Between the Cracks Read Online Free Page B

up?”
    “Four.”
    “That’s not bad.”
    She laughed, but then grew serious. “Have you heard anything?”
    “Nothing. But then that Trey guy said she was sleeping.”
    “Do you believe him?” Sarah asked softly.
    “I don’t know what to believe.”
    “I tried to call Tenley a few more times tonight. I’ve even emailed her with no re sponse. It’s not like her. She’s not a heavy sleeper and she has a lot of nightmares. I used to hear her, back before she and Hayden were a thing.”
    “Hear her? Like walking around her apartment in the middle of the night?”
    “She had night terrors or whatever you call them. She’d scream in her sleep. Sometimes it was so loud I could hear it from my apartment.”
    “Seriously?”
    “You didn’t know? Hayden didn’t tell you that?”
    I sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed my temple. I’d only had a couple of beers earlier, so that couldn’t be the reason for the sudden headache. Maybe it was lack of sleep and the stress of the situation. “This thing between them is way complicated. Hayden’s not into sharing, especially not his feelings. He keeps a lot of stuff to himself. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s going on with him. We’re going back to Trey’s tomorrow to try again. Whatever happens, I’ll call you.”
    We talked for a few more minutes but she was preoccupied and I was tired. Eventually she ended the call and I went back to bed, but I didn’t sleep much after that.
     
    Hayden woke up at five in the morning. Normally, I could sleep through anything. He must have had one hell of a dream, though, because he’d ended up on the floor between our beds, swearing like a champ.
    “You all right, man?” I asked, struggling to focus in the dim room.
    “I don’t—”
    He rubbed a circle over his pecs and looked down at his hand, eyes wide and haunted. I didn’t have to ask what that was about.
    “Yeah. I’m fine.”
    That was total bullshit. He picked himself up off the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. He stayed that way for a while, elbows resting on his knees with his head bowed. Eventually, he got up and disappeared into the bathroom. This time he was quick with the shower. I figured he’d want to get Tenley early so we could all head home.
    My own shower wasn’t that refreshing. Hayden hadn’t left much in the way of shampoo and the soap was gone. I hadn’t thought to call down to the front desk to ask for more, so I made do with what little there was.
    Fifteen minutes later, I came out of the bathroom to find Hayden dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed, foot bouncing on the floor.
    “Let’s go get my car.”
    I stood there, staring at his bowed head, trying to decide if I’d heard right. “I think you mean we should go get Tenley.”
    “No. I want to get out of here and get my car. Like I said before, if we go back to that house someone will call the police. I’ve never had a record and I don’t need one now.”
    “Calling the cops doesn’t mean you’ll end up with a record. We have to at least try.”
    “Tenley’s not answering her phone. Not for me. I know Sarah tried to call her because I heard you talking last night.” He stood up. “Trey’s right. She made a choice and I’m not it.”
    I thought he’d been asleep when I answered the call. Obviously, I’d been wrong. Arguing with him was pointless. When Hayden got an idea in his head, it was impossible to change his mind. I considered using Lisa or Sarah as leverage to get him to go back to Trey’s. It would cause more problems than it would solve, though. Hayden didn’t need any more guilt than he was already shouldering.
    “Okay. We’ll get your car and go home.”
     
    The first three hours of the drive were tense. Hayden hadn’t had much to say. We picked up his car from the impound lot without too much hassle, thankfully. Hayden was edgy and I didn’t want him to freak on anyone, so I did the talking. I didn’t feel good about him driving in his