Look at Me

Proof: The evidence or an argument that serves to establish a fact or the truth of something.
As he stripped his shirt off, Gabriel knew that was why they had all come out into the middle of the woods. He was proving to Hayden that he wasn’t the only monster around. Why, because, sometimes things couldn’t be explained through words. They had to be seen and experienced and known.
As he pulled his shoes off, Gabriel turned to Hayden and said, “Well?”
Hayden looked surprised. His thin lips twisted in displeasure as he said quietly, “Is it really necessary? You seem to already know what I am.”

***

Proof: A test or trial of something to establish whether it is true.
Gabriel’s eyes gleamed with that strange maniacal light that made Hayden feel uneasy in his presence. He tilted his head in an ironically “puppy dog” way as he said, “I think I know, but it would be much better to see it with my own eyes.”
“Fine,” Hayden said quietly as he tugged the top buttons of his shirt.
Gabriel watched his as he did. Their eyes seemed almost magnetically linked as mutual feelings of suspicion and distrust passed between them. Both of their bodies were tensed, with muscles jumping out freakishly in response to possible threat.
Hayden had to wonder why it was like that. It was possible that he’d finally found someone who might actually understand him, and all he could feel was…wrong. It felt dangerous to deal with someone completely unknown and unbelievably foolish to do it with Paige standing right there.
He looked at her. She was right beside him. Her eyes trusting, her smile encouraging. She might have been afraid, but she wasn’t showing it. Among her many amazing qualities that added to her perfection was the fact that she could deal with a lot. She could handle things that would make other people freak the fuck out.
Speaking of which…Hayden’s eyes darted to Terry. He wasn’t really sure if it was a good idea to bring her. [Okay he was absolutely sure it was a really awful idea] But she was the only with access to a car, even if it was technically her boyfriend Kevin’s. She also wanted to know what was going on, or though she did. She’d grilled Gabriel and him in her merciless way, but how would she react when she really found out? And how would her reaction affect Paige?
Of course, it all came back to her. How could it not? Hayden felt like he revolved around her, as the moon did the sun. Paige had her own gravitational force that drew everyone and everything to her. Hayden used to be resentful that she never noticed he was in her orbit. But now it almost seemed like it would be safer, for her…if he wasn’t.
When he finally dropped his shirt to the ground, Hayden said, “Let’s go…someplace else. I won’t do this here.”
Gabriel looked knowingly at Paige and said, “Of course.”

***

Proof : The quality or condition of having been proved.
When, Hayden moved to walk away, Paige grabbed onto his arm. He stopped and she demanded, “What do you think your doing?”
“Paige, I can’t really do this here…in front of you and Terry,” Hayden whispered as his cheeks flushed adorably pink.
“Well, I didn’t think you were going to be doing ‘that’ at all,” she said, trying to ignore the curious looks they were getting from Terry and Gabriel.
“He wants me to. We both just need to see it to believe it, I guess,” Hayden said as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry; nothing bad is going to happen.”
“How can you know that?” she said, still trying to hold him back and keep him in her sight.
Hayden leaned in and kissed her forehead as he said for her ears only, “I won’t let it.”
“Don’t you dare,” she said as she finally let him slip away.
Paige watched Hayden walk away. It felt like she was always watching him leave her. Her feet itched to run after him, but she forced herself to just stay put… She made herself just watch him go. And Paige tried to ignore the way her heart was nervously tearing itself into increasingly smaller shreds…

***

Proof: Evidence presented in a trial for consideration by the court
Okay, so two guys walk shirtless in the woods together. Terry didn’t think Hayden swung to that side of the fence, but WHATEVER! Clearly something beyond weird was about to happen and a really sarcastic inner monologue was Terry’s best of dealing with it. [Only way of dealing with it.] Terry Finchly did not do weird. She wasn’t crazy. She didn’t believe in ghosts, vampires, big foot, or Santa Clause.
Jesus! If the two idiots would just get it over with. [Whatever it was?] Half of the weirdness was the long drawn out staring at each other shit. Now they finally jog off into the woods half-naked and all Terry could do was look to Paige for answers.
Unfortunately, Paige had gone into post-Hayden shutdown mode. How was it that whenever that freaky Emo dude left her, Paige went from strong and confident to suicidal looking?
Okay, she loved him. [Obvious much?] But Hayden clearly had a whole basket full of issues. His parents. The whole stepfather murders mother thing is slightly disturbing. And then there was the other freakiness that seemed to follow the boy like the plague
It seemed like he was causing her friend nothing but problems and heartbreak. Terry, followed her better instinct though and just kept her mouth shut about it. [As hard at that was!] She would just watch, wait, and see what happened. Probably nothing good, but WHATEVER! At least there weren’t bodies in refrigerators…yet.