Come Back To Me

Chapter 15

Feeling lighter than I have in a long time, now that some of the weight has been lifted, Julia and I leave the bathroom in search of our dates. My goal tonight is to just have some carefree fun. We find the guys where we left them in the kitchen. More people have appeared and now it’s a little crowded. Brad, Trevor and Gavin are huddled near the fridge, and Julia pulls me towards them.

“Wow, where did everyone come from?” Julia asks them.

“You guys were gone a long time,” Trevor answers her.

“We had business to discuss,” Julia says, smiling at me, “you know, girly stuff. Anyway, I need a drink.”

“Girly stuff?” Gavin asks me with an amused smirk.

I just shrug, trying to play it cool.

“Hadley, where’s your drink?” Julia calls to me.

“Finished,” I say.

Brad reaches into the cooler and pulls out another bottle of the same stuff I had before, handing it to me.

“Here you go sweetness,” Brad says smoothly as I take it from him.

He gives me a flirtatious grin and I politely smile back at him.

“Thanks,” I say.

“Anytime,” Brad replies.

At that, I feel Gavin stand a little closer to me, and then I feel the weight of his arm around my shoulders. It’s a very obvious territorial gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Oh, is this one taken?” Brad asks Gavin, “Sorry man, I didn’t realize.”

Before Gavin or I can answer him, Julia cuts in.

“Um, she has a name Brad,” Julia scoffs, “you can’t refer to girls as this one or that one.”

She glances at me and I give her a grateful look. Her distraction works, or so I thought.

“I know her name very well actually,” Brad argues.

“Yeah? What is it?” she challenges.

“Hadley.”

He smiles proudly.

“You know it because I just said it,” Julia retorts.

“No, I know it well because Gavin talks about her all the time. I just didn’t realize that he worked up the courage to finally do something about it. If he didn’t, I was,” Brad says, giving Gavin a pointed look.

“You’re lucky bro, tonight I was going for it.”

“Geez, Brad, you’re such a pig sometimes!”

Julia punches him in the shoulder and he just laughs boisterously.

“Excuse me, can we not talk about me like I’m not standing right here?” I complain, now extremely uncomfortable with the direction this conversation has taken.

I frown in Brad’s direction.

“Oh, you were going to go for it tonight were ya?” Gavin finally speaks up, but his tone is light and teasing.

“Of course, she’s a lil’ hottie,” Brad says.

“Well, that ain’t happening,” Gavin, says as his arm tightens around me, until he almost has me in a headlock.

“No problem, I get it,” Brad assures him, putting his hands up in surrender.

“Hadley is not anyone’s to claim,” Julia says, trying a different tact, since her first attempt was a bust and just made it worse.

She walks over to me and pulls me out of Gavin’s arms and into her own.

“Except mine of course,” she giggles and kisses the side of my head playfully.

“Is that so?” Brad asks, looking at Gavin in question, then at me.

I step away from Julia and face them all.

“Let’s just get this straight right now. I am my own free person, and I don’t feel like listening to this anymore. Excuse me as I go…anywhere else,” I say and quickly head away from the kitchen and into the living room.

In my haste to get away, I’m not paying attention to where I’m going and collide into a broad chest.

“Hey Hadley,” Cole says, wrapping his arms around me for a hug.

Oh great!

“Hi Cole,” I say, pulling away from him.

“Glad I finally ran into you…literally,” he says.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“No problem. How’s your night going so far?” he asks.

“It’s okay.”

“Just okay? That doesn’t sound too good. How about we work on making it great?”

Cole puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into the living room. I see Aaiden, along with Ashley and Taylor hanging out near the stereo looking at music. I stop walking and Cole stops and looks at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Taylor,” I say, “I’d rather not get into it tonight.”

Ever since that night at Cole’s party when I punched her in the face, Taylor had miraculously stopped harassing me completely. It made me wish I had stood up to her years ago, but I never had the guts. But even though she no longer bothers me, I still try to avoid her as best I can, just in case she changes her mind.

“Relax Had, Taylor isn’t going to bug you anymore. Even I don’t mind her so much anymore, and I could hardly stand her before.”

“Really? What’s changed?”

“Ever since you punched her, and nobody stood up for her, she realized she needed to change her ways.”

“Why haven’t I heard of this change until now?”

“Because you’ve only just started going out after school hours again. Also, you avoid her like the plague.”

“And I’d like to keep it that way,” I say.

Cole rolls his eyes at me and tugs on my arm.

“Come on Had, just see for yourself.”

We join the small group and Taylor stops what she’s doing and looks at me.

“Hi Hadley,” she says cheerfully.

“Taylor,” I say stiffly.

I don’t believe her friendly act for one minute. She was nice to me once and I bought it, fool me once.

“Fun party huh?” she asks I just nod.

She looks to Cole for help, but he shakes his head in a ‘you’re on your own,’ kind of way.

“I like your outfit,” she tries again.

“Taylor, you can drop the act,” I say to her, “you don’t like me, I don’t like you. I appreciate the fact that you’ve finally decided to turn over a new leaf and leave me alone, so let’s just leave it at that.”

“But it’s not an act Hadley. I feel really bad for making your life miserable over the years, and I’d like to make up for it. I was a bully, and I know it. That’s not how I want to be remembered.”

She looks genuinely sorry, but she has before.

“Well it’s too bad you couldn’t realize that years ago,” I say.

“Better late than never,” Cole adds.

I shoot him a look.

“Please just give me a chance Hadley. I promise it’ll be different. I’m different. Someone made me realize how hateful I’ve been, and how ugly that is. I don’t want to be that person.”

“Who was so persuasive to convince you, Taylor Bennett, to be nice? I must meet this gifted person,” I snort.

She looks around nervously, and then she suddenly grabs my arm and starts pulling me away.

“Let go of me!” I growl at her.

“I just want to talk to you in private Hadley.”

We end up in an empty laundry room.

“What?” I snap.

“You want to know who convinced me?”

“Sure, but was it necessary for you to bring me in here?”

“Well, if I say it out loud, everyone will look at me like I’m bonkers.”

“Just spit it out then.”

“Reid,” she says simply. That sparks my attention.

“Reid what?” I hiss.

“Reid made me realize how terrible I’ve been.”

How? What? I’m confused and curious. She can’t mean what I think she means, can she?

“How Taylor? If that were true, you would have started being nice to me before he died, not after.”

“Well, that’s the thing. He didn’t tell me until after,” she whispers.

I think I see her cringe away from me expectantly.

“What do you mean…after?”

I know full well that just because he’s dead, doesn’t mean he can’t communicate, but he had told me that the only person he could communicate with…was me. I step closer to her, glaring hard. She steps backward until she’s against the washing machine.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” she whispers, “it happened a few weeks after Cole’s party when you hit me…I was Gavin’s place and…”

I put my hand up to stop her.

“Wait, you were at Gavin’s? Why?”

“Um…we went out a few times. He didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“It was only like…three times. Nothing ever happened between us. Every time I tried to make something happen, he got weird about it. I don’t think he actually liked me, I think he was using me as a distraction from what happened to Reid.”

“Nothing happened between you?” I clarify.

“You know, it’s surprising that with what I’ve just told you, that’s the part you’re more interested in.”

“Oh trust me, I’m interested in the other part too. So about Reid?”

“Anyway, I was in Gavin’s room, and Gavin had just left the room after my failed attempt to make out with him after a party we went to, and suddenly Reid was there. I didn’t know whether to run and scream or what…”

“Reid appeared in Gavin’s room?”

“Why don’t you seem more…shocked? I just told you that I thought I seen your boyfriend in ghost form.”

I take a deep breath and try to control the emotions that threaten to bubble up. Reid never told me that he was able to appear anywhere else, and in front of Taylor, of all people? Why does this make me feel almost…jealous? Like his visits should only be for me? I know that’s not the right way to feel, but I can’t help it.

“So, what did he say to you?”

“Really? You’re not going to call me crazy and laugh at me?”

“Let’s just say that you’re not the only one that weird things have happened to.”

“You saw him too?”

I instantly regret saying anything to Taylor, of all people.

“What did he say Taylor?” I say more forcefully, ignoring her question.

“He said he was surprised to see me there, but that he’d take the opportunity to talk to me about a few things. I was like…you are surprised to see me?”

She laughs nervously and I make a get on with it signal.

“Anyway, he said that he knew about what happened at the party. He said that he knew what I had said to you about him, and that I was very wrong. I asked him how, and he just told me that he could be anywhere he wanted to be. He told me that I needed to start being a better person, not only for your sake, but mine too. He told me that although I was beautiful on the outside, nobody would see past that because I was such a bully, and if I changed, my life would be a lot happier. I didn’t know if it was a threat or what, but it worked.”

Even after death, Reid still has my back.

“And you could never figure all of that out on your own? I never understood why you chose to torture me; I never did anything to deserve your wrath.”

“I was jealous Hadley. Jealous because you’re smarter, jealous because you’re pretty, jealous because somebody like Reid was so devoted to you. I wanted that, and I still do.”

“Well Taylor, one, I work really hard to keep my grades where they are, it’s not easy. Two, you are beautiful; I’ve always thought so. Guys practically worship the ground you walk on. Three, to tell you the truth, I never understood why Reid chose me either. I thought for sure he’d go for you.”

“He saw something in you that he didn’t see in me Hadley. He saw a nice girl with a kind heart. If I want to find somebody to treat me like that, then I need to quit acting like a spoiled little b***h. I’m sorry I was so terrible towards you. I completely deserved that punch in the face, and it’s not going to happen anymore, I promise.”

“Wow Taylor, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d admit that.”

I hate to admit that I actually believe her right now. I have no reason not to, since she can’t possibly be making up the part about seeing Reid. I never told anyone, besides Julia, which was only a little while ago, so there’s no way this could be a trick.

“Hadley, I’d like it if we could spend some time together, and maybe we could become friends. I just finished telling you that I think I seen a ghost and you didn’t laugh in my face and run out the door to tell everyone what whack job I am.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you Taylor.”

Because the same thing is happening to me, and that is the exact reaction I would expect if I told someone, besides Julia of course.

“I know, which is why I need to start finding friends more like you. The girls I usually hang out with aren’t so understanding.”

Her eyes are pleading, and I feel kind of sorry for her.

“I don’t know…”

This girl had tortured me for so long, it’s kind of hard to just forget. But I suppose I should forgive, because I know that obviously that is what Reid would want, and if I really think about it, I’d love to be done with this Taylor feud. I don’t want to carry this around forever.

“Please, Hadley?” she asks again.

This night just continues to get more and more interesting, and by interesting, I mean complicated.

“Okay Taylor, I’m going to give you the benefit of a doubt this time. I’d like to put this behind us as well,” I tell her.

Taking me off guard, Taylor wraps her arms around me and gives me a hug.

“Thanks Hadley,” she whispers.

I awkwardly pat her back and pull away.

“Yeah well, I wouldn’t be as nice as you thought if I didn’t forgive you right?”

She giggles and nods at me.

“You’re a lot more forgiving than I’d have been. So let’s say we go back out there, have a drink, and never tell anyone about my little ghost story?”

“Trust me, I won’t mention it.”

Although now, I’m tempted to ask Gavin if Reid has been visiting him all along too, however, I don’t think that would be a good idea. If I’m going to ask anyone about it, it’ll be Reid.

I don’t understand why he’d tell me that he could only appear in my room when he could show up in Gavin’s as well. Why wouldn’t he just tell me the truth? Was it a one-time thing? And if it were, why would he waste his appearance on Taylor instead of talking to Gavin? I also can’t help the hint of jealousy, or maybe it’s betrayal that I feel, that Gavin and Taylor dated, even if it was brief and nothing happened. I know I don’t have the right, but back then, she was still my enemy and he knew that.

Taylor opens the door to the laundry room, and then she locks arms with me. I find the action to be a little overkill, but I decide not to protest. I promised myself I’d have fun tonight, so if being friends with Taylor will help my night get better, so be it. We re-join our friends in the living room, and Cole looks surprised by the new scenario.

“Seems like you two got some things sorted out in the ten minutes you were gone,” Cole says.

“We’re all good now,” Taylor says happily.

Cole looks to me for confirmation.

“Surprise, it’s true,” I smile.

“Well, all right then. I’m going to go grab some celebratory shots,” he announces and disappears into the kitchen.