CHAPTER SIXTEEN
❝ in the hospital ❞

HAYDEN WOULDN'T ALLOW the doctor to kick Emmett from her room. The hospital would seem so lonely without him there; the sterile smell, the bright lights, every part of it would overwhelm her. The girl wasn't one for needles; all the poking and prodding would give her anxiety. And when she would try and turn her focus away from all of that, she would begin paying more attention to the sounds of coughing patients a few curtains down, or even the footsteps of the nurses in the hallway. A hospital was no place for Hayden Marris to be.

So anytime her doctor would recommend getting some rest and would request that Emmett leave the room, she would deny him, and tell the boy to stay. Soon enough, he had sighed, and left anyway. On his way out, he dimmed the lights so that Hayden could take a suggested nap. Emmett sits down on the black chair beside of her bed, taking her hand in his. "I called your parents from your phone, but neither of them answered. Do you want me to call again?"

"If I really mattered to them, they would've answered the first time," Hayden shakes her head, chuckling lightly. "As long as you're here, I'll be okay. I don't know why I can't leave yet‒ I feel completely fine. I'd rather be cuddled up in my bed, anyway."

"Because you have a concussion and that's not something to take kindly." He replies, tracing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "Mike is so lucky I wasn't able to get in another hit. I would've killed him. You have no idea how close I came to ripping his head off, Hayden."

"You aren't strong enough for that," Hayden rolls her eyes, trying to ignore the tingles that spread up her arm. "Besides, I don't understand why the two of you can't get along. I shouldn't have had to intervene. Tell me, Emmett, do you know the meaning of civilization?"

"I know the meaning, but I was defending myself and the people I love," he scoffs. "He put hands on you, Hayden, and sent you to the hospital. The last time I checked, that doesn't qualify as a friendly gesture. Not in my morals, at least. He's lucky Edward and Jasper got there before I could do anymore damage."

"It was a mistake in the first place, Mike would never‒" Hayden halts from her words, growing stiff for a short moment as she rethinks his previous words. "Wait, Emmett, did you just unintentionally say that you . . . that you love me?"

Her stomach rolled, her head feeling nauseous again. Perhaps she was overthinking this; he didn't actually love her, did he? Well, every person should love and care for their friend, right? But the Marris girl felt that there was more to it than what his words had described. There was a deep meaning beneath, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around them. Her heart swarmed with unbeknownst and familiar at the same time. Emmett could only falter in his movements, hesitating to say anything at all.

"Well, now that we're alone together, I guess it's now or never," Emmett rubs the back of his neck, releasing a long sigh. "What I was trying to say earlier, before everything happened with the phone call, is that I'm falling in love with you, Hayden. I can't say that I've ever felt something like this before, because you just seem to surprise me with something new every day. It may have only been a short couple weeks since you moved here, but I can't deny the facts. Distrust me and the things I say if you may, but just know that I'm genuine. I'd never lie to you, Hayden Marris. You're too pure to be lied to."

Hayden swallowed back her urge to cry, knowing only of the warmth in her blood. She realized that, after all of her time feeling lost, that she was home. Emmett was the place her heart had rested with, and where it longed to be when it was away. In the time that she had been endlessly thriving for the attention of her unready mother and father, she hadn't recognized that this, his touch and his words, were all that she needed to feel complete. And when she hadn't known him, that's the missing piece she had been searching for‒ not her parent's approval, or even friendship from the unlikeliest of people. The girl had only needed one thing, and now she had found it.

"I don't care what anyone else says about me," Emmett continues on, his hand moving to her face. "I'm not as heartless as I seem, because my heart beats just for you. You're the person I've hoped for every day of my life, and now that you're here, I sure as hell don't want to lose you."

The most improbable thing had happened to the teenager; the person she was obliviously falling for, had spilled his feelings. Emmett Cullen had gone soft, and poured his emotions out for her to see without a second thought. Then again, it would've happened eventually. But Hayden couldn't quite bring herself to reply. It took a moment before she recollected her thoughts, and spoke.

"You could never lose me," Hayden shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "You're not as bad as everyone says, Emmett. You're so much better than what they say."

"Only because you're here."

And then, as if fate was whispering into their ears at that very moment, they both leaned inevitably closer until their lips touched.

---

"Because of the damage done today, the doctor doesn't recommend that you go to school for the next couple days," Emmett tells Hayden, helping her into his Jeep. "And luckily for you, I've been suspended for three days, so you can just spend your time at my house. I'm sure Bella wouldn't mind missing a day or two either if it means getting to see you."

"I'll have to stop by the house and pick up some clothes," Hayden frowns, buckling herself up as he moves to the drivers side. "I can only imagine what my parents would say if they're home. I'm not ready for another one of their useless lectures. You'd think they would take a hint after a while, but they clearly have no idea how bad of a job they're doing with parenting."

"Esme and Carlisle wouldn't mind you moving in with us," Emmett winks flirtatiously, laughing as he starts the car. "Besides, I'm already ahead of you. As soon as you were admitted into the hospital, I sent Bella and Edward to your house to get some of your things. Bella was pacing too much and wanted to do anything she could to help, so I figured that was the best way to get her out of there."

"How on earth did they manage to get past the locked doors?" She raises an eyebrow. "Does Edward know how to pick locks or something?"

"No, I had to snatch your house keys from your backpack. I hope you don't mind, since it was for a good cause." He places one hand on the steering wheel, and takes her hand with the other. "I'd hate for you to go back there, they don't treat you right."

"I hope that one day they'll see what they're doing to me . . . " she trails off, laying her head back on the seat. "It's a long shot, but one can wish, right? I just don't know why they don't pay any attention to me. One minute their world revolved around me, and the next they forgot I existed. How is it even possible to forget about your own kid?"

"It's not your fault, you know," Emmett points out, his cold fingers intertwining with hers. "It could never be your fault. It takes a lot to ignore you, anyway, so I don't see how they do it so easily. It almost killed me to watch you at the table with Mike today. I thought he was gonna ask you to prom or something by the way he was looking at you."

"As if," the brunette snorts, before giggling at her own unladylike action. "Mike and I are just friends; nothing more. He knows that. And besides, he's going to prom with Jessica. I would know‒ he comes to me for advice every now and then. You'd think I was a licensed psychologist from the way people talk to me."

"And how would you diagnose me, O' Wise One?" Emmett tilts his head, his chocolate brown eyes peeking over at her.

"I'd say you're OCD, from what I can tell with your room and handwriting," she hums, tapping her chin as if she were thinking a little too deeply. "And, if I had a degree, of course‒ I'd probably say that you have an . . . obsession or infatuation with being flamboyant. In simple terms, I think you're highly attention-seeking and you should see a professional about your habit immediately."

"You and everyone in my family!" He guffaws, laughing for a short second. "They all love you, by the way. Jasper has this weird thing where he likes to be around you because of your mood; he said it's contagious when you smile. And Alice‒ of course she does. That peanut hasn't quit talking about you since you left, and asking when you'll be over again."

"I'm glad I made a good first impression," Hayden smiles. "According to what you said earlier, I think I'm gonna be spending a lot more of my time with you and your family than I intended when I first met you."

"If only you had known what you were getting yourself into, Hayden Marris."

"If only," she glances out the window. But now that she was thinking about it, the girl wasn't really sure where she'd be if she hadn't commented on Emmett's handwriting that first day of school.

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