The night air was cold, bracing, but I forced myself to run around the block a few times. I needed something to work off the excess adrenaline. Unfortunately, my run did nothing to quell my inner turmoil.
I needed to find Hayley, needed to see her and make sure she’s alright. Well, no, of course, she’s not going to be alright. Her brother more or less called her a whore.
Thinking of it like that, I got off easy. My black eye and bruised ribs can’t even compare to what Kyle hit her with.
The more I sit and stew about it, the more fired up I get. I need to get out of this fucking house, away from him. I may not have seen or spoken to him since last night, but I know he’s here.
Just knowing Kyle is only a few yards away has my knuckles popping and my hackles rising.
Fuck.
What the hell happened?!
I need to find her.
Grabbing my shit, I text her on my way to my only class of the day. I doubt I’ll be able to focus, but I still need to at least turn-up. I could bang my head against a wall when I realize I’m so early that I’m the only one here.
With the extra fifteen minutes, I repeatedly text and call Hayley. She’s not answering, but the line rings. If she’s in class, her phone is turned off or on Do Not Disturb so calls go straight to voicemail. Which means she’s not in class.
Knowing that only makes me panic and worry even more.
Hayley is a top student, studying to be a chemist, she’d never miss class. Even when she’s been sick, she’s still attended. Except for that one time; a few days after her fourteenth birthday she came down with mono and was bedridden for a week.
Students begin filing into the room, the professor shows up. We still have a few minutes until he is inevitably going to start.
I glance at my phone once more. My emotions win over rationality. I grab my bag and hastily exit the room.
Right now, I care more about Hayley’s wellbeing than some lecture.
11
Hayley
With all the people I’ve been avoiding lately, I’m starting to think distance learning is a viable option. People are just too much to deal with.
Kyle and I are still on the outs. My heart begins to hurt every time I see Corbin. Then there’s Lucas, who is still sniffing around, trying to catch me off guard.
Okay, so maybe that’s just me reading into things, but he just seems to be everywhere. There seems to be nowhere I can go to avoid him, which is saying something, Preston is a decent-sized campus.
That’s exactly the reason I’ve spent every spare moment that I haven’t had to be in class at the apartment. No extracurriculars for me. I also think deep down that I’m still reeling from Kyle’s outburst.
We’re brother and sister, we’ve had our fair share of fights before, but this time his words cut me deep. In that moment, he wasn’t anyone I recognized. His words were hurtful - too hurtful of a brother speaking to a sister.
When I ran off, I came straight home. Oliver, stunned by my tear stricken face, questioned me. He was livid that someone would hurt his baby sister. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was his younger brother.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Hales?” Oliver.
“Yeah.”
“You need to answer your phone.”
“What?” How the hell does he know that I’ve been avoiding calls.
“Corbin somehow got my number, he rang to check on you.”
“He rang you?!” I exclaim, I admit a little louder than I intended.
