to make me agree to let them do a little something.

She holds up a long nail in my direction. "You promised if we read that book you would let us."

I did. It's my blackmail with everything.

"But you haven't finished it yet and neither has Sarah." I tsk.

"I don't know about Sarah but I have."

"It's a three-book series."

She gasps as if I betrayed her. "That wasn't part of the agreement."

"I said series. Plus it's compulsory. The first book ended on a cliffhanger! And so does the second one!" How could she not be halfway through the second book already?! It's such a good series.

She groans chucking the duvet off her. "I hate you."

"Sure." I nod giving her a mocking smile.

I shouldn't be skipping college when I just started, but my best friend needs me. Plus I wouldn't be able to concentrate in any of my classes anyway. The thought of her with her cheating ex would enrage me to the point where everything will topple over my head.

Where is Sarah when you desperately need her? Her stupid jokes always make everyone laugh and the knowledge of that makes her laugh too. She's a strange human and I miss her and I know Hannah does too, more than she lets on.

• • •

We went to the cinema to watch a movie and now we're at Bradford eating ice cream. I'm knackered and tried and I have school tomorrow and a ton of homework, not to forget to mention, my artwork which isn't even halfway complete, but I want to tire her out to the point where she immediately falls asleep when she gets home.

Hannah's spoon pauses halfway to her mouth as if in thought and I try not to groan out loud. I don't want her overthinking and corrupting the fun we're having.

A question I've been meaning to ask her pops up into my head. I figure now is a good time to ask. I'll be knocking over two cans with one stone (I hate the bird term regardless of it being metaphorical)

"I want to go on birth control."

Hannah spits out her ice cream and it hits my grey cardigan.