Chapter 6
Hailey's POV
"Hailey, how are you?" Rebecca asks me as I'm walking to the cafeteria.
l ignore her but she keeps up with me.
"Look, I'm sorry for what I did to you." She says to me, making me roll my eyes.
"You are just sorry because Jaxon and his friends won't leave you alone. They have turned you in to the school joke. So much for climbing that social ladder.” I say, leaving her at the door.
"You won't always have him around. One day, he will turn his back on you and you'll know what it feels like to be on his receiving end.” She shouts out but I keep walking.
"Hailey Ferguson please report to the office.” The intercom calls out.
All the kids in the cafeteria look at me as if I was some naughty kid about to get the scolding of my life but that wasn't me.
I turned to walk out of the cafeteria, getting grumpy that I would miss lunch and I wanted that froyo so bad today.
Walking in to the office, the receptionist smiles at me before walking up to me to give me a side hug as she walks me to Mrs. Gellar's office.
"Hailey, come on in." Mrs. Gellar says to me and I do, ready to get out of this woman's tight embrace.
I sit down on one of the chairs facing the headmistress.
"Hailey, I just received a call from your stepmother. I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you this but your father passed away last night." She says and I chuckle.
That man did not die.
"Is this his ploy to orphan me? I'm almost 18, I don't need him as a parent.” I say.
"Hailey, this is not some game. Your father is gone." She says to me, her eyes filled with tears.
I don't believe it. I can't believe this.
My phone vibrates in the inside pocket of my blazer and I react without thinking, taking it out and looking at the caller id, Aunt Tara.
The zero phones on school grounds rule flying out the window in front of the headmistress. "Hello?" I say as I answer the phone.
"Hailey, sweetie I've booked you on the first flight home. Check your email okay? Your father, oh my." Aunt Tara starts tearing up over the phone.
"What's happening?" I ask.
"I still don't know what happened. I just flew back in from a business trip. Your flight is in a few..." Aunt Tara says but is quickly interrupted by a loud crashing sound.
The call gets cut off and I look at Headmistress Gellar in panic.
For a second it looks like she zoned out but quickly snaps out of it as she jumps out of her chair to sit on the chair next to me.
I try calling Aunt Tara's phone but it keeps sending me off to voicemail.
I try her eldest child, Vincent's cell and he picks up.
"Hailey. I'm so sorry about." He tries to say but I interrupt him.
"Vince, I think your mom just got in to an accident. She called me and then there was this loud crash and the call got cut off. I can't reach her right now." I say without catching a breath as the panic sets in to make a home inside me.
"Wait, slow down. Mom? An accident?” He asks and I nod my head yes.
"Hello? Hailey?" He asks.
"I heard a loud crash Vincent. You need to find her, please.” I say.
"Her flight landed an hour ago. I'll go find her Hails. I promise.” He says before the line goes dead. "That... that sounded like a car crash right?" I ask looking in to headmistress Gellar's eyes.
Jaxon barges in to the office, his eyes wild with panic looking around the office until his eyes settle on me. He immediately kneels down in front of me and gently grabs my hands.
His touch soothing me instantly, which takes me by surprise but I don't pull away. I feel slight tingles on my hands, where his hands are wrapped around mine.
"I'm so sorry Hailey. I'll take you to the airport if you want.” Jaxon offers and I nod my head yes as my whole body starts to feel warm. Jaxon stands up before helping me up and walking me out of the office.
"She's all packed. I put her bags in the car and yours just in case.” Brett tells Jaxon but my mind is still on that phone call with Aunt Tara that I did not catch what Brett actually said.
We walk to a black SUV, with tinted windows and black rims. Something definitely from a bad ass action movie but I'll gush over this car some other day.
Jaxon opens the door for me, helping me in and strapping me in safely. Safety first I guess.
I didn't even hear him get in to the car and start driving, when I came to, we were arriving at the airport with Jaxon's hand holding mine.
"Can you please come with me? I don't know.. 1 don't know how but somehow with you around, I've managed to keep it together. I'm confused by it but you keep me calm and that's what I need right now." I say as Jaxon puts the car in park.
"Anything you want.” He says as he gets out of the car and walks to my side, opening the door to let me out.
The airport was busy with people walking or running around. Announcements made, people shouting, crying and hugging each other. All the chaos around me couldn't match the inner turmoil that's waiting to erupt but for some reason, Jaxon was the lid keeping it all in.
"I need to buy a plane ticket. Can you wait here?" He asks and I nod my head yes, before sitting down on one of the chairs placed around the airport about to regret letting Jaxon go.
As soon as Jaxon walks away, the panic rises up again. Reminding me that it had settled in some time ago, laying low but now it came in hard. I tried to breath but it was getting harder and harder. The sound of the car crash playing over and over in my head as if I didn't hear it well the first time. Every time I'd hear it, images of Aunt Tara would flash through my mind. I was way past worry right now but a deep and strong yearn for Jaxon had me at my feet walking around looking for my source of comfort.
Maybe I'm using him but if I'm not with him, I don't even know what will happen.
"Hey hey.. I'm here. I'm here." Jaxon says to me as he pulls me in for a hug. I allow it because I need him to calm the storm brewing inside me.
"Come on, let's go catch that flight." Jaxon says to me and I pull away. He gently grabs my hand as we walk.
Seconds ago, I was a volcano about to erupt and then Jaxon hugged me, taking all of the fire from deep within and putting it out.
"How do you do it?" I ask him and he looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
"Do what?" He asks.
I look at him, trying to see if he was playing me but his face held no emotion. His eyes however, looked at me with warmth and maybe that's what kept me sane but deep down, I knew.
Deep down I knew that Jaxon knew more about this but for now, I'll settle for comfort. For now, that is all I need.