Chapter 15

A Chapter by Melissa

“Hayley! Do you even know how to use a cell phone?” Katy yells, grabbing my hand and dragging me upstairs as soon as Jason and I get home from our meeting with Blake.

“Sorry! I’ll come talk to you later, okay?” I call to Jason. He laughs and nods as I’m pulled away from him. “Where are you taking me?” I laugh at Katy, but my question is answered as she drags me into her room and shuts the door behind us.

“What happened? Did you tell him about David? Did he know about it? How’d it go?” Katy asks rapidly.

“Katy, calm down. I didn’t tell him about the note. He told me to be…careful of David. He encouraged me to talk to Jason about being friends with David, and I’m going to do that. And it went well, besides that. You told me not to tell anyone about the note, didn’t you?”

“I know but… I thought maybe… Blake could be helpful and, I don’t know, maybe he could fix things…” the way she’s rambling makes me feel like there’s something she’s not telling me, but I let it go, not wanting to aggravate the state that she’s in.

“Well I didn’t know that… I didn’t tell him anything. Listen, can we not talk about this? It’s a little bit depressing, and I’m kind of happy considering Blake likes me…”

“How did you make him like you?”

“Gee, I didn’t know I was that hard to like…”

“Shut up,” Katy laughs. “You know what I meant.”

“I don’t know,” I say, letting a small smile through. “I offered to help him with swim.”

“Oh! That’s nice of you.”

“Yeah. Jason was really sweet the ride over… holding my hand and telling me not to worry. I think that’s why it went as well as it did.”

“Um, Hayley… that’s sweet and all but… ewww. That’s my brother. He’s not sweet and romantic. He’s gross and annoying.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Whatever. Movie night?”

“Movie night.”

Hours later, Katy and I have finished our movies, and it’s almost eleven o’clock. We decide that it’s time for bed, and say goodnight once we reach the top of the stairs. Katy goes into her room, but I decide to say goodnight to Jason first, remembering how I told him earlier I’d come talk to him.

When I approach his door I’m able to hear voices on the other side of it. Hesitantly, I knock on the door, not wanting to interrupt. Jason quickly arrives at the door and opens it slightly.

“Hey beautiful,” he says softly, keeping his guest from hearing. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say goodnight…” I trail off, my emotions mixed between curiosity over who’s in the room with him and happiness from his compliment.

“Oh, well goodnight!” he says a little louder, no longer minding if his friend hears.

“Goodnight,” the boy in his room says. I have to admit I’m a little relieved to hear the manly voice, and not a girly one.

“That’s just David,” Jason says. “He’s staying over tonight.”

“Oh,” my voice has a slight tremble in it but I think I do a fairly good job at hiding it.

“Yeah… I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” he whispers, pulling me into a tight hug.

“Okay,” I state and he pecks my lips before I turn and walk away.

At first I go back to my room, confused with my emotions. But I realize that I can’t stay in there as I jump every time one of the boys opens the bathroom door, fearful that it’s David and he’ll come through into my room and do… god knows what. Once this realization hits me I take a pillow and leave my room, shutting the door tightly behind me. I knock loudly on Katy’s door, praying she hasn’t fallen asleep yet.

“Yeah?” Katy says as she opens the door. She raises her eyebrows when she sees me dressed in my pajamas, my pillow tucked under my arm.

“I can’t… sleep in there tonight.”

“Why not?” she asks, stepping out of the way and letting me inside her room.

“David…” I say as I enter the room, allowing Katy to close the door. “He’s sleeping over and I’m… nervous I guess. Scared, maybe.”

“Oh…” Katy says, and I can hear the shakiness in her voice.

“I think we’ll be fine if we’re together.”

“Okay…” she says, obviously scared now.

I’m about to speak but I’m cut off by a vibration from Katy’s cell phone on her bed. She turns her head quickly and looks at it, before picking it up and reading the text.

“It’s Blake,” she explains.

“Oh,” I say. “That’s random…”

“Nah, we’ve been texting since after you left for the night. Or… when I thought you left for the night,” she says, allowing herself to joke a little.

“Oh,” I say, unable to keep myself from wondering what’s going on between them.

She snaps her phone shut after sending him a text back. “I told him we’re having a sleepover because David’s creepy and he should come to protect us,” she laughs.

I laugh with her and put my pillow on her bed, collapsing on it immediately after. “Is it silly to be so freaked out by David?” I ask, sighing heavily.

“No. I think he’s scary too… and I’ve known him longer. You’d think I’d be used to him but… no.”

“Well yeah but that note was left to you. So you have a really good reason to be scared.”

She shuts her eyes for a moment, collecting herself. “It referenced you directly, therefore giving you a reason to be afraid.” By now I’ve picked up on the fact that Katy speaks either like a five year old, or a lawyer when she’s scared. It’s strange, but it’s just one of her quirks.

“Anyway…” I say, wanting to change the subject desperately. “What’d Blake say back to your text?”

“He didn’t…” she shrugs. “It is…” she glances at the clock, “eleven-thirty. He may have fallen asleep.”

I nod in response, allowing an awkward silence to fall over us. “That’s weird,” I finally say.

Almost as soon as the words leave my lips, the doorbell rings loudly, causing Katy and I to jump. When it registers in our minds that it was the doorbell, we jump up and go downstairs to open the door. Once we do, we reveal Blake, standing with his hands in his coat pockets.

“You requested my presence, my lady?” Blake asks, giving a little bow before stepping inside.

Katy and I can’t help but giggle before she says, “I was kidding!”

“Well. I’m here now,” he states. “And I’m sleeping over.”

“Not even asking?” she teases.

“Nope. I walked all the way here… are you really going to make me walk all the way back?” he asks, pouting.

“I suppose not.”

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