“Oh she’s finally awake!” Alan grinned. “That’s great!”
“Yeah except she looks like a tomato with how red her face is!” Tino laughed.
“What’s the matter sweetie? A little flustered?” Phil asked, laughing.
“Come on you guys cut it out,” Austin said, trying not to laugh.
“And here I thought you guys were nice…” I said, pouting and hiding my face.
“Hey…” Austin put his hand under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I almost forgot how to breathe as I felt my face get hot again. “We’re just trying to make you smile.”
“Though you’re pretty cute when you’re embarrassed,” Aaron chimed in, grinning.
“You’re right Aaron, she does!” Alan agreed. “Of course you should be careful, Austin might get mad.”
“Oh right,” Aaron laughed. Austin glared slightly.
“W…what?” I looked at the boys, confused.
“Didn’t you know?” Phil asked.
“Austin here has been here with you the whole time!” Tino said, putting his arm around Austin’s neck.
“Really?” I asked, skeptically looking at Austin. “Why?”
“I was worried,” he shrugged. “Didn’t want you to wake up and not have anyone here.”
“Oh…” I said, looking at my lap. “Well…thank you.”
“Aw what’s the matter cutie?” Phil asked, putting his arm around me.
“Yeah…normally girls would freak the fuck out in a situation like this…I mean this is every girls’ dream right?” Alan asked.
“Yeah it is,” I answered. “I just…I’m totally dreaming.”
“Oh? Is that why you’re so calm?” Tino asked. “You think this isn’t real?”
“I know it isn’t,” I replied, causing all the boys to look at one another.
“Ya know…you’re really lucky that we’re nice guys,” Aaron began.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because our senses of humor would turn you as red as a stop sign,” Austin smiled jokingly.
“Oh really?” I asked.
“You really think this is a dream?” Alan asked, in a serious voice.
“Of course…” I began. Suddenly, I felt a pinch on my arm. “OUCH! What the fuck!”
“Sorry,” shrugged Phil. “It had to be done.”
“This…this is really real…” I said, slowly beginning to realize it. “Then everything that happened last night…”
“Sunday night,” corrected Alan.
“Sunday…? What day is it?” I asked.
“It’s Thursday…” Austin answered, gritting his teeth. “You’ve been out for three days…”
“I…but…” I slumped back. “Three days…where is he?”
When nobody answered, I looked at each individual boy. They all avoided eye contact until I fell upon Austin, who looked directly at me. He had the same look on his face when he first turned around a little while ago.
“He ran,” he answered bluntly. “He ran like the coward he is.”
Silence fell upon the room and dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Sensing the tension, Alan half raised his hand.
“Um…” he began quietly. “I just remembered we gotta go back to the hotel and get everything ready for Saturday night…right guys?”
“Oh yeah!” Phil quickly agreed.
“See you later dude,” Tino waved to Austin as he pushed Aaron out of the door, Alan and Phil following.
“Don’t you have to…” I began to ask.
“No,” Austin replied flatly. “I’m staying here.”
“Why?” I asked. “I’m awake now. I’ll be fine.”
“And where are you going to go once you’re released huh?!” he snapped suddenly, startling me. “Are you going to go back to him?! He’ll kill you!”
“I…” I couldn’t speak. I was so shocked by his sudden change in voice, I was almost scared. He saw my reaction and his face immediately softened. His voice went back to its sweet tone.
“I’m sorry Haylee,” he said softly. “I just…that just really got to me…how he hurt you…how he’s been hurting you…I hate those kind of people.”
“It’s okay,” I replied softly. I understood his sudden rage.
“But still,” he continued. “Where are you going to go? You don’t live with him do you?”
I didn’t reply. I just sat there looking at my lap, piercing my lips. I did live with him. I lived with him for most of our relationship. I didn’t have a choice but to move in with him since my parents kicked me out. I was only seventeen…I had a fight with my stepdad and he was drunk. He tried to come onto me, so I shoved him off. Then he threw water on me and kicked me out in the dead of night…it was February…and I live in Minnesota. But I didn’t want to tell Austin any of this. He either wouldn’t believe me, or judge me. So I just nodded.
“I see…” he said, sighing. “Well there is no way in I hell I’m going to let you go back to that house if I can do anything about it.”
“What?” I asked, looking back at him. His gaze was back on the letter once more. “What do you mean? I have to go back there. I don’t have anywhere else I can go.”
“Ehp!” he said in a voice that almost made me laugh. He put one finger up to my lips as a sign for me to stop talking. I closed my mouth and gave him a slightly pouting look. I hated when people interrupted me. “Oh don’t give me that adorable little look. Don’t worry about anything. I have it all under control…okay?”
“But!” I began only to have him make the noise again and give me a slightly stern look. I sighed and nodded. “Okay…”