Chapter 3: Bonding

The car ride was going great, until he started a conversation.

"Hayden?"

"What?" I hoped he could tell I was annoyed.

"Um, about this morning,"

"What about this morning?" I spat the words through my teeth remembering the how the pain hurt more than usual.

"I really am sorry. I hope you know I didn't do it on purpose." Ha, like I would fall for that. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I narrowed my eyes and spoke.

"If you think I'm going to fall for that again, then you're sadly mistaken." I tried to keep my tone flat so I wouldn't yell, but he was pushing me. "I hate you." I muttered it under my breath hoping he wouldn't hear, I don't think he did.

"Well, I guess you have a right to be mad." He spoke so clam, it made me hate him even more. I couldn't stand it, I was trying to be the "better person" but that wasn't going to happen anymore.

"You guess? A right!" I had lost it. I wanted to stop the car to slap some sense into him. I was outraged. "Do you have any idea how much that hurt? If you don't stop I swear I'm going to kill you or something! So stop!" My face was red, and I had tightened my grip so hard it was starting to hurt my hands. I looked over at him; he had his hands in his head and was tense. I knew he was mad too, but what in the world should he be mad for? He should be feeling so sorry right now that he should do anything for me.

"You think I hurt you on purpose?" Yup, definitely mad, "Hayden you're out of your mind! Why don't you ever listen to me? I said I was sorry and I didn't mean it! What is your problem?" He was staring right at me, I felt his gaze growing deeper.

He was yelling, at me! Now, if I thought I had lost it before, I should see myself now. I had had enough. I pulled the car over and stopped it on the side of the road.

"'What is my problem? I'm out of my mind?' Why are you yelling at me? I'm not hurting you every day. I'm not keeping you from things like prom, dances, field trips, and work, now am I?"

Then we both started yelling at each other which was totally ridiculous. We fought for what seemed like hours, which were really only minutes. I couldn't even hear what I was saying, but I was having fun getting my anger out. I couldn't even hear what he was saying, we were yelling at the same time.

Then I heard something and so did he. It came from outside. It sounded like a growl, almost exactly what I had heard last night, now I really got scared. We both stopped and stared at each other with frightened faces. My eyes widened. Then, something pushed the truck, the truck shook.

"Hayden! Start the car!" He was shaking my shoulder in panic.

I couldn't move I was too scared. Something shook the car again, this time the car almost tipped over. His hands flashed in front of me, they turned on the engine and took the steering wheel, but we weren't going anywhere. I realized my foot wasn't on the gas pedal. As hard as I could I stomped on the pedal and took the steering wheel. He let go after I had a good grip. He looked behind us.

"What was that?!" My voice cracked.

"I don't know, but I can't see anything." I was unaware of where we were going again.

"Um, where do you live again?" I tried to keep my voice under control. I didn't want to start hyperventilating.

"Turn right at the next street." His voice was in panic too.

I couldn't answer so I just nodded. I turned on the next street, and then he pointed to a long driveway and told me this was his house. He told me to just drop him off at the drive and then he thanked me and left.

All of this was just a blur. One moment silence, then fighting and yelling, then screaming, then silence, and now I was in the truck alone. I sat there dazed, who was that? Who could have been strong enough to almost tip my father's truck over?

I backed out on the stone driveway now I was on my way home. It only took me about five minutes, in this neighborhood everyone lives close together. I got out, and walked in the back door to our house. It leads right to the kitchen.

Then I saw my dad on one of the counter seats, he looked really mad. I just remembered that I should probably kill him right about now, but maybe later. He looked like he would be ready to throw a chair at me if I disturbed him. I half sprinted up to my room, and then I found that someone had been through my stuff.

I went over to my desk and found my computer was on, papers from my back pack were all over my desk and the floor, and my bed covers were on the floor. How strange, hmm, my mom was probably looking for something. I started to straighten out my papers and my bed, and then I heard my mom call my name. I went down stairs and she was smiling at me.

"Yeah mom?"

"You never told me how your car ride went with Marshall!" Oh no, who told her? Whoever did really wants me to die a slow death. Telling my mother is the worst thing you could do. Wait, who could have told her? The only one who knows is Dan and Marshall. My bet's on Marshall.

"How did you find out?"

"Your father." That was unexpected. She was way too happy to let my off of the subject now, but I tried.

"Oh, well sorry mom. I have a lot of homework and midterms are only, like, six weeks away. You know it's a fact that if you study six weeks away for something, you're almost guaranteed to ace it." I tried to sound urgent, but right when I passed her she grabbed my shoulder.

"Hayden, they're at least three months away. And since when do you study?" Crap, she caught me. Jeez, what happened to my lying skills? I'm never this bad at lying. But I guess the whole study thing was a deal breaker.

"What do you want to know?" I asked warily, she smiled.

"Everything!" She squealed.

What was I going to tell her? Let me see mom, first we didn't talk, then we were yelling at each other, and then a magic force or a person that I don't know tried to kill us while we were fighting, by tipping the car over. Yeah she would believe that.

"Nothing much, we didn't even talk to each other. Thank God for that." She looked disappointed.

Well what did she think would happen? That we suddenly found out that we have a lot in common, and we decided to not hate each other anymore, and now we're best friends forever? Like that would ever happen.

I was really in a sarcastic mood today.

"Oh, well maybe next time?"

"What?! Mom that was a onetime thing and I'm never going to drive him anywhere again!" Now I could go kill my dad. I walked away to where I last saw him. I saw someone sitting in the red couch that was him. I tapped on his shoulder and he turned to look at me.

"You know, I could just about kill you right now." He laughed. What was so funny about that?

"I told you that it could come in handy." Why was everyone so thrilled about me riding with Marshall? What is their problem?

"Dad, I don't like Marshall. And because of you I had to take him home and almost get killed. And you're laughing!" He didn't even give me a rational response.

When I had said almost killed his face turned into that angry tightened face I saw earlier. Then he shook his head and "smiled" it really looked like he was going to throw a chair at me now, but I wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh come now. I knew he would need a ride home and, well, he lives close to us. And you could like Marshall, if you actually tried." This was going nowhere.

I tried to make a dramatic exit by stomping off, but being me I tripped over the phone cord and landed on my face. He laughed. I got up quickly and ran up stairs.

When I got up stairs I saw that I had gotten a new e-mail. I looked to see who it was, it was Jess. I looked over her message, it was explaining that her brother was fine and that someone had wrong information. Pretty much everything I already knew.

I answered her back and said that I had the worst car ride in my entire life, I told her about the strange thing that almost, could have, would have killed us. She replied right away, telling me to meet her at her house.

So I left for her house. I thought about taking the truck, but I was too scared that it might fall over or something. So I just walked, I looked at every bush I passed, I looked at every car that passed, and I looked at every person that walked by.

When I finally reached her house, I saw her waiting on the front porch steps and when she saw me she waved and ran up to me.

"Are you serious? What do you think happened? Did he hurt you? Should I go to him right now and kill him? You know I will." She was flipping out.

"Jess, slow down. And he did hurt me, in the morning. Ugh, I can't believe he had to work where I worked! And I have no idea who or what pushed the truck. And yes if you would like you could go and kill Marshall right now. It would be greatly appreciated." She smiled. We both liked the idea of no more Marshall.

"Okay, so you said you heard a sound? Right before something tipped the car?"

"Yeah, it was like a growl."

"Really?" She seemed more interested than frightened.

So I told her about what happened when me and Karen walked home from her house and then I told her how work went and how the pain was worse, then last but not least, I told her how someone had been in my room, but I also said it was probably my mom. And then before I forgot I told her how my dad somehow knew that Marshall would need a car ride home.

She listened through the whole thing and did not say a word.

"Wow…Why do you think all these things are happening?" I was thankful she was taking this seriously.

I answered honestly, "I don't know."

She looked just as confused as I felt. Then she got up, "Hey, you want to join us for dinner?"

"I would love to." She gestured her hand towards the door, letting my in first.

I stepped in, I saw her living room hadn't changed last time I had seen it. Since she usually came over my house. The beige carpet, blue walls, and brown furniture all looked the same. I noticed that David, her older brother, was playing a video game with one of his friends. I think his name was John or something like that.

Then I smelled something I don't get to smell often. Home cooking that isn't burnt.

One thing I loved about Mrs. Darth was that ever since Mr. Darth died, she cooked all the time. She was a very good cook too. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a snack, she always made it at home. The only food she bought were cooking ingredients and or fruit and vegetables.

"Mom, Hayden's staying for dinner." Another thing I loved was she never had to ask to have a friend over.

"Oh, that would be great! We're having homemade soup." She smiled and walked over to the doorway. "Boys, dinner's ready." She yelled leaning into the wall, peeking her head out through the doorway. They came running into the dining room.