I Don't Need You To Save Me

I followed Kevin over to where his two brothers and father were stood, almost tucked away in one of the back corners of the coffee shop. I was slightly surprised that there were no girls trying to pounce on them, after the way they all had been behaving only half an hour before. I could see Nick talking animatedly to someone who had their back to me. I assumed that the person he was talking to was someone my dad had sent up. I figured that they had approached the brothers and introduced themselves.

From the back this person definitely didn’t seem to look like the record company type, but I just figured that he had dressed down for the show, as not to stand out.

As we got closer to the group, that’s when the dirty blonde mess of hair started to look familiar to me. I frowned as I walked up behind the man.

“Hey everyone.” Kevin announced our arrival and everyone turned to face us.

My eyes went wide as soon as I saw who Nick had been talking to. No wonder he had seemed so familiar closer up.

“Oh, hello Hayleigh.” Darren almost purred, “It’s been too long.” He grinned and my stomach churned, I felt sick.

I had to fight my urge to make a big deal out of him being here, but that would lead to explain to everyone why I hated this man standing in front of me, hated with an extreme passion. And that was something I didn’t really want to do. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let him get to me whilst everyone was around and I would force him to leave later. I could act so I could do this.

“Darren, hi.” I smiled and fought to keep calm. “I didn’t expect you to be coming up here?”

“My father’s just bought a rather large share in a record company, and he has a huge say in who the company signs. Your father asked him to send someone up here, and once I heard about it I couldn’t refuse the offer.” Darren grinned slyly and moved closer to me, pulling me into what was for me a very awkward one armed hug. “And I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come and see you whilst you’re on holiday.” He draped his arm casually over my shoulder.

It felt as though someone was pressing a red hot poker against my skin. I wanted him away from me, away from me now. But I had to play along. He always liked to play games.

I noticed Joe’s confused stare, he caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow. I didn’t know how to explain with my eyes, so I dropped my gaze down to the floor, making a note of what shoes everyone was wearing.

“So I take it that you and Hayleigh know each other quite well?” Paul asked. I heard Darren chuckle to himself before answering the question.

“Well you could say that, considering we dated for over two years.” He explained. I could feel each pair of eyes staring straight at me as soon as the words left his mouth. I glanced up shyly from under my eyelashes at the one person’s reaction I was the most worried about.

I had been wrong about feeling every person’s eyes on me. There was one exception. Joe wouldn’t even look at me now. It felt like earlier on that afternoon all over again. I shrugged out from under Darren’s grasp.

“We used to date.” I reminded him with a frown. I flicked my hair over my shoulder, hoping it hit him in the face somehow and turned so my back was almost blocking him from the conversation. I hoped he'd get the message and go crawl back to wherever he came from. “When are you guys going back on?” I asked the brothers. Kevin was the one who answered.

“In about two minutes.” Came his reply, to my dismay. They were going to leave me alone? With Darren? Could this night get any worse?

Then I reminded myself. Yes, it could get a whole lot worse where Darren was concerned.

“Well, I'm going to go find Soffy again then. Good luck guys!” The words came out in a bit of a rush, all merging into one. I turned to walk away and I thought they were just going to leave me, but then I felt someones hand grab the top of my arm.

“What?” I asked as I spun around, shocked to see Joe. I had expected someone else. I had a million things to say to him, but as soon as he was there in front of me I couldn't bring the words to my lips.

“We need to talk. Now.” He pleaded with me. I was all ready to agree but Kevin called him back over to where he was stood.

“Joe! Come on dude, we need you.” He called. Joe glanced briefly over his shoulder at his brother before turning back to me, his eyes still pleading with me.

“Later. I promise.” I nodded and he let go of my arm. I didn't know what exactly he was going to ask me about, whether it be Darren in general or if he had seen through my little act around him. Joe rubbed the back of his neck and walked away from me. I turned back round to the direction I had originally been heading in and walked over to the little booth where I had sat earlier.

I put my head in my hands and sighed. I didn't want this, not now. I'd gone long enough worrying about everything and I had just started to somewhat get over it all. I dropped my hands from my face and took a deep breath, then looked back up at the stage. The boys were just walking back on. I stood up again and walked so I was just stood past the end of the booth.

Nick sung the majority of the rest of the songs they had to play, with Joe taking over the vocals usually when the song's chorus kicked in. I swayed a little to the songs, some of which I had heard and some that I thought I knew but didn't. I was glad I didn't know all their songs, because it made it feel like it was my first time in listening to them play all over again. It added to the effect.

When the brothers announced that they were about to play their final song of the night, a loud boo erupted from the crowd. I wasn't really paying much attention, because I knew as soon as this song would finish, I would have to face Joe and whatever questions he had for me.

“This song is dedicated to a good friend of our family.” Joe started speaking into the microphone, replacing Nick who had been there a few seconds earlier. My eyes looked over to the stage. “She's really important to us, and I don't think she realises how much she means to all three of us. Thanks Hayleigh.”

Joe looked over at me quickly and then looked away. I smiled to myself and blushed a little. Nobody had ever dedicated a song to me, or dedicated anything to me for that matter. I wondered if Kevin and Nick were in on that little dedication, or if Joe had just spontaneously decided to throw it in.

I tucked some of my hair behind my ear and tried to give the brothers my full attention for their last song. I started swaying slowly to the music and watched the brothers, mainly Joe, perform their hearts out. Joe must have noticed me staring at him because he looked over in my direction and held my gaze. I smiled.

“Well, it seems as though you have an admirer Hayleigh dear.” I heard an all too familiar voice whisper in my ear and I froze. I saw Joe’s eyes narrow together. Darren rested his arm over my shoulders.

“I don’t see why it’s any of your business Darren.” I replied, but didn’t turn round to face him. I felt him lift my hair away from my neck and drape it behind my shoulder. I shuddered away from his light touch against my neck.

“It’s completely my business.” Darren chuckled to himself and I felt him press his cold lips to the base of my neck. I saw anger flare up in Joe’s face, which quickly disappeared as Joe turned away from me and finished off the song, focusing entirely on the crowd. I tried to move away from Darren but he wouldn’t let me.

“Trying to go somewhere sweet heart?” He asked me. I turned my head so I could frown at him and then I raised an eyebrow.

“If you don’t let go of me, I’m going to hit you.” I warned him. “And I’m pretty sure that if I don’t then my admirer as you put it will do it for me.”

“Oh, feisty.” Darren laughed in my face. “You know I like it when you play hard to get.”

I scowled and removed his arm myself. I could see from the corner of my eyes the brothers were finishing up, the crowd was clapping over enthusiastically and cheering for an encore.

“I am being serious Darren.” I reminded him. “I don’t want you anywhere near me. I don’t know what this was, some kind of sick little joke, but I promised the boys a chance of performing in front of someone who actually cared about their music and was interested in helping them follow their dream.” I took a deep breath. “How am I supposed to tell them you’re the closest thing to that, and you’re useless?”

“I don’t know, but you better get your story sorted out soon.” Darren smirked before looked away from my face and at something behind me. I looked over my shoulder at Joe, from his crushed expression I could tell he had heard the last part of our conversation.

“Joe. I can explain.” I started but he shook his head.

“Outside. Five minutes.” He simply replied and walked off. I followed him with my eyes and watched him stalk out of the front of the coffee shop. I turned back to Darren.

“Are you happy now?” I asked him. He shook his head.

“You know what would make me happy Hayleigh.” He winked and I reached up and slapped him. “You better get used to disappointment the Darren, because I am never going to put myself in any situation that means you will get what you want.”

“Are you sure about that Hayleigh? You always were easily swayed. You’ll change your mind soon enough.” He leaned close to my ear and I restrained myself from slapping him again. “I’m not going anywhere in a hurry, now I know where you are.”

I looked up at him in disgust and walked away from him, over in the direction that Joe had just walked in.

I found him down an alleyway next to the coffee shop. He stood resting against the brick wall looking up at the sky. I pulled my cardigan tighter around me to stop the cool breeze from making me feel cooler then I already was.

“Joe?” I asked quietly, wondering whether or not to walk any closer to him. He looked down into my eyes, his eyes cold and unwelcoming.

“It was nice to tell me you’d invited your ex tonight.” Joe replied icily. I rubbed my hand against my cheek in frustration and bit my lip.

“I had no idea he was planning on coming here. I haven’t spoken to him properly for ages. He’s just started calling me again, out of the blue while I’ve been up here.” I explained in a rush. “Honestly, I don’t want him here, if I could send him away for good then I would.”

“You didn’t seem bothered when he was all over you.” Joe pointed out. I shuddered at the thought.

“Joe trust me, it was the most uncomfortable moment in my life.” I walked over to him so I was stood directly in front of him.

“You weren’t exactly telling him to stop though were you?” Joe asked me.

“That is because with people like him, you have to play games Joseph. He just comes on ten times stronger if you resist.” I explained. “I hate his guts, you don’t understand. Why would I purposely invite him up here?”

Joe shrugged. “I don’t know.” He whispered and looked up from the floor and into my eyes. I took his face into my hands and held it in position, so he had no choice but to look me straight in the eye.

“I promise you.” I reassured him and did the first thing that came into my head. I pressed my lips firmly against his, in some strange sort of attempt to reassure him that I was telling him the truth. He seemed shocked at first, and he kind of froze in place. Then he pushed me away. I stumbled back with wide stunned eyes. That wasn’t the reaction I had been hoping for.

And it hurt a little more then it should have. Joe opened his mouth to say something, but I had already started to walk away from him. I wasn’t going to let him see me cry, not again. I was more embarrassed then I was hurt, when I realised what I had just done. I didn’t speak to anyone for the rest of the night, I was quiet in the car and as soon as we got back to the Jonas’s home I went straight up to my room, not replying to any of the worried calls that came after me.