The Boyfriend Deal(13)

"You told me yourself we were going to strike a deal. A temporary  arrangement to get Hunter to back off me and get your mom to forget  about military school. I think we've accomplished those things. You're  free to go your own way now."

I laced our fingers together. "I don't want to go my own way, Hadley. I  never did. I lied to you that day in the hall. You kissed me, and for  the first time in my life, I thought I might have a chance with you. But  when I pulled you out of class, I could tell by the look in your eyes  that you were going to shut me out. So I came up with that stupid deal.  Everything I've said and done in the last few days has been real,  Hadley. I really do have feelings for you."

"Tyler, I … "

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Probably not the smartest  move with her dad not six feet away, but I was determined to make her  see I wasn't lying, that I really did want her and only her.

Pulling away, I smiled down at her. "You're what I want, Hadley. For  real. You think I would ditch football practice and ruin my chances of  playing in tomorrow's game for just anyone? I should be in bed getting  ready to play tomorrow, but I already know I'm not leaving this hospital  until you do."

She sniffled. "Yes, you are. I know how important tomorrow's game is,  and I don't want to be responsible for our team losing because the  captain was a no-show."

"Hadley … "

She shook her head. "Listen to me, Tyler. I want you to play tomorrow.  Don't think about me lying here in the hospital. I want you to go and  play, and I want you to win-for me. Can you do that? Can you win the  game for me?"

My throat constricted and I nodded. She wasn't throwing me out, wasn't  telling me to never darken her door again, and I took that as a great  sign. I brushed my lips against hers again and told her goodnight, then  let myself out into the hall. Mr. Ryan followed me, and I wondered if I  was about to get a lecture on kissing his daughter.

"Hadley is right, Tyler. You need to be at that game tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. I'm just not sure how focused I'll be, knowing she's stuck in here."

"She's going to be fine now."

I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me, and it made my  stomach knot. Was there something wrong with Hadley that no one had  said? Was there more to the poisoning?

"She's going to be different when she goes back to school," Mr. Ryan  said. "I know she's already classified as something of a geek, but it's  going to get worse when she's cleared for classes."         

     



 

"Why?"

"I know she wouldn't want me to tell you, but her mother said the  Hemlock had already started to work on her by the time the ambulance  arrived. The doctors saved her life, but they weren't able to keep her  completely whole. It's affected her vision. Her mom told me Hadley kept  saying everything looked fuzzy and that she couldn't make out her  mother's face anymore. I don't know how she knew that was you sitting  beside her bed, maybe it was instinct, but I'm telling you right now,  there was no way she recognized your face. Because she couldn't see it."

"But she's going to be okay, right?"

Mr. Ryan nodded. "She'll need glasses. Maybe in six months or so, after  she's fully mended and adjusted to the changes in her life then she can  try contacts. If she wants to. I'm sure she'll feel pressured by her  peers at school to ditch the glasses as soon as possible. And don't  expect her at school until she has them. We're going to do whatever we  can to get a rush order put in. The hospital has an excellent vision  center, and I'm sure they'll work with us."

"Tell Hadley that I'm here for her, whatever she needs. I won't be able  to stop by tomorrow after school because of practice, and then I'll have  to focus on the game, but as soon as we win I'm heading straight here."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. She hasn't said much about your  relationship, and I think I can come to my own conclusions after your  discussion in the room just now, but know that she really does care  about you. Her mother and I have had several conversations about the two  of you, and I'll admit she's been worried. Hadley liked you for a  really long time, and her mother is worried you're going to break  Hadley's heart."

"I would never do anything to hurt, Hadley, sir. She's too important to me."

Mr. Ryan slapped me on the back and headed back into Hadley's room, and I  made my way to the elevator so I could go home, shower, and try to get  my head in the game for tomorrow.





Chapter Seven



Hadley



"So, want to tell me about this deal you made with Tyler?" Dad asked as he came back into the room and reclaimed his chair.

My cheeks warmed as I thought about confessing to my dad that I'd agreed  to fake date someone just to get rid of Hunter. One, it would be  admitting Hunter was a bigger problem than I'd let on and two, it made  me seem desperate that I couldn't get a date unless it was a pretend  one.

"It was just this stupid idea Tyler had. He knew Hunter was giving me  trouble, and Tyler's mom was threatening to send him to military school,  so he came up with the idea of us pretend dating. But if anything he  just said is true, then he hasn't been pretending."

"And how do you feel about that?"

I shrugged. Truthfully, I wasn't sure. Yes, dating Tyler had always been  a dream of mine, but if he wasn't pretending, if he really wanted me as  a girlfriend, then where did we go from here? It meant every  conversation we'd had, every kiss, had all been real. I'd been falling  for him all this time, and now it seemed my dreams really could come  true, but I wasn't sure I was ready for that just yet.

"He's coming back tomorrow night, after the game," Dad said.

"He should go to the after party with his friends."

Dad smiled. "Honey, I doubt he wants to go to a party without his girlfriend. He's worried about you."

"I'm going to be fine."

"You're going to live, but there are going to be some changes in your  life. I'm taking you downstairs tomorrow to have your eyes checked so we  can go ahead and order your glasses." He frowned. "You aren't lying  about how much you can still see, are you?"

Well, yeah. I kind of was. I had told him I couldn't see details, but  could still grasp the big picture. And while that was partially true, it  wasn't completely true. I could see the outline of a person and tell  their skin or hair color. I had an idea of who they were based off those  two things and their height, but until someone spoke I didn't know for  sure who was sitting beside me or who had walked into the room. I was  terrified that glasses wouldn't fix what was wrong with me. What if I  was considered legally blind? That no amount of surgeries would fix my  eyesight?

"Hads, you know that no matter what, your mother and I will always stand  beside you. And from what I've seen tonight, Tyler will too. You have  people who care about you and want to help, but you have to let us."         

     



 

"I know, Dad. I promise to try, but there's only so much you can do.  It's mostly going to be up to me to get up and carry on. You can't live  my life for me, and like you said, there are going to be some changes."

"One day at a time, kiddo."

I nodded, knowing he was right. There wasn't much else I could do at  this point. But what if I couldn't read music anymore? I knew how to  play by sound, but would future music teachers be willing to play a  piece for me so I could copy it? This was going to completely change my  future. I was scared, but I wasn't going to admit that to anyone. I  could tell Mom was barely hanging on, and I needed to be strong for her.  Dad seemed to be putting on a brave face, but I was sure this affected  him too. They'd gone from having a daughter who had no physical  imperfections to one who couldn't see.

I didn't want to talk to Dad anymore, so I closed my eyes and pretended  to sleep. It was really crappy of me, but I needed time to process  everything.

Eventually I fell asleep, and then spent most of the next day sleeping  as well. The hours crept by and I was eternally bored when I was awake.  It was hard to watch TV when I couldn't see it. And while I had a few  visitors, I wasn't feeling very cheerful or optimistic, so none of them  stayed long.

As night progressed, I wondered how Tyler's game was going. I was  supposed to be in the stands, cheering him on, and yet I was stuck in  this hospital bed. Mom had thought I would be released today, but after  the doctors checked out my eyes a little more, they'd decided to keep me  until morning. The news wasn't good. I could wear glasses, but even  with them I wouldn't have 20/20 vision anymore. The optic nerves in my  eyes were too damaged from the poison.

It was after eleven when Tyler entered the room, a vase of pink flowers  clutched in his hand. I could feel tension coming off him, even if I  couldn't see his face.