Chapter 8
Eight
Hayden
I hope she’s awake, it’s early but I couldn’t come last night because we had a family thing happening at the clinic. But I have to see her before I go to the hockey tournament, and I’ll be gone for three days. So, I have to see her this morning.
“You know she’s always told you not to come to her house.” My dad has been saying this since this morning, but I don’t care. Not answering him, he pulls into the trailer park. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I’ve never cared about where she lives. Why would I? Dad gives me a nod and continues to drive through the park.
“It’s the black one.” Dad points to the trailer, and I grab the bag and get out. She lives in a trailer park, why did she not tell me?
Knocking on the door, I take a step back to let the door open outwards. “Hayden?”
“Hello, Mr. Banks, is Olivia awake?” I ask, and he looks over his shoulder, and calls for her. I smile glad, I haven’t had to wake her up.
“Hayden?” She closes the door behind her. “What are you doing here?” She looks around, as she fidgets with her hands.
“It’s your birthday, and I'm going away for three days. So, I had to give you your gift.” I lift the bag, and she can’t even look at me. “Olivia, what’s wrong?” I ask her, taking a step closer to her, my hand under her chin to lift it so she looks at me.
“I didn’t want you to see where I live,” she whispers.
“Why? I don’t care where you live. You're my best friend, not because of where you live, but because you listen to me talk about shit I know you don’t care about.
You make me laugh, and no matter what happens in my day I’m happy knowing I’m going to see you.
So, you can live in a big fancy house, or here, you’re stuck with me.
” I pull her in for a hug, I think she’s stopped growing now because I’m already towering over her, but I like it, I make fun of her all the time for being short.
“Promise?” she questions and I laugh.
“Promise.” Pulling away from her, I put the bag out for her to take it from me.
“One second.” She walks back into the trailer, and I look around, there's a part of me that wonders if this place is safe for her, anyone could hurt her if they wanted to. The door reopens, and I smile at Olivia. “You want to come in?”
“Sure, but I can’t stay long. Dad wants to be on the road early to avoid traffic.” I walk into the trailer, looking over at Mr. Banks watching me. “Hello, Mrs. Banks, so nice to meet you. I can see why Olivia is so pretty now.” I turn to her dad and joke. “Sorry, but she looks like her mom.”
“Nice to meet you, Hayden. Olivia has told me so much about you, it’s almost as if I know you myself.” Her mom smiles at Olivia as she sits down next to her and looks through the bag.
“The box of chocolates is for your mom, not you,” I tell her and she passes them over and her mom says thank you to me.
Olivia takes out the box of unicorn cupcakes, and smiles at me.
“A cupcake for my cupcake,” I joke with her and she laughs, shaking her head.
Next she takes out the daisies I had in there for her.
Finally, she takes out the smaller box, and stares at it for a moment. “Hayden—”
“I don’t want to hear anything; it’s your sixteenth birthday. I wanted it to be special.” I got her a necklace from a designer shop, she knows the price of things there, she might not be able to afford it, but I plan on giving her anything she wants. “Open it then.”
I see her wipe the tear away, and it’d better be a happy one. She pulls out the necklace and looks at the little charms I've added onto it, and she starts laughing. She leans in closer to her mom to show her.
“It’s a book, a cupcake, and a daisy.” She looks at me with a smile.
“Hayden.” She gets up and gives me a hug, and I wrap my arms around her.
“I love it, can you put it on, please.” She hands it to me and turns around lifting her hair out the way.
Once I’ve put it on she turns around, her fingers moving over the charms. “Thank you.” The two words come out in a small whisper.
“Save me some cake for when I get back.” I lean down a little and kiss her cheek. “Happy Birthday, Cupcake,” I whisper to her.
“I will.” She walks me to the door, I get back into the car, and dad drives away.
“Did she like the necklace?” he asks.
“She did.” I look at where my dad is going, because this isn’t the way to the highway. “Dad?”
“I want to show you something.” He drives into a housing estate and stops in front of a house.
It’s not a big house, it's a small semi detached house, nothing fancy. “That’s where Olivia used to live, but her mom got cancer, her dad couldn’t afford the medical bills, nor the treatment so he sold the house to help.
That’s why they live where they do.” I don’t say anything to my dad and look up at the house.
“Why have you brought me here?” I ask my dad.
“I know your relationship with Olivia is strong, and you would never say anything to her about where she lives, but the situation with her mom means they had to leave it.” Dad pats my hand, and I turn to face him.
“Every dollar they make is important to them, so that item you carry with you everywhere, it’s because you’re important to her.
Remember that son.” I take out the keyring from my pocket and look down at it.
Even the few dollars she spent on this could have gone to her mom’s medical bill, but she thought of me.
“You have a heart of gold, you protect your brothers, Lileah will never get hurt because of you, you help the family when we need it. So, I know you two have the best friendship I’ve ever seen. ”
She’s working and going to school, so she can help her dad with her mom, and I’ve never heard her moan about her life, nor have I seen her get upset about it
My best friend is a lot stronger than she makes herself out to be.
16 years old
Olivia has been reading her book for ages now, I’m just happy she’s stopped talking about Harry, but now she reads romance books.
And I have to listen to how romantic the boys are in them, but then I also saw one of her books which looks a little dirty, and I’m not sure if I like her reading things like that.
She'll want a boyfriend soon, and I’m not losing my friend to some asshole.
“So, I was thinking we could go out to eat lunch tomorrow. Dad said he'll be in this area for a while, what do you think?” Olivia puts her book into her bag and leans in closer to me and looks at the game I'm playing on my phone.
“If I’m paying.” I’m not letting her spend her hard earned money. “And before you say anything, it’s the only way we’ll go for lunch.”
“Fine—” She stops talking when I hear my mom shouting from the bottom of the treehouse.
“Hayden, can you both come down please,” Mom shouts, and I look at Olivia.
“You’re in trouble,” I joke with her.
“If anyone is in trouble it’s you.” She grabs her bag and starts going down the ladder, while I use the rope.
“Olivia, sweetheart, your dad called and he had to take your mom to the hospital. It’s nothing to worry about I promise, your mom was feeling lightheaded, and your dad just wanted to make sure she’s okay.
” Mom rubs her arm, and I put my arm around her waist hoping me being close to her will let her know she’s not alone.
“He asked if you could stay here for the night, and I said yes, of course..” Olivia leans into my side and wipes the tears away.
“She'll be fine, once we get in the house you can call him. And we have movie night tonight.” Mom smiles at her, then looks at me, and nods her head to my phone.
“Here, you can use my phone to call your dad.” She takes the phone from me and the three of us walk into the house.
“Thank you.”
“I wish you would stop saying thank you to me. New rule, best friends don’t say sorry or thank you. Deal?” I ask her, she says it all the time to me, and I don’t like it.
“I'll try.” She walks away putting the phone to her ear, and I help mom and dad in the kitchen to get the popcorn and things ready for movie night.
“She’s become very pretty hasn’t she, Hayden.” Mom looks over at Olivia on the phone, and I shrug my shoulders.
“I guess so. I don’t look at her that way.” I don’t look up at my parents, but they both laugh.
“Liar,” my dad says and I look up at them both staring at me.
“She’s my best friend, and—” I stop and look over at her.
“I don’t want to ruin our friendship; she needs a friend at the moment.
I won’t risk losing her.” I’ll be honest, I've thought about asking her to be my girlfriend a few times now. She makes me smile every time I’m around her, and when she’s not, I hate it.
But I'm scared I’ll lose her as a friend.
“The right time will happen for you both. I don’t care what anyone says, she’s the right one for you.” Mom looks behind me and smiles. “Did you get in touch with your dad?”
“I did, the doctor is doing some tests, they said there’s nothing to worry about but would like to keep her for the night to be safe.” Olivia hands me my phone back, and leans in closer to me, and I wrap my arm around her. It’s natural to me.
“I hear we have a newbie to movie night,” Mason shouts, and I look over at my brothers and Lileah walking into the kitchen to grab their own trays. One Christmas mom and dad got us all personalized cinema trays which have space for popcorn and drinks.
“You can share with me,” I tell Olivia, and I grab my tray. “You’re going to love the cinema room.”
“What?” I laugh at her reply.
“I keep telling you to come in the house, but you won’t.” She always tells me she likes being in the treehouse, and is happy there, so I never push it.
Walking into the cinema room, I head to my seat in the back, then stare at Olivia looking around, and all I can do is smile at her. Grabbing the blanket, I sit down.
“Come on, move closer or you won’t get any of the blanket.” I tell, she smiles, shaking her head at me.