Chapter ThirtyNine-"Mean With Ice Cream"

                                    

                                          
 "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY GIRLFRIEND!?" Hayden roared. His face was red with anger and his blue eyes held tsunamis, but I couldn't stop laughing with Dastan and Jem after splashing around in the once-innocent pond. I was chattering my teeth off from being cold, but my body was quaking from laughter so much that it made up for it. It was only when Hayden let go of my hand and stood between me and Dastan that my amusement died. 
                          
I had no time to say anything before Hayden seized Dastan's shirt and threw him to the ground. When Dastan should've hit the ground, he had repositioned and swiped Hayden off his feet. Oh no. 
                          
 Hayden recovered swiftly and pinned Dastan. Dastan used his agility once more to flip positions and then soon Hayden's strength was used to pin him back again. They kept doing that, over and over, until I finally pulled them apart before they could lay any real punches on each other. I separated them and Dastan sat on the ground with his hair messed up completely, while I looked down at Hayden.  
                          
 "What's your problem?" I asked Hayden, putting my hands on my hips and feeling my wet clothes hug my skin. I extended my hand to him as he looked into the distance with his jaw tensed.  
                          
 "Forget it..." he muttered with his face softening. He took off his leather jacket and threw it over my shoulders, knowing that I was cold. He grabbed my hand and locked our fingers, but when he started to walk, I turned back to Dastan who still sat on the ground like a child, pulling out pieces of grass. 
                          
 "Can you take care of Jem? I meant to ask you before—"
                          
 "It's fine," he interrupted with a sad voice. I so badly wanted to ask him what had suddenly deflated him, but I wasn't dumb. He (and Jem) and I were having a moment that was abruptly taken away and tarnished minutes after he professed his feelings for me. I didn't even get to really give him a response because we were interrupted with Sebastian's call and a Jem-assisted prank.
                          
 "I GET TO GO WITH DASTAN!? THAT'S SO COOL!" Jem yelled. I felt Hayden squeeze my hand just before I let go of his. Dastan eyes noticed the break in affection almost immediately. Jem looked down to Dastan after skipping over and extended his hand to pull him up. "Isn't that cool? We get to hang out without my sister!"
                          
 Dastan grabbed his hand to have help in standing up.
                          
 "Yeah. It's awesome," Dastan said with a light smile as he flipped his hair into place while ruffling Jem's. 
                          
 "Come on," Hayden whispered before starting to wrap me around the waist and pulling me off. Suddenly that was uncomfortable to me too. I heard Jem start rambling off to Dastan about Sarah or riding his motorcycle. I turned back and Dastan was starting to walk in the opposite direction with Jem, but he glanced over his shoulder to me and all the youth from earlier vanished as he gave me a pained look. Maybe he did like me too much and hated me being with Hayden.
                          
 ***
                          
 I walked out of Hayden's bathroom, in new clothes (his hoodie and his long, gym shorts) and saw him relaxed on his bed. I ran a hand through my wet hair and walked over to his bed. He looked up at me and positioned himself to where I could lay peacefully in his arms. So I accepted the invitation and curled up next to him, wanting as much of his warmth as possible. That was the initial reason why I was even at his apartment which was extremely close to Central Park. 
                          
 "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," he whispered against my head. 
                          
 "It's fine," I sighed, closing my eyes because I didn't want to argue right now no matter how not fine I really felt about it on principle. I felt my nose press against his chest and he smelled really good. But I felt him stiffen.