Don't Give Up

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

                I was more than relieved when my father didn’t bother me for the rest of the day. Occasionally, I would catch him passing by the bathroom just to check up on me. I was starting to feel guilty about telling him off earlier in the morning, but a part of me was proud of myself for finally standing up to him, no matter how scared I actually was on the inside.

                When my father left for work after dinnertime that night, I decided to finally get out of my room and watch some TV in the living room. I thought I was going to stay home for the night in my pajamas with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, but just as I was about to put the bag of popcorn in the microwave, Hayden decided to call me.

                “Hayden?” I asked, as I placed the phone to my ear, pacing around in my kitchen.

                “Aerial? Are you busy tonight?” he asked.

                “I was going to just have a movie night by myself, but I’m free if you want to do something.” I said, picking up some empty cigar boxes on the couch. I frowned as I stared at the empty box. I knew my father was an alcoholic, but I also thought I knew he gave up smoking ages ago, when mom was still here.

                “Do you want to get dinner? There are some things we need to talk about.” Hayden said, making me shudder. Had Alex told Hayden about what happened last night?

                “Alright, I’ll get dressed.” I murmured, tossing the empty box of cigarettes in the trash basket.

                “My car’s getting a new paint job. Can you walk over to that old diner just a few blocks from your house?” Hayden asked.

                “Are you talking about the one we went to last time for pancakes?” I asked, frowning, as I began to toss out a thick sweater and jeans from my dresser.

                “That’s the one. Hurry, okay? I’m almost there.” Hayden said, as I wiggled myself into my skinny jeans.

                “I’ll try.” I mumbled, as the other line went blank.

                It took me ten minutes to walk to the diner, and from the glass windows, I could see Hayden waiting at one of the booths. As I entered the diner, a whiff of coffee and pancake batter filled of nose, making my stomach rumble.

               I approached Hayden, sliding into the red leather seat across from him. He gave me a small smile, making me frown. He didn’t look like his usual self today. He didn’t have that cheery aura around him.

                “Is something wrong?” I asked, giving him a worried look.

                Hayden sighed, raising an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”