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I reached for her hand again, and this time she didn't pull it away. Her eyes welled up with tears and her hands were shaking as she opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it again without saying a word. She kept looking around her, almost like she expected to find somebody standing there watching her, and she curled her arms into herself protectively, holding them close to her body like she'd done last night at the bonfire.
The way she was standing there made me think she was scared of something. Or maybe somebody. It struck a nerve and ignited a protective instinct in my gut.
“Hailey, what's going on?” I asked, stepping closer and fighting the urge to wrap my arms around her, knowing that wouldn't go over very well.
She stepped back and pushed the sleeves of her sweatshirt up a bit, an
d that's when I saw the bruise on her wrist. Like someone had grabbed her too hard and restrained her. She caught me staring and pulled the sleeve back down, covering it once more. Hiding away what was obviously causing her a lot of emotional pain.
“Did someone do that to you?” I asked her, motioning toward her wrist. I felt a vein in my temple begin to throb.
She looked away, not answering. Her jaw was clenched and there was a strained tension in the air between us. She looked like she just wanted to run away. She looked so scared and so lost in that moment and I wanted nothing more than to comfort her – and throttle whoever it was who'd hurt her.
“Who did that to you, Hailey?”
My blood was boiling. Someone had hurt her, and regardless of who it was, that wasn't okay in my book. You didn't hurt women. “No one,” she muttered, turning away from me. “I really have to go.”
She bolted away, but I followed her, keeping up with her stride for stride. She refused to look at or even acknowledge me, but I walked beside her the entire time. “Hailey, someone obviously hurt you,” I said. “Will you talk to me, please?”
“There's nothing to talk about,” she said, a single tear falling down her cheek. “Just leave me alone, Quinn. And tell your brothers to leave me alone too, okay? I just want to be left alone.”
“I won't do that,” I said. “I won't just walk away,” I said. “Not when someone's hurting you, Hailey. I can't just pretend I didn't see it. I won't.”
She shook her head and stopped abruptly, which made me almost stumble. I looked up and saw that we were standing outside a two-story brick home – her parent's house. Both of their cars were out front, meaning they were home. Through the front windows overlooking the yard, I saw her mother moving around inside and awkwardly felt like a teenager doing something wrong all over again. Hailey reached for the gate, but I put my hand over hers and stopped her.
“Don't you get it, Quinn? No one is hurting me. Not anymore at least,” she said, wiping her nose. “And that's why I can't get involved with anyone or be part of whatever game you have going on with your brothers. I just can't handle being hurt again.”
“Hey,” I said softly. “I'm not going to hurt you, Hailey.”
“Yeah, that's what they all say. And I'm sure they even mean it,” she said. “Doesn't keep them from doing it though.”
She looked at me as she gripped the gate tightly before slinging it open. Stepping into her yard, she slammed it shut again behind her and without turning to look at me, ran up the stairs to her front door.
I fought with the gate, which was stuck, as she went inside. I called out to her, one last time, before the door closed behind her. If she'd heard me, she ignored me. Not even a glance back at me. I stood there for a moment feeling absolutely awful and completely powerless to do anything about it.
CHAPTER TEN - CASON
“Wait, so you think someone is abusing her? Who?” I asked as I got ready to pick Hailey up for our dinner date.
Quinn told me everything that happened earlier – including the part where she said to leave her alone. All of us. Not like I was going to let that bother me – for all I knew, it could be Quinn trying to pull one over on me to keep me from seeing her. It's not like it would have been the first time he'd tried to get over on me.
I straightened my tie and looked in the mirror, making sure it was perfect as Quinn paced my bedroom behind me. I could tell there really was something bothering him. He was a little more agitated than usual. Whatever had happened with Hailey had rattled him.
But, I was determined to not let it bother me. I was determined to see Hailey.
“I don't know,” Quinn said. “She was really upset though. And I don't know if it's a good idea if you – or any of us – try to see her. She was pretty clear about wanting to be left alone.”
Bennett was standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb, eating a leftover BBQ pork sandwich, listening to us with curiosity. Quinn went on about the bruises on her wrist for another couple of minutes.
“It's not like we know much about her,” Bennett said around a mouthful of sandwich. “Maybe she's got a boyfriend already that we don't know about.”
“Here in Black Oak?” I asked. “You can't believe that. We'd have heard about it.”
“Maybe he's not from around here,” Bennett said. “Maybe he lives a town over or something.”
“And if she does have a boyfriend already, he's an abusive prick,” Quinn said.
He paced the room, his fists balled up, and his jaw clenched tightly. From one side of the room to the other. Back and forth. Back and forth. His agitation seeming to grow with each step he took.
