Look at Me

Singing those words over and over again, Paige actually wasn’t trying to reassure herself. As she leaned against Hayden, Paige let her breathing slow and her eyes drift off into nothing. She allowed her body to loosen and relax, because she actually believed that everything would be alright. She was going home and Hayden was going with her. He just didn’t know it yet…
Hayden was probably planning on going back to the police station and spending the night there. Then in the morning, they would ship him off to an orphanage in another town. Paige knew the being shipped off part was inevitable, but she wasn’t letting go of him just yet. Not after he’d said it again…
I love you.
She’d said it too and it didn’t make her afraid. After such a big announcement, Paige felt calmer then she had in a long time. She felt like a heavy weight on her chest had suddenly dissolved. Loving Hayden just made sense.
Every other boy, [Even the hot ones.] had almost seemed in black and white to her. She’d seen and maybe even been attracted to them. But something key inside her had always kept its distance. Something in her had never noticed them just as they had never noticed her…
Then Hayden had stumbled into her life. He wasn’t normal…he wasn’t safe…but she saw him. She saw everything he was… and even though it should have scared her, it didn’t. He did not frighten her…
Hayden had been misunderstood and painted in the same dull colors as everyone else, but he really wasn’t like everyone else. He was unique and beautiful in a way they couldn’t be. He understood suffering, loneliness, and the need to be understood. His soul was something their shallow selves couldn’t grasp, but Paige felt she’d been found at the same time as finding someone.
She wanted to hold onto that, even if just for a night. She knew Hayden wouldn’t be gone forever and she would see him again , but she hadn’t ever given him a proper kiss and how was she supposed to sleep without his arms around her?
Terry would probably be horrified, but Paige hoped she would keep the horror to herself. It wasn’t like she was the mustache-twirling villain threatening to ravage a young girl for God’s sake. She just wanted Hayden to have a peaceful, comfortable place to sleep before he left in the morning.
Well, maybe part of her wanted more then that. Her body did jump like a live wire when he was around, but she would just to wait and see what he wanted…

***

“Okay people,” Terry said feeling like a big-city bus driver. “Next stop up ahead.”
She pushed her foot down on the break and the car came to another abrupt stop. She knew her driving sucked really badly right then, but she couldn’t work up the energy to give a shit. Even though nervous energy was lighting her up like a Christmas tree…
She popped a fresh piece of gum in her mouth and watched Hayden and Paige slip out of the car. They were leaning in close and whispering in that, sharing each others breath sort of way. [Ewe] Their hands kept touching and lingering as their fingers blended together. [Double Ewe] And then it occurred to Terry what was happening as her brain registered the fact that the driveway was empty.
Uhhh…She did so not want to think about Hayden’s angled whiteness on her friend. His long fingered hand running up and down her skin and his dark hair spilling onto her face as their lips collided.
Shuddering, Terry wound the passenger side window down and shouted, “Hayden, keep yourself to yourself or you die.”
He actually looked more confused than anything as she pulled quickly away from what would probably turn into a make out scene that would scar her for life.