HAYLEY'S POV:
The week following the absence of Josh and our fight, I was sure I would have died of guilt for yelling at him like that. No, I should have died. The entire thing was threatening to swallow me whole--he was everything to me.
It was intense, the pressure between us during the following week. In science, he sat next to Jaelyn. After what she did to us? It was very unlike Josh to do that--but I couldn't bring myself to question him, for she seemed even better than me at the moment. They even talked.
During the fourth and fifth periods, Jaelyn and Josh were working together. By the end of the school day, she was with him, ready to walk home with him. I couldn't believe it. Did the two start going out before I even knew? It was strange and utterly pathetic to be following them home--it was stalking, really, but there was an inexplicable want inside of me that just craved to know what the two would be up to. And I needed to follow the two home, not merely to satisfy my curiosity--but more to save my sanity.
Did he find a retreat in Jaelyn? Or was he just trying to make me jealous? It was too hard to think and walk and feel the snarl of emotions threaten to consume me, because right when Josh and Jaelyn approached his house's front porch, she kissed him softly.
And there was something so gentle about it--it reminded me of the way he kissed me.
And it was enough to make my heart sink.
They really were going out, weren't they? Or was she helping him in making me jealous? If that was the case, he definitely did a wonderful job. I was jealous, and hurt. Before anyone could see that I was there, I ran toward my house, in a pace so brisk that it left my legs weak and aching as I arrived on the front steps.
Once I opened the door, I slammed it hard, so hard I'm sure I broke it, along with the house's foundation.
My mom ran downstairs with a horrified expression upon hearing the slammed door. "What in the world is wrong, Hayley?!" She yelled, with a tone only a concerned mother could pull off so well.
I sighed and shook my head--as if the gesture could shake all my thoughts together and make all of this make sense. "I'm sorry," I said, in a tone so barely audible that I questioned whether she heard it or not. What was I thinking? "It's Josh. He's just...ugh. I'm mad. Really mad. He's dating this girl, I think they're dating...I don't know. I'm so confused. I don't know what to think, what to feel. It's like--I just don't know. I just don't, mom."
My mom nodded. Then she smirked.
"What?" I asked her, irritated now. How could she think this was funny?
"I'm sure you two will eventually find each other again," she said, so surely, so completely surely that I didn't even bother hesitating to contradict it.
I shook my head, frowning. "Doubt it. This time he officially broke up with me. And started dating Jaelyn!"
"Who in the world is Jaelyn?" My mom asked.
"The devil's little helper," I mumbled.
My mom looked at me with an expression that made me immediately regret what I just said. "Why would you think of someone like that, Hayley? I raised you better," she exclaimed.
I nodded, defeated by mom's stare. "Okay, okay," I sighed, "I know. I really should forget about him anyways."
"Now wait a second," my mom replied quickly, "I never said forget about Josh. You never even apologized, Hayley. Settle it and be friends before you go. You said you were even unsure whether or not the two are dating! How do you know that you two are broken up for good?"
I sighed. My mouth was half open and ready to shoot something back at her--but my throat was constrained, and I lost the will to speak.
Mom always knew what was right. And she was right. Tomorrow for sure, I had to talk to Josh.
Something woke me up in the middle of the night.
There was something--and this time, it was a worse feeling than what I felt when those burglars came in to grab the stuff from my house.
And I was terrified.
I stirred in my bed before looking up--and I didn't miss what was towering above me. There, lurking right above my bed, was a large masked man that seemed hidden in the shadow.
Before I could gasp in terror, before I could even react--he grabbed my face and covered my mouth with enough force that I could hardly open my mouth. I definitely made an effort to, however, squirming and trying to squeal in his arms as he kept a strong grip against my body. I was virtually helpless, defenseless, and being kidnapped in the middle of the night against my own will.
My mother wasn't around. No one was around to help me.
My eyes shot frantically in all directions as he carried me across the house, soon covering my eyes swiftly with a blindfold. He threw me into the trunk of his car, that much I could tell. I hated being only 5' 2", right at that moment. I fit perfectly in the trunk, my small size no advantage. I let out an ear piercing scream just as the car's engine started, my mouth free from the man's hand--but there was no use.
Nobody would hear me now.
The car began to move, and I started to sweat nervously. I felt the strain in my neck as the car's tight space threatened to close in on me. My nerves were strung and alive like live wires.
My forehead continued to be glazed in sweat.
The blindfold felt like a tight, neverending tug against my eyes, surely leaving some marks once they were taken off.
Thankfully, it wasn't very long until the car halted to a stop.
I heard the car's trunk open and the man carry me again. For a kidnapper, he handled my body with a very gentle, almost caring carress. Yet this did not calm me at all--I was still being kidnapped and could be left for dead.
I was carefully placed on a grass-like surface, and the man untied the blindfold. I glanced around and realized we were in the park, hidden behind the trees. These precious seconds could be the difference between life and death. My conscience reacted quickly--I was able to see, and able to run. I squirmed against the grass and tried to heave myself up before this man could do anything to me.
But he reacted as well--so quickly, lashing out to go grab my wrists and restrain me. "Hayley! Hush!" He whispered.
The figure removed his mask and planted a kiss on my lips before I could run away. His tongue begged for entrance, and I opened my mouth to let him do so. The familiarity was there. The voice was there.
I really needed this right now, even if we were in the middle of a somewhat-break up. When he finally pulled away, I frowned and my eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"What in the world were you thinking, Josh?" I said, a bit too loud for what was probably 2 AM in the morning.
"I don't know, I needed to talk to you, and I needed you back. Our fights don't last very long, you know," Josh shrugged the event off as if it was no problem at all--like nothing had happened in the last few minutes.
I rolled my eyes, utterly disbelieving. Despite the fear that dissolved into empty void, I was still adrenaline filled after all that alacritic rush, and I was in no mood to joke around. "But what about Jaelyn? Why would you go out with her again?"
I could see him blush, even the dark couldn't drown that out. "I was...well," he stuttered before finally coming out with it. "I was trying to get you jealous."
I scoffed at him smugly. "I knew it," I said quietly. "I did."
We paused there for quite a while before Josh started to talk again. "You never even let me explain," he said.
There was a point in his words--a point that hit me only now with unfathomable force. I shook my head and angled my head in such a way that I was sure to avoid his eyes.
"Can I explain though?" He asked.
I leaned into him and wrapped both arms around his body--holding him there and hoping this gesture would tell him that I was no longer angry. I left my head against his shoulder. "Explain," I said, listening.
It turns out I was stupid for everything. I shouldn't have let this drama boil between us. I'm overly stubborn and too hard headed when it comes to explanations. I couldn't believe I just yelled at Josh without even having good reason. I didn't even know the whole side of the story. Going on without explanation was such a horrid mistake--one I hoped I'd never make again with Josh.
"Hello?" Jeremy answered.
"Hey Jeremy, it's Hayles," I answered meekly.
Jeremy sighed. "I thought the band was over with already," he began, "I mean honestly, we haven't practiced together in a week. And Zac told me all about the drama that was going on between you and Josh."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I replied, guilty as charged, "but I never let him explain to me. I was stubborn and stupid, Jerm, and I really wanted to get this band back in shape. That's why during our two week break from school...I'm taking you guys to Florida."
"Florida?" Jeremy asked, hit with the surprise that I hoped.
"Yeah, Florida," I repeated.
"Right. Sure, Hayles, nice joke," Jeremy replied, still skeptical.
I groaned, amused how he wouldn't take this seriously. I couldn't blame him though--the offer was so blatant and unexpected. I would have reacted the same way, I guess. "Okay, I guess I'll just take Zac then if you don't want to go."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never said I didn't want to go. You're serious about this?" Jeremy asked.
"I think I made that clear earlier," I said with a laugh.
"No way, Hayley! I'm so in on this."
"Okay, Jeremy," I replied, "And I'm sorry for forgetting about the band because of Josh and my stupid little fight. You will not believe what he did just to talk to me."
"What did he do?" Jeremy asked eagerly.
"I'll tell you when we all meet up at Josh's...say...six-ish? Zac ought to know, too."
"Okay, Hayley. See you then."
Zac and Jeremy let out a roaring laughter only they as a duo could posses. "You put her in your trunk?" They asked, faces red, eyes nearly stinging with tears as they restrained laughter. And there was nothing that was able to supress my laughter, either. The two and their hilarity and enthusiasm were contagious. "And I fit perfectly!" I added.
Josh tried to smile, but it was faltering, and he was blushing like mad. "It was the only way, okay?" He replied.
Zac and Jeremy poked at him and started teasing him about the whole kidnapping ordeal once more. "I cannot wait until mom hears this," Zac said. Josh's entire face turned bright red, and he forced a smile. "Dude, don't tell mom," he pleaded. "Let me think..." Zac began, one finger on his chin, "No."
Josh glared back at him nastily, but Zac did not give in. "I'm still telling mom," he said.
The week following the absence of Josh and our fight, I was sure I would have died of guilt for yelling at him like that. No, I should have died. The entire thing was threatening to swallow me whole--he was everything to me.
It was intense, the pressure between us during the following week. In science, he sat next to Jaelyn. After what she did to us? It was very unlike Josh to do that--but I couldn't bring myself to question him, for she seemed even better than me at the moment. They even talked.
During the fourth and fifth periods, Jaelyn and Josh were working together. By the end of the school day, she was with him, ready to walk home with him. I couldn't believe it. Did the two start going out before I even knew? It was strange and utterly pathetic to be following them home--it was stalking, really, but there was an inexplicable want inside of me that just craved to know what the two would be up to. And I needed to follow the two home, not merely to satisfy my curiosity--but more to save my sanity.
Did he find a retreat in Jaelyn? Or was he just trying to make me jealous? It was too hard to think and walk and feel the snarl of emotions threaten to consume me, because right when Josh and Jaelyn approached his house's front porch, she kissed him softly.
And there was something so gentle about it--it reminded me of the way he kissed me.
And it was enough to make my heart sink.
They really were going out, weren't they? Or was she helping him in making me jealous? If that was the case, he definitely did a wonderful job. I was jealous, and hurt. Before anyone could see that I was there, I ran toward my house, in a pace so brisk that it left my legs weak and aching as I arrived on the front steps.
Once I opened the door, I slammed it hard, so hard I'm sure I broke it, along with the house's foundation.
My mom ran downstairs with a horrified expression upon hearing the slammed door. "What in the world is wrong, Hayley?!" She yelled, with a tone only a concerned mother could pull off so well.
I sighed and shook my head--as if the gesture could shake all my thoughts together and make all of this make sense. "I'm sorry," I said, in a tone so barely audible that I questioned whether she heard it or not. What was I thinking? "It's Josh. He's just...ugh. I'm mad. Really mad. He's dating this girl, I think they're dating...I don't know. I'm so confused. I don't know what to think, what to feel. It's like--I just don't know. I just don't, mom."
My mom nodded. Then she smirked.
"What?" I asked her, irritated now. How could she think this was funny?
"I'm sure you two will eventually find each other again," she said, so surely, so completely surely that I didn't even bother hesitating to contradict it.
I shook my head, frowning. "Doubt it. This time he officially broke up with me. And started dating Jaelyn!"
"Who in the world is Jaelyn?" My mom asked.
"The devil's little helper," I mumbled.
My mom looked at me with an expression that made me immediately regret what I just said. "Why would you think of someone like that, Hayley? I raised you better," she exclaimed.
I nodded, defeated by mom's stare. "Okay, okay," I sighed, "I know. I really should forget about him anyways."
"Now wait a second," my mom replied quickly, "I never said forget about Josh. You never even apologized, Hayley. Settle it and be friends before you go. You said you were even unsure whether or not the two are dating! How do you know that you two are broken up for good?"
I sighed. My mouth was half open and ready to shoot something back at her--but my throat was constrained, and I lost the will to speak.
Mom always knew what was right. And she was right. Tomorrow for sure, I had to talk to Josh.
Something woke me up in the middle of the night.
There was something--and this time, it was a worse feeling than what I felt when those burglars came in to grab the stuff from my house.
And I was terrified.
I stirred in my bed before looking up--and I didn't miss what was towering above me. There, lurking right above my bed, was a large masked man that seemed hidden in the shadow.
Before I could gasp in terror, before I could even react--he grabbed my face and covered my mouth with enough force that I could hardly open my mouth. I definitely made an effort to, however, squirming and trying to squeal in his arms as he kept a strong grip against my body. I was virtually helpless, defenseless, and being kidnapped in the middle of the night against my own will.
My mother wasn't around. No one was around to help me.
My eyes shot frantically in all directions as he carried me across the house, soon covering my eyes swiftly with a blindfold. He threw me into the trunk of his car, that much I could tell. I hated being only 5' 2", right at that moment. I fit perfectly in the trunk, my small size no advantage. I let out an ear piercing scream just as the car's engine started, my mouth free from the man's hand--but there was no use.
Nobody would hear me now.
The car began to move, and I started to sweat nervously. I felt the strain in my neck as the car's tight space threatened to close in on me. My nerves were strung and alive like live wires.
My forehead continued to be glazed in sweat.
The blindfold felt like a tight, neverending tug against my eyes, surely leaving some marks once they were taken off.
Thankfully, it wasn't very long until the car halted to a stop.
I heard the car's trunk open and the man carry me again. For a kidnapper, he handled my body with a very gentle, almost caring carress. Yet this did not calm me at all--I was still being kidnapped and could be left for dead.
I was carefully placed on a grass-like surface, and the man untied the blindfold. I glanced around and realized we were in the park, hidden behind the trees. These precious seconds could be the difference between life and death. My conscience reacted quickly--I was able to see, and able to run. I squirmed against the grass and tried to heave myself up before this man could do anything to me.
But he reacted as well--so quickly, lashing out to go grab my wrists and restrain me. "Hayley! Hush!" He whispered.
The figure removed his mask and planted a kiss on my lips before I could run away. His tongue begged for entrance, and I opened my mouth to let him do so. The familiarity was there. The voice was there.
I really needed this right now, even if we were in the middle of a somewhat-break up. When he finally pulled away, I frowned and my eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"What in the world were you thinking, Josh?" I said, a bit too loud for what was probably 2 AM in the morning.
"I don't know, I needed to talk to you, and I needed you back. Our fights don't last very long, you know," Josh shrugged the event off as if it was no problem at all--like nothing had happened in the last few minutes.
I rolled my eyes, utterly disbelieving. Despite the fear that dissolved into empty void, I was still adrenaline filled after all that alacritic rush, and I was in no mood to joke around. "But what about Jaelyn? Why would you go out with her again?"
I could see him blush, even the dark couldn't drown that out. "I was...well," he stuttered before finally coming out with it. "I was trying to get you jealous."
I scoffed at him smugly. "I knew it," I said quietly. "I did."
We paused there for quite a while before Josh started to talk again. "You never even let me explain," he said.
There was a point in his words--a point that hit me only now with unfathomable force. I shook my head and angled my head in such a way that I was sure to avoid his eyes.
"Can I explain though?" He asked.
I leaned into him and wrapped both arms around his body--holding him there and hoping this gesture would tell him that I was no longer angry. I left my head against his shoulder. "Explain," I said, listening.
It turns out I was stupid for everything. I shouldn't have let this drama boil between us. I'm overly stubborn and too hard headed when it comes to explanations. I couldn't believe I just yelled at Josh without even having good reason. I didn't even know the whole side of the story. Going on without explanation was such a horrid mistake--one I hoped I'd never make again with Josh.
"Hello?" Jeremy answered.
"Hey Jeremy, it's Hayles," I answered meekly.
Jeremy sighed. "I thought the band was over with already," he began, "I mean honestly, we haven't practiced together in a week. And Zac told me all about the drama that was going on between you and Josh."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I replied, guilty as charged, "but I never let him explain to me. I was stubborn and stupid, Jerm, and I really wanted to get this band back in shape. That's why during our two week break from school...I'm taking you guys to Florida."
"Florida?" Jeremy asked, hit with the surprise that I hoped.
"Yeah, Florida," I repeated.
"Right. Sure, Hayles, nice joke," Jeremy replied, still skeptical.
I groaned, amused how he wouldn't take this seriously. I couldn't blame him though--the offer was so blatant and unexpected. I would have reacted the same way, I guess. "Okay, I guess I'll just take Zac then if you don't want to go."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never said I didn't want to go. You're serious about this?" Jeremy asked.
"I think I made that clear earlier," I said with a laugh.
"No way, Hayley! I'm so in on this."
"Okay, Jeremy," I replied, "And I'm sorry for forgetting about the band because of Josh and my stupid little fight. You will not believe what he did just to talk to me."
"What did he do?" Jeremy asked eagerly.
"I'll tell you when we all meet up at Josh's...say...six-ish? Zac ought to know, too."
"Okay, Hayley. See you then."
Zac and Jeremy let out a roaring laughter only they as a duo could posses. "You put her in your trunk?" They asked, faces red, eyes nearly stinging with tears as they restrained laughter. And there was nothing that was able to supress my laughter, either. The two and their hilarity and enthusiasm were contagious. "And I fit perfectly!" I added.
Josh tried to smile, but it was faltering, and he was blushing like mad. "It was the only way, okay?" He replied.
Zac and Jeremy poked at him and started teasing him about the whole kidnapping ordeal once more. "I cannot wait until mom hears this," Zac said. Josh's entire face turned bright red, and he forced a smile. "Dude, don't tell mom," he pleaded. "Let me think..." Zac began, one finger on his chin, "No."
Josh glared back at him nastily, but Zac did not give in. "I'm still telling mom," he said.