Playing Dr. Phil

A loud bang echoes throughout the house and the boy involuntarily flinches. The pencil in his hand stops moving. It sounds like one of the bedroom doors. His parents have been going at it for the past hour, forcing him to stay locked up in his room, somewhat safe from all of the drama. The passive and quiet arguments have undoubtedly evolved and escalated into livid screams and shouts.

He wouldn't be surprised to find broken vases and ceramic plates scattered about, all shattered into a million pieces just like them.

Even though he has his headphones plugged in, he can still hear his mother yelling as if her lungs are about to rupture at any given moment. No noise would be able to drown out her agonizing pain. A suffocating feeling swells inside his chest and it refuses to leave him alone. When did everything go down the drain?

They had been the picture-perfect family once.

Hayden retrieves his phone from the glove compartment and sends a text to Cecilia, telling her that he is outside. A couple of minutes later, there is a tap on the window. His head snaps upward and a smile drapes over his lips when his girlfriend opens the door and clambers inside. Before she settles into the passenger's seat, she advances towards him and pecks his mouth.

"How was your day?" she questions, securing the seatbelt over her body.

"It's been alright. Nothing new." He reaches his arm to the back and brings forth a bundle of scarlet-red roses. "These are for you," he announces.

Cecilia's face brightens up as she accepts the gift, the plastic wrapper crinkling in her grasp. Her nose is buried in the simple arrangement and she takes in a whiff, the floral scent invading her nostrils. Roses are her absolute favorite! "What's the occasion?"

"I wanted to apologize." Hayden begins meekly, unable to hold her gaze. "I'm sorry that I can't take you to homecoming." His voice is laced with guilt and Cecilia lowers the bouquet down onto her lap. It's her senior year and this will be her last high school homecoming ever.

Originally, the boy had wanted to make it a memorable night for her, but as you can see, that's practically impossible now. All he wants to do is give her everything she deserves and so much more.

The rest of the world can continue to orbit around him (as Charlie had kindly mentioned before), but to Hayden, none of that is significant. Cecilia Isles is the center of his universe, which means that nobody else matters to him. As long as he has her by his side, he would be okay.

She's the iridescent light guiding him through this dark and cold abyss.

The antidote that will cure this poisonous life of his.

The tiny amount of oxygen tending to the small, flickering flame within him that is ready to die out.

Charlie might not be able to empathize with him at the moment and he isn't going to force her to. He's certain that there will be a time where she, too, will be able to fathom the difficult decisions he's had to make so far, even if she cannot stand him right now. Once she meets that special somebody, who is capable of shaking her heart like no other, Charlie will realize what a wonderfully magnificent thing love can be.

Love is not always a smooth sailing through the ocean. There will be storms, and catastrophic waves (because let's face it, Mother Nature can be moody as hell), but if you keep trying, you will eventually see the rainbow.

At least, that's what Hayden believes.

It also depends on the will of the couple since everybody's different.

"It's fine, Hayden. I never liked going to those things anyways. Mal made me go our freshmen and sophomore years and both times were horrible!" Cecilia assures adamantly. "You don't have anything to worry about. I'll be studying that night. You could come and visit me after. Maybe we could catch a movie."

"But—" He is interrupted.

"It's not like you're going with Charlie because you actually want to. I was the one who suggested that you asked her in the first place, wasn't I?" She reminds with a tiny smile. Next, Cecilia takes his hand and places it on her cheek. His warm touch sends electricity shooting through her body as she nestles into his palm. "I missed you," she confesses shyly.

"I missed you, too," he reciprocates, his voice gentle.

"Is there something else bothering you?" she inquires. Her large, forest-green eyes cause butterflies to hatch in his lower abdomen.

He inches closer and attaches his lips to her forehead. "No, everything's fine."

And just like that, the problems that have been clouding his mind disappear into thin air, as though they don't exist at all.

* * *

The tension inside the car is so thick that some poor, unfortunate soul could literally choke on it. Hayden doesn't know what to say and decides it would be best if he waits for Charlie to go first. Currently, they are in the school's parking lot. It seems like his Toyota Highlander is the only place safe enough for them to converse freely.

It would have been incredibly bothersome for them to check over their shoulders every three seconds in case somebody is lurking about nearby.

It's lunchtime, which is why they are allowed outside at this hour without having to fret over any repercussions (not that Charlie cares). It's been exactly two days since Hayden's moronically audacious homecoming proposal and now that Charlie has calmed down, she is ready to talk to him like a civilized human being.

"You're more cunning and manipulative than I remembered," she remarks sourly as she keeps her eyes on the dashboard.

"You didn't give me a choice," he returns.

Charlie releases a single, sardonic chuckle. "But I did. I told you to go alone, didn't I?"

"And I told you that it would have been very questionable if I did." Hayden pivots his upper-body towards her and exhales. He has to choose his words carefully. He can tell that he's already treading on thin ice with the girl. One wrong move, and the frozen surface beneath his feet could crack and devour him whole. This is all figuratively speaking of course. Well, sort of.

"Listen, I know I haven't been the greatest friend lately,"—Charlie snorts obnoxiously, but he carries on, unfazed—"and whether you choose to believe it or not, I really am sorry for blindsiding you like that. In my defense, there was no other method I could have used to persuade you. You and I both know that once you've made your mind, there's no changing it. What was I supposed to do?"

That has to be rhetorical question, right?

"You were supposed to respect my decision!" she snaps angrily. Then, she whips her head in his direction in order to glare at him. "One more strike and this is game over for you, Knight. Don't push your luck. This is my last and final warning. You blow it, and you can kiss this fraudulent relationship goodbye forever."

The pent up frustration Hayden's been bottling inside is beginning to seep out. It has become too burdensome for him. Like everyone else, he has his own emotional baggage dragging him down and he definitely doesn't need Charlie adding more weight to the onerous load. Why is she making this matter more complicated than it has to be?

"I wouldn't have to sneak around behind your back if you would just do what I ask without protest," he counters.

His hostile tone sends Charlie over the edge. "You don't ask me to do anything. You command me to. There's a fucking difference! Don't try to play innocent either."

"I'm not trying to play innocent. You're the one who's being dramatic!" Hayden barks indignantly. "You agreed to help me, Charlie. But so far, you haven't done anything useful! All you do is scowl and scold me. What kind of fake girlfriend does that? At least I'm trying. I can't say the same about you." His breathing becomes short and labored while his body quakes with rage. He can't even recall the last time he had been this worked up.

"The kind that was brought into this load of cowshit against her will because some selfish prick doesn't know how to think about anybody else, but himself!" Charlie seethes. "Don't you dare try to make me into the villain, Knight! I owe you shit and you know that. I may have offered to help you and your girlfriend, but that doesn't give you have the right to do whatever the fuck you want! You don't own me." The door flies open and she jumps out, slamming it shut before storming off.

What a nice talk that turned out to be.

Hayden slaps the steering wheel and groans. He feels terrible, and recognizes that he unintentionally used Charlie as his verbal punching bag. He immediately hurls himself out of the vehicle and chases after her. "Please don't be mad at me," he croaks, planting himself in front of her.

"Are you asking me not to be mad, or are you ordering me not to be mad?" She growls.

"I'm ask—no begging. I'm begging you not to be mad at me." He specifies. "I didn't mean all that stuff I said back there. I was just upset and I guess I took it out on you."

"You had no right to do that," Charlie condemns.

"I know. I'm going to kick myself in the ass for the next week over it. Can't we forget about this?" he requests.

"No, we can't," she dejects. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're strung tighter than a damn celibate priest!"

Hayden yields to a moment of weakness. "Everything!" he shouts, throwing his arms into the air in defeat. "Everything is wrong with me! Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm having trouble because nothing's working out! My life is a frigging mess and it's a struggle trying to keep it together!" His gaze drops to the asphalt as he fights off the tears brimming in his eyes.

"I'm just trying to be happy," he whimpers brokenly. "Is that so wrong?"

To say she is stunned would be an understatement. Charlie has never seen him so scared and vulnerable before. Nobody has. Unknowingly, the girl softens. Something serious is going on. She can tell. "Do you..."

Does she want to walk along this path again?

Not quite.

However, it looks like Hayden is in dire need of some quality time with Dr. Phil. She has already listened to him purge his feelings once, what harm can the second time do? Yeah, she'll most certainly regret this later, but she'll manage. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, forget about it. Just pretend I didn't say anything. Let's get to class before we get detention." And without another word, Hayden embarks towards their fourth period.

Charlie remains rooted to the ground as she watches him leave.

There's no way she's going to forget about it.

Whatever it may be.

- - -

Author's Thoughts: Now we see why Hayden is so persistent and not reasonable! He may be the school's golden boy, but that doesn't mean his life is perfect. I'm actually liking his character a lot right now. Do you like the various sides of Hayden I showed in this chapter? And remember, Hayden and Cecilia still thinks that Charlie is into girls.

Do you also see the parallel between Hayden and Ethan about their problems? I'd like to dedicate this chapter to infinitized1004 for helping me with stuff about VT, and also to -greentealatte and inklet98 for commenting! Leave feedback and votes if you'd like :)