CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
❝ charming ❞

     WITHIN THE NEXT two weeks, Hayden Marris hadn't once been in contact with Mike Newton, or any of her first-day-of-school-friends for that matter. Instead, Emmett had been cautious of every single move she made, and was sure to be beside her at all possible times. It wasn't that he felt she would make a bad decision; it was as if his unbeating heart wouldn't allow him to let the girl roam by herself. Mike's mistake may not have been intentional, but that didn't mean he couldn't slip up again. During those two weeks, the Marris girl had managed to gain a bond even closer to the Cullens and Paul Lahote.

Paul had seen her on the weekends, suggesting that they do something fun like swim at La Push, go bowling, see a movie, or anything, really. Hayden enjoyed having his company, and sometimes Jacob would even tag along with them. With her mind preoccupied, she didn't have to worry about her mother's yells after she arrived home from school. Lately, her parents had grown angry with her sudden disappearances with her friends, of which they had somehow missed her explanation notes on the fridge with her whereabouts. On those nights, the brunette would leave the house in wracked sobs, calling for one of her friends to come and get her.

"Hayden, where were you?" Her mother had demanded one afternoon, not giving her daughter a chance to lay down her school bag. "You had us worried sick the whole time you were gone last night!"

"Mom, I left a note on the refrigerator," Hayden had furrowed her brows, sinking onto one of the kitchen barstools as her father made an entrance. "I called you, but you didn't answer. I had no other choice but to stay the night with Bella‒ I banged on the door for at least ten minutes."

"I think you should stop seeing that boy," Amberley had sighed, running a hand down her aging face. "If he's keeping you out too late, we can't keep an eye out for you. And that fight at school‒"

"‒ wasn't his fault." Hayden finished. "Might I remind you that neither one of you answered your phones while I was in the hospital, or even showed a sliver of concern as I stayed at the Cullen house for a week. Listen, Mom, Dad, I understand completely that the two of you have jobs. You provide for me, yes, and I can't thank you enough for that. But would it hurt you so badly to sit down and have a conversation with me about how things are going? I don't even know what the two of you work on, for goodness' sake."

"Things are complicated, and we expect for you to accept that we can't be here constantly," her father stressed. "But as a child, you shouldn't be questioning our love for you just because our work requires a hefty amount of attention. Your‒ your actions are disappointing us, Hayden. Is this your way of acting out?"

"I'm not a child!" Hayden had cried out. "You just don't understand‒ you don't listen to me!"

"There isn't always a time to listen!" Amberley had thrown her hands up, her temper rising with them. "We have to have a way to take care of you, don't we? We can't get money by just lying around all day, we have to get up and work for it!"

Hayden had flinched in that moment, her tear-filled eyes trained on the blurry figure that was her mother. With one last glance at her parents, she had wiped at her eyes, then spoken softly, "then maybe it's best that I don't stay here."

And then she had made her way up to her room, not expecting to get another response from them. They say quietly as their daughter departed, sharing only a momentary look before settling down in their own bedroom. Perhaps Hayden only needed time, they thought. Maybe this was a phase she was going through; but it wasn't.

And they would need to figure that out for themselves.

---

"‒so I couldn't just leave him there!" Alice groans, placing her head in her hands. "Emmett, why don't you get it? I was being nice, you should try it out sometime."

"I'm just saying that if I saw a wild kitten outside, I'm not gonna chase after it!" Emmett retorts, shaking his head as Hayden giggles beside him. "Those things are vicious creatures that want nothing more than a to rip someone's skin off. I'm not risking my face getting slashed up, it's my best feature."

"Well, that "vicious creature" is at the animal shelter right now, and he's as calm as can be," the pixie hums, satisfied that she had taken advantage of the situation. "I solved the problem, and possibly got him a new home because I risked my vanity. Selflessness can be great sometimes."

"Speaking of being selfless, you should come over tonight for my sake." Emmett states, looking to the brunette. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you there. Do you see how my family treats me?"

It had been exactly fifteen days since the mishap between Mike and Emmett, and the scar on Hayden's face hadn't exactly gone away. It wasn't all that noticeable, but Hayden couldn't help but let her eyes wander to it every time she looked in the mirror. Emmett, however, didn't see the difference. Her beauty was never changing, no matter what kind of scars appeared on her body. However, that didn't mean Emmett hated Mike with every ounce of his being.

The two were sitting side-by-side at the cafeteria table, along with the other Cullens. Across the table, Bella and Edward kept sneaking glances at Mike; the boy still had a bruise on his jaw, and looked utterly miserable. But from what Edward read, he knew that the misery didn't come from the damage on his own face, but from Hayden's pain that he kept replaying in his mind. He had yet to speak with the Marris girl, as there was at least one Cullen, or Bella, with her at all times. He never had the opportunity to express his apology, despite how much his heart told him to. The boy couldn't face her; what if she hated him now?

"I'm not so sure that my parents would support my decision to come over again," Hayden sighs, "let alone to stay the night. They've been quite . . . irritable from my disappearances lately, so I think I'll sit this one out. I'm going to try and talk to them tonight."

"Call me if you need me," Emmett tells her, intertwining his fingers with hers. "No matter what time it is. You know I hate it when they make you cry."

"Maybe I'm just too emotional," she shrugs, laying her head on his shoulder, before looking to Jasper, Rosalie, and Joseph. "Do I seem dramatic to you guys?"

"No," Alice and Rosalie reply, just as Joseph had said, "sometimes". Joseph chuckles at Hayden's expression. "I'm kidding, darling. You have every right to be upset, but I think you're taking a great step forward by trying to solve the problems."

"Have I ever told you that I love your accent?" Hayden raises an eyebrow. "Where are you from, anyway?"

"Rome," he replies smoothly, tossing an arm around Rosalie. "It makes quite an impression. Isn't that right, love?"

Rosalie smiles at him‒ an utterly beautiful smile that Hayden fawns over. Rosalie's teeth are perfectly straight and white, and the smile lights up her face, and the whole room around them. Why couldn't Hayden have those angelic features?

"You have no idea how beautiful you are," Emmett leans over to whisper in her ear. Hayden looks over at him, blushing at how he had noticed her admiring eyes. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

Emmett places a chaste kiss on her forehead, before pulling her into his arms. Neither of them knew what was becoming of their relationship‒ or even what their official status was. But they were both happy, and it was obvious to everyone that something would happen between them eventually. And after their first kiss in the hospital room, they had grown impossibly closer. Even though they hadn't kissed again, they inevitably would soon. Each of them thought about it with every passing second, and would glance at one another's lips every now and then‒ being sent back to that moment two weeks ago.

"We're playing baseball after school tomorrow," Jasper says, shooting Hayden a slight smile. "Do you think it's possible I could convince your parents to let you go? I can be quite charming when I want to."

"It's basically winter, you crazies!" Hayden furrows her eyebrows, leaning into Emmett's side. "Are you really playing sports in this weather?"

"The cold is nothing," Jasper concludes. "So would you be interested?"

"Of course."

"Then make sure you wrap up tight for school tomorrow," he says with his thick accent, pleased with her response. "I'll drive you home tonight to ask them then, and Emmett can get you in the morning."

"But why can't I ask them?" Emmett glares.

"Because I'm clearly more charming than you‒ just look at Hayden! She's blushing right now."

"Hayden!" Emmett sounds offended.

"I can't help it, he smiled at me and it made me flustered," She defends herself in a mutter. As the raven-haired boy pouts, she reaches up to kiss his cheek in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry, you're the only one for me, Em."

And then, as if Hayden had flipped a switch, he wasn't frowning anymore; and a smile graced his perfect features. That's when Hayden genuinely blushed.

_______