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Dedication: BeatingHeartsBaby for the awesome cover on the side. Thank you!

Also, thank you eleven-eleven for the song recommendation. :) <3

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Colin's P.O.V:

If Lindsay  Lohan can make it through fourteen days in jail, Hayley can get through today.

Except she was like a ticking time bomb.  Walking on egg shells. About to have a break down. I was scared to even go near her. She effectively gained everyone's attention when she threatened to put her grandfather in the ground, next to his very recently deceased wife.

Not very smooth on her part.

Why I was even here, I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking, but if I push the right buttons, I might be the only one to get her through this.

I shifted my weight onto my other foot and glanced down at the time. For twenty minutes, she had been sitting on the same park bench, rigid. Her lips were moving furiously, as if she was talking to someone. Praying, even. I would have thought she was a statue, if I couldn't see her lips moving furiously.

Her long, brunette hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, just taunting me to reach out and run my fingers through it. Her smooth, tanned skin contrasted perfectly with the black, tight dress that wrapped her body teasingly.

To say she looked amazing would be an understatement.

The guards were lingering around and I felt like one of them. I let my eyes sweep over the crowd of mourners. I felt almost disrespectful being here, not having known her grandmother and all. But if I could support Hayley, I was here and it was staying that way. Yes, this was out of character of me. Yes, I hated the fact I was acting like a soppy teenager, but I don't care. The feelings I have for this girl are unnatural and something I've never experienced before.

I just look at her and these stupid tingles shoot through my body and down into my toes. My palms get clammy and nerves bubble in my stomach. Never before has a girl made me nervous, except when I lost my 'V Card' in grade seven. That girl had been a psycho and had scarred me for life. But other then that, no, a girl had never had me nervous.

Until now.

As if sensing me thinking about her, she moved her head and her eyes connected with mine. A jolt ran through my body and I swallowed, tilting my head to the side. She stared at me blankly, her head tilted back, chin jutted forward. I remained staring back at her emotionlessly, awaiting for a response. We shared a heated stare down until the priest summoned everyone to sit down. She slowly stood, the movement stiff. She walked forward, eyes downcast. I maneuvered myself over to her and collapsed in an adjacent seat.

She swivelled her head towards me, a frown flittering across her face. "Why are you here?"

"For you."

She let out a breath of humourless laughter, running her fingers across her temples, as if she was trying to sooth her mind. "Okay."

I was the one frowning at her now. She turned from me, folding her arms across her chest, almost defensively. I sighed and reclined back, folding my ankles over each other, attempting to get comfortable on this sad excuse for a chair.

This was going to be interesting.

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The cool breeze washed over my body as I stood there, watching the casket be lowered into the ground. I shivered, involuntarily, rubbing my hands together. I hadn't been to all that many, but funerals always gave me the chills. I could hear Hayley's uneven breathing beside me, indicating she was pretty affected by this. I felt the need to comfort her, but I was unsure whether that would be a good idea. My eyes darted over to her, to see her hands trembling.

With a sigh, I reached out, interlacing my fingers with her. Her skin was cold and almost made me gasp at the touch. Surprisingly, her grip tightened around my hand, to the extent, her nails were biting into my flesh. I glanced at her, to see her rolling her lips into her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears. Pulling her towards me, I hugged her close, inhaling her smell. I felt her hiccup into my chest. I rubbed her back and pressed my lips to her head.

This actually felt nice.

Oh God, what am I becoming? This is not me.

Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to run away from her. Not to let her get too close, but my body refused to let me move an inch. She was way too vulnerable right now to play with her feelings like that.

Not today.

Definitely, not today.

I had been nervous through the entire time of us being seated. I was afraid Hayley was going to get up and make a scene, but she remained calm. Or, as calm as you could be on a day like this. She just sat there, completely void of emotion. I had been tempted to poke her, just to see if she reacted.

To see if she felt anything.

"Come on kids, it's time to get going." one of the guards said, clearing his throat and gesturing for us to move. "We're stopping by the supermarket as well, to get you guys something to eat and drink. Been a while since you have."

I hadn't even noticed. Now that I thought about it, my stomach was growling in hunger and my throat was drier than wood. I looked over at Hayley, who was still in the exact same position, making it evident she probably didn't comprehend the fact that someone was actually speaking to her. Reaching for her hand, I tugged her along with me. She didn't resist surprisingly. We piled into the car and I rested my head back, feeling drained. I don't know why, but just being there, it was like the life had been sucked out of me.

It had been so dark, brooding and just plain depressing. I know, funerals are like that, but Hayley... I don't even know how to write my thoughts right now. They were a mixed jumble. She just looked so lost and helpless.

The car bumped along slightly and once, my forehead smacked against the glass a bit roughly. I closed my eyes and tried to distract myself. It didn't take long before we were pulling up in an almost vacant parking lot.

"Behave guys. Don't make me put cuffs on you. How embarrassing would that be?" the guard asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

I just shrugged.

"I'm easy." Hayley muttered, surprising me again.

"That's what she said..." I trailed off automatically.

A flicker, almost non-existent, but a flicker of a smile danced across her lips, causing me to smirk. It made me feel good to make her feel good. If that even makes any sense. Gah, nothing about this girl makes sense.

Silently, we walked through the car park and into the supermarket. The air conditioner washed over me as I entered. I went straight for the fridge and grabbed some waters for us all, guards included. One of the guys gave me a grateful smile as I threw it at him. I turned, planning on passing Hayley hers, but she wasn't there. My stomach twisted automatically. I darted my eyes around, in attempt to find her. I saw someone disappear around the corner and picked up my pace, ignoring the fact I was ditching the guards. She was just grabbing a jar of nutella when some guy slapped her, hard, on the butt.

Immediately, my eyes narrowed and my hands clenched. He was obviously asking for a beat down. She jerked up and swung, clocking him in the jaw. I grinned instantly. That's my girl. Woah, wait. My girl? Since when was she? I shook my head and snapped myself back to the present.

"Ooh, feisty." one guy laughed, nudging his friend. "I like when they make things... hard."

I couldn't hear her reply, but the way their faces paled slightly, I could only imagine her colourful word choice of response. She turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving the two goof eyes goggling behind her.

It was then, my opportunity to join in the fun. I strolled up to them casually, my eyes roaming over the shelves, pretending to not notice them. I shoulder barged the one who hit her, roughly and he stumbled, grabbing one of the racks for support.

"What the hell man?" he hissed.

"Oh sorry. I didn't see you trash standing there."

"Excuse me?" the other guy scoffed. "Trash?"

"Yeah. That's right. I define anyone as trash who tries to assault a girl, just coming home from a funeral. What kind of sick bastards are you?"

"I-we-uh-didn't know man..." one muttered as the other one began saying something else along the same lines.

"Well. Now you do." I said, smiling sweetly, as if we were just having a casual conversation about the weather. "Let's make sure you listened."

Before they could make a move, my fist swung, socking one guy in the nose as my leg striked out, getting the other in the knee. Just what I'd like to call, two birds with one stone. That guy, toppled to the ground and the other one staggered backwards, blood pouring from his nose instantly. That made me feel pretty bad ass, I must admit,

"Don't touch a girl like that. Ever. And if I see you again, what I just did is going to see like a massage."

With that, I turned and calmly retreated. Just as I rounded the corner, one of the guards were rushing towards me, in complete panic mode. We actually bumped into each other, he was on such a mission.

"Calm down amigo," I laughed, actually steadying him. "Just here."

He frowned at me, letting out a puff of air. "Cuffs. I'm warning you."

"Warning notified. Chill."

I brushed past him and walked up to Hayley behind the counter. She turned, her eyes instantly going to my hands. She looked back up, realisation swimming in her eyes. She didn't anything, as she cocked her head to the side.

I just smiled at her. "Care to share that nutella?"

She bit her lip, staring at me for several moments.

"Excuse me - manager required in aisle one, I repeat, manager required at aisle one. There has been an... incident." a voice over the intercom announced.

Her eyes swiftly moved to the aisle we just were at before coming back to me. She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"I guess I owe you one."

I slung my arm around her shoulder as she rested her head on mine. I felt her sigh into me and it brought a smile to my face.

"Yeah. I guess you do."

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I couldn't help resist the weary sigh that escaped my lips, as the car came to a halt in front of Downright High. Although I had gone to a funeral, it had been refreshing to get out. I know I visit my family on the weekends, but the feeling of freedom I get when I do leave... it's indescribable.

This school really is like a prison.

I climbed out of the and stretched, feeling the bones in my back crack together. I walked, side by side with Hayley towards the entrance. We were just about there, when I felt her cold fingers wrap around my bicep. I paused, glancing down. I looked up, to see her softly biting her lip, her eyes cast downwards. I couldn't help stare, in a trance, at her soft, red lips that were so inviting.

"Thank you."

"For?" I questioned.

"Coming today."

My eyebrows shot up. Now that was another surprise. The urge to smirk was strong, but I didn't fight off the genuine smile that fought its way onto my face.

"Any time Hayley."

She nodded and let go. She brushed past me and walked in, me trailing behind her. I smirked to myself. I knew she would be grateful eventually. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, I did really enjoy spending time with her today. Just being with her, whatever the reason, was amazing.

I followed her to her dorm and she walked in, without a backwards glance. All I wanted to do was stay and comfort her further. But, I didn't want to push my luck.

"So..." I trailed off, running a hand through my wind-blown hair, leaning onto the door frame.

"So..." she repeated, not looking back at me. "Are you coming in or what?"

I quirked an eyebrow, rolling my tongue across my teeth. With a grin, I shouldered in and closed the door behind me. I watched her curiously, as she got to her knees and half her body disappeared underneath her bed.

She soon slithered back out, her hand clutched around a bottle of vodka. I let out a low whistle. How much did she have of that stuff? I know I can re-stock when I leave on the weekends, but she must have brought a whole bag full.

"Do you think that's wise, Hayley?" I found myself asking slowly.

"Yep."

Frowning, I watched her as she continued to pull out numerous shot glasses. She filled up six of them. I walked over and rested back on the edge of her bed. Holding my hand out, I waited for her to give me one as she downed her first.

She ignored my hand and took another. Then another. As she lifted up the fourth glass, I realised she wasn't splitting the six shots between us, she was going to skull each and every one of them.

"Hayley!"

By the fifth one, the vodka spilled down her chin and down the front of her dress. Her hair stuck to her chin as her eyes rolled back, making her look possessed. I fell forward, wrenching the glass from her grip.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I want to forget."

"This will not help you forget."

"Momentarily it will."

"Trust me, I completely understand what you're going through. I know you want to drown out your misery, but it's not worth it. Stop."

She fumbled to reach the other one and I grabbed her wrist firmly. "Hayley! Listen to me!"

"No!" she screamed, ripping her hand from mine. "No, no, no! I just want it to stop. All of it. Just... stop!"

She broke down, tears flowing down her face. She crumpled forward into a heap, crying the hardest I've ever witnessed someone. I gulped uneasily, rubbing the back of my neck. I had no idea, how to help her. My heart physically clenched in my chest as I wanted so desperately to help her. I just didn't know how.

Hastily, I grabbed the shot glasses and packed them away. I grabbed the vodka and went to the bathroom, to tip it out. As I was about to, I heard the door open and close.

"Um?"

I poked my head out, to see Imogen staring at Hayley with wide eyes. I turned my eyes to her also. She looked so lost, it was scary. She was actually sobbing, her whole body shaking and trembling with every breath she took.

"Melt down." I answered, making Imogen jump in alarm. "She just downed five vodka shots within a couple of minutes. She was aiming for six."

"Jesus."

Imogen came over to me and pried the bottle out of my hand. She took a swig for herself and I stared in amusement. She was such a good influence for Hayley.

"You get her into bed. I'll get a bucket. She might be sick."

I nodded, striding over to her. "Hayley, come on. Let's get you into bed."

I wrapped my arms her and she flopped back, looking dead. I lifted her easily, gently lowering her onto the bed. Her head lolled to the side. I laid the blanket on top of her and propped her up on her pillows, in case she vomited.

Imogen appeared beside me, placing a bucket in her hands. "I'll stay here with her if you want."

"Okay. I'll go get some water."

"I'll come with you. I know what food she likes. She'll be fine for a few minutes."

"Okay."

I opened the door and let Imogen out. I followed her down the hall, cracking my knuckles. She half turned to me. "Were you at the funeral?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I didn't think anyone else could go."

"Well, I may or may not have something on the deputy principle of this place."

"Nice."

We reached the vending machine and I bought a water, while Imogen went off, getting her own junk food. After getting all that was needed, we began our short trek back to the room. I entered and the water slipped from my hands, landing with a loud thud on the floor.

She was gone.

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