Stuck On You

Chapter 28: Mudslide

That week ended way too soon. Hayden and I spent almost that entire time in our room, lounging

around. Occasionally we’d go out shopping and sight-seeing, but for the most part, I was all his. He

was all I really cared about anyway. He got my mind off of my dad and my wicked stepmother

effectively. The rest of the week was sheer bliss, but all too soon, we were back home in San Diego,

walking back into our apartment. Hayden put my bags into my room before he joined me on the couch.

His arm went around me as he kissed my head.

“Hey are you okay?” he asked me. I nodded and smiled.

“I don’t think things can get any more perfect than they are right now,” I said, kissing him. I couldn’t

have been any more right.

A few weeks later and Hayden got a phone call that changed everything. His mom traveled a lot. In

Seattle, she got hit by a drunk driver. She didn’t make it. After that phone call, Hayden was a

completely different person. He was shut off and moving as though in a daze. I understood it, but I just

wished that he’d talk to me. I went to the funeral with him for support but he barely even noticed that I

was there. He hadn’t eaten in days. All he would do is sit in his room staring at the wall. I tried to help

him but he would just sit there for weeks. I knocked on the open door before I walked inside. I sighed

and looked at him sympathetically.

“Hayden, you have to eat something,” I said, bringing in a bowl of soup. He looked at me blankly. He

wasn’t talking much either. I set the bowl on his bedside table before sitting beside him. I touched his

cheek gently. He pulled away from me before he went back to standing at the wall. I sighed before I let

the room. The next week, he was acting a little more like the Hayden I met when I first met him.

‘Hayden the ass’ was back. It was my turn to avoid him. He was mean and distant. I didn’t know how

much more of this I could take.

When I went to go check on him, he was slipping on his jacket.

“I’m going out,” he muttered, before he was out the door. I sighed and covered my face with my hands

briefly as I heard the door close. Here we go again. He’d been “going out” a lot lately. I knew he was

mostly going to bars but it didn’t stop me from worrying about him. I understood why he was distant and

upset, but I didn’t know why he was pushing me away. He was hurt, I knew that; but he was hurting me

too.

I called Quinn. She knew about Hayden’s mom and what he was going through even though Hayden

and I hadn’t been to any rehearsals since he got the news.

“Hey thanks for coming,” I said softly. She nodded and walked inside before she hugged me. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Are you okay?” she asked. I shook my head.

“Hayden’s acting… strange, and I know that he’s been through a lot lately, but he refuses to talk to me,

at all,” I explained.

“Just give him a little more time, hun. He’ll come around. He loves you,” Quinn tried to comfort me. I

sighed and nodded. I guess I just needed to hear that from someone else. She stayed with me for a bit

before she left around midnight. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” she asked. I only shrugged.

“I guess when Hayden gets home and we have a chance to talk,” I answered. I tried to wait up for

Hayden, but I ended up falling asleep watching TV. I woke up confused when I heard giggling. I sat up

and yawned. The giggling was coming from Hayden’s room. That was weird. I walked over to his room

and pushed his door open. I froze. I was angry and upset. Red dots flashed in my vision.

“Out… now,” I said to the girl. She giggled and rolled her eyes at me. Fine, we would do things my way.

I stormed over and pulled her out by her hair. I threw her out of the apartment and locked the door. I

paused with my hands on the door. I took a shaky breath and prepared myself before going back into

Hayden’s room. He was sitting on the end of his bed waiting on me.

“Look, Jo,” he started.

“No! You know what; I have been there for you through everything! What is wrong with you?!” I yelled

as hot tears streaked my face. He walked over to me and tried to kiss me. I pushed him away and

looked at him shocked.

“Jo, don’t be that way,” he said. Great, just great; he didn’t even care in the slightest.

“No, Hayden, I can’t do this right now. Hurt or not, you made the decision to hurt me,” I started. “I know

that what happened with your mom was bad, I’ve been through it too, but you’re starting to act like

before,” I said.

“You don’t know anything!” he yelled at me. I flinched as more tears fell from my eyes. I hesitated

before I turned.

“I’m going to bed,” I practically whispered. He sighed.

“No wait, Jo,” he said. It was almost like he was sleeping for the last month and a half and he was now

waking up. I didn’t care; I was beyond hurt by this point. I walked to my room and locked the door. I laid

down and sighed shakily. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me. It never came.

“Jo. Jordyn,” I heard at my door, with a light knock. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. If I didn’t open the

door now, he would just keep knocking. I sighed before I walked to the door and unlocked it. Hayden

came in and grabbed my arms immediately. He was gentle. He seemed more aware of what he was

doing than before. Like he was awake now.

“Please don’t touch me,” I whispered.

“Jordyn, I am so sorry. Things got out of hand,” he tried to explain. My eyes watered as I puffed out a

breath in disbelief.

“Out of hand?” I snapped, repeating his words. “Hayden, you’ve been at it for weeks! You’re killing me,”

I said softer. He shook his head as his watered too.

“Jordyn, I am so sorry,” he whispered. I shook my head and looked away from him as my tears finally

did fall. “I guess I just flipped,” he tried to explain.

“You could have come to me, but you didn’t. You chose to go out every night for the last few weeks.

Who knows what else you’ve done? I was right here. I guess that wasn’t good enough for you,” I said

softly. His thumb wiped away my tears as he brought my face closer to his.

“That’s not true, Jo. I was upset and angry at what happened. You’re right, I should’ve come to you,” he

said.

“But you didn’t,” I cut him off. He paused and just looked at me.

“I’m so sorry, Jordyn… I really am,” he whispered.

“That’s just not good enough this time,” I said, finally looking into his eyes again. He shook his head as

a tear finally fell.

“I can’t lose you too,” he whispered. Seeing him like this hurt me but I didn’t want to be hurt again by

him. I couldn’t. I sat on my bed and shook my head as I looked away from him. Hayden did something

that I never saw him do, he started crying. He dropped his head into my chest and shook his head

slowly. My breath caught before I let it go and wrapped my arms around him. I shushed him as he

started sobbing.

“Hayden,” I breathed. His arms went around my waist. He clung to me like I was going to disappear.

And I guess that it was true in a way.

“Please, you can’t leave me too,” he sobbed. I rubbed his back gently.

“I think it’s too late for that,” I said softly. We just sat there with me holding him as he cried. He

eventually passed out on my lap from exhaustion with me running my fingers through his hair. I sighed

and looked at Hayden’s sleeping face. Even in his sleep, he looked upset and sad. I couldn’t move

from underneath him, he was too heavy. Plus, every time I tried, he would grip my leg harder and he’d

start to whimper. I laid back and ended up falling asleep too.