Don't Give Up On Me ✔

Chapter 13 ~ Hay-Hayden? H-Help

Hayden's POV

Today has been the absolute worst, and Beth still needs to talk to us when we get home. At least I have one of my friends back. I still consider Isla my friend, but I still need to talk to her. I feel for her. I was only friendless for a day, and it was hard. She's basically gone her entire high school life without friends, and once she made friends, two of them betrayed her.

It's about six o'clock when Nick and I made it home. Lucas is already sitting at the kitchen table with Beth. Beth looks miserable. She's not her happy bubbly self. She normally has her hair tied up in a neat ponytail. Her green eyes are normally shining with her huge smile that shows off her pink cheeks. Today, she seems desolate. Her green eyes are dull and there is no trace of a smile.

She wrings her hands in her lap. "Boys, I got some news from the state. They're forcing me to let two of you go." She starts crying. "I don't know what to do. I tried everything. I have a little bit of money that I can give y'all..."

I look at Nick and Lucas. Nick gives me a faint smile and nods at me. "Beth," I say. "Nick and I will move out. Please don't worry about us." Lucas looks at us hurt. When we were all friends, we had agreed that if for any reason one of us had to leave, we would all go together. Now that Lucas is no longer our friend, it would only make sense for Nick and me to leave since two of us had to go. Lucas now realizes that we were being serious about no longer being friends with him.

"Nick and Hayden let me give...." Beth says before my phone starts ringing and cuts her off.

"Who is it?" Nick asks. Even Lucas and Beth seem curious. The only people who ever call me are all sitting at the table with me.

I shrug and ignore the call. "I don't recognize the number."

Ten seconds after I had ignored it, it started ringing again with the same number. I ignore them once more, but they call again.

This time I answer it. Maybe it is someone trying to get a hold of me.

"Hello?"

I hear crying and a young girl's voice. "Hay-Hayden? H-Help" My eyes widen as they say my name. They know my name, but I don't have a clue who is calling me.

"W-who is this?"

"Hay-Hayden.... I tried calling Kai-Kaira and Lucas, but they d-didn't answer." I feel the blood drain from my body when I realize whose voice is on the other line.

I look up at Nick when I ask, "Is this Isabelle?" Nick's eyes widen as he knows something must be wrong. Lucas looks like he's about to come unglued from his seat.

"What's wrong Isabelle? Where's Isla? How did you get my number? Put Isla on the phone."

"I-I can't. I think Isla is hurt." She cries through the phone. "When we got home, Isla was already in her bedroom, but she won't come out. Isaac is trying to break the door down. Isla had programmed all of your phone numbers into our phones in case of an emergency. Please help. I'm scared."

"Okay, calm down Isabelle. Nick and I are on our way." I watch as Lucas balls his fist as I don't include him. "We'll be there in ten minutes." It's a twenty-minute drive, but we are going to get there in ten if I can do anything about it.

"Beth, I need the keys, Isla is in trouble. Nick and I need to go now."

"Why aren't y'all taking Lucas' car? Isn't he going with y'all?" I shake my head.

"You should ask him about that," I tell her and she hands me her keys.

Before she can even ask him a question, he is outside running to his car. "You better not be going over to Isla's. Haven't you already done enough to hurt her?" Nick yells at him.