the outsider

'comfort'

𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 : 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛
Since i'd started training hayden, i'd become aware of how much time we were beginning to spend with one another. Wether we liked it or not, i saw him before and after football matches and training, as well as at school, and now, work too.
However, we were friends now, I was allowed to admit I enjoyed his company. It was weird for me, friends weren't something i had many of and hayden had seemed to get that, but he was still trying his best to make me feel comfortable around him and it was working. I'd noticed the shy Taylor, who barely managed to look me in the eye the first time we met, was slowly fading away too.
"Gracie!" An excited Hayden calls, rushing to me as I step foot through the door. His brown eyes are wide, gazing up at me, resembling a puppy's.
"Nice to see you too Taylor?" I almost chuckle as his arms wrap around me. I freeze, a little taken back before returning the hug. Our arms linger around each other for a little too long before the awkwardness sets in.
"What was that for?" I ask, feeling the corners of my mouth threatening to turn up. I turn away from him, setting my bag down beside my locker and begin getting ready for work.
"Caleb let me back on the team" he beams. I can't see him, but I'm sure his smile is as wide as a five year old's after being handed ice cream.
"That's great, I told you he'd come around" I say, locking the locker and facing him again. I was right, his smile was wide. It was cute.
The old fashioned bell rang, indicating we had a customer. My eyes met Lauren's. Fuck. I go to look away, but am drawn back at the sight of someone following her. Johnny. Double fuck.
Since I'd started training Hayden and gone back home, Johnny being back around had completely slipped my mind, until now.
The ideal situation would be to just send Hayden over to deal with them but despite him slowly getting the hang of everything, his nerves would kick in every now and again. I'd learned that one of Hayden's biggest triggers was teenagers, making Lauren and Johnny a no-go.
He'd get himself flustered, tears welling up as his breathing would begin to speed before he would back away to the break room. I'd follow him back there, assuring him it would be fine, like at school.
I hadn't actually been friends with someone that's suffered with anxiety before, but I regretted how I'd handled the first time i noticed Hayden getting anxious in the halls. I'm not a gentle person, but I was learning to be with him.
"I'll go and take their order" Hayden says, taking me by surprise.
"Are you sure?"
He nods, heading off in their direction. I keep an eye on him while continuing to work through the few other orders we had. He returns swiftly, not flustered in the slightest. I pretend not to be a little proud of him, he was making small progress and progress is progress.
"I see why you don't like her, she's rude"
"Tell me about it"
He pauses for a moment, his eyes landing on mine briefly before pulling away. He wanted to ask something.
"What is it?" I pry.
"It's nothing" he says, shaking his head, causing his curls to bounce up and down happily.
"Tell me"
He sighs.
"Tell me if I'm overstepping, but when I first arrived at school, I was there when you and Lauren had that fight in the hallway"
I know what he's going to say. I get a lot of people saying stuff about me on the daily, meaning words almost never had an effect on me, but that stupid nickname Lauren gave me was still finding it's way into my mind.
"I heard what she called you, and not all the whore and slut stuff. The other thing"
He didn't have to say it. I knew what he was referring to. 'Pill popper' had been the nickname I was stuck with for the whole of sophomore year, it wasn't an easy one to forget. That and the thought of if I had been blonde, blue eyed, slim and popular, that people would've actually cared instead of making fun of me for trying to kill myself.
"You don't-"
"It's none of your business" i snap, feeling his soft eyes watching me carefully. I push that dumb thought to the back of my mind.
"I wasn't going to ask why. I was going to say I was sorry. No matter how you got that nickname, she shouldn't be using something like that against you" I pull my eyes off of the floor. I was right, he was watching me but for some reason, it doesn't annoy me. Maybe it's because his chocolate eyes aren't staring me down, instead they're almost gazing. He might actually care.
I wipe that thought clean. That's a dangerous thought.
Hayden steps closer to me, his arms widening for a hug and I almost accept, until I see Johnny appearing at the counter, a glare settled sternly across his face.