Status: i'll update when i can.
Everybody Needs Somebody
eight.
She was just a girl, just some girl who lived next door to him. If he was going to notice her, and notice her like that, he would have done it before now. He had only invited her round because her parents had kicked the bucket. Yes, that was it. He just felt sorry for her. And she just gave him butterflies and made his hands sweaty.
Hayley was waiting outside his house at a quarter to eight the next morning, her eyes red and tired and puffy. Her blue and purple hair was tied in a loose ponytail and she was fumbling with something in her blue rucksack.
“Hey!” Will called, slamming his front door and taking a bite out of an apple. He didn’t call back a goodbye to his mother, as he usually would have done, because he didn’t want to upset Hayley, she looked pretty sad anyway.
“Hi,” she replied softly. Will gave her a nervous smile. His heart was racing, his hands sweaty.
“Apple?” He offered.
“I ate,” Hayley lied, but Will didn’t notice. The truth was, Hayley hadn’t eaten since last week and was really feeling the effects today. She just...couldn't. She couldn't prepare anything in the kitchen her mother had prepared things in, she couldn't eat off the plates they had eaten from, drink from the glasses they had drank from...she couldn't. She felt guilty going into their rooms but she still did. She liked to smell them. Her mother’s perfume, light and floral. Her father’s scent, like peppermint and sweets. Her brother. Her Zachy-like candyfloss.
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered how she had slept last night-with one of Zach’s t-shirts she had salvaged from the laundry basket like a pillowcase on her pillow, and she had hugged it through the night, pretending Zach had had a bad dream and that was all it was. A bad dream. A surreal, realistic dream but a dream nonetheless. Just a scary dream, she had told the pillow. It was only a scary dream. Only, it wasn't, was it? Hayley knew it. Will knew it. Everyone knew it. It was real, it was happening, and it was happening to Hayley. Her whole world was crashing down and she was powerless to stop it.
Will made small talk on the way to school, but Hayley gave non-commital noises where appropriate, still focusing on her family. On her left fourth finger were her mother’s engagement and wedding bands. On her right fourth finger, her father’s wedding band. Around her neck hung Zach’s Star Wars necklace.
Hayley was waiting outside his house at a quarter to eight the next morning, her eyes red and tired and puffy. Her blue and purple hair was tied in a loose ponytail and she was fumbling with something in her blue rucksack.
“Hey!” Will called, slamming his front door and taking a bite out of an apple. He didn’t call back a goodbye to his mother, as he usually would have done, because he didn’t want to upset Hayley, she looked pretty sad anyway.
“Hi,” she replied softly. Will gave her a nervous smile. His heart was racing, his hands sweaty.
“Apple?” He offered.
“I ate,” Hayley lied, but Will didn’t notice. The truth was, Hayley hadn’t eaten since last week and was really feeling the effects today. She just...couldn't. She couldn't prepare anything in the kitchen her mother had prepared things in, she couldn't eat off the plates they had eaten from, drink from the glasses they had drank from...she couldn't. She felt guilty going into their rooms but she still did. She liked to smell them. Her mother’s perfume, light and floral. Her father’s scent, like peppermint and sweets. Her brother. Her Zachy-like candyfloss.
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered how she had slept last night-with one of Zach’s t-shirts she had salvaged from the laundry basket like a pillowcase on her pillow, and she had hugged it through the night, pretending Zach had had a bad dream and that was all it was. A bad dream. A surreal, realistic dream but a dream nonetheless. Just a scary dream, she had told the pillow. It was only a scary dream. Only, it wasn't, was it? Hayley knew it. Will knew it. Everyone knew it. It was real, it was happening, and it was happening to Hayley. Her whole world was crashing down and she was powerless to stop it.
Will made small talk on the way to school, but Hayley gave non-commital noises where appropriate, still focusing on her family. On her left fourth finger were her mother’s engagement and wedding bands. On her right fourth finger, her father’s wedding band. Around her neck hung Zach’s Star Wars necklace.