Love Heals All

by Addie McKenna

  “Have you ever had a girlfriend other than Autumn, and if so, why did you break up?” she asked.

  “Um, yeah. Her name was Lainey, and she cheated on me with my best friend. Twice,” he said.

  “Oh, um, sorry, Hayes. I didn’t know.”

  “Nah, it’s all right. If we hadn’t broken up, I wouldn’t have my beautiful girlfriend.” He smiled, pulling me in close. I smiled and kissed his cheek, then rested my head on his shoulder.

  He spun the bottle, and it landed on Nash. “Aw, man! I already know everything about you,” he said, frowning.

  “Just ask a question, you dork.” Nash smiled.

  “Dork means whale penis,” Bailey blurted randomly. We all burst out into laughter, crying and gasping for air.

  “How do you know this?” I asked her. But it came out more like a whisper because I was laughing so hard.

  “I don’t know,” she said, giggling.

  “Okay, let’s get back to the game,” Daniel said finally, wiping his eyes.

  “Mrs. Nashley, when’s the last time you cried?”

  “When, um, uh, can I tell Daniel?” he asked me quickly.

  “Tell Daniel what?” I looked at him, confused.

  “I’m just going to say it. The last time I cried was when Autumn locked herself in the bathroom,” Nash said, looking worried.

  “What? When did you lock yourself in the bathroom?” Daniel asked in astonishment.

  “Well, I guess it’s okay to tell Daniel,” I mumbled, and Daniel glared. “Yes, I locked myself in a bathroom—but no worries. It’s all good now.” I smiled at him.

  “Y’all are going to tell me more about this after the game,” Daniel warned. We nodded and started up again until it hit me.

  I turned to Nash. “Wait, you cried?”

  “Well, yeah. It was hard seeing my almost little sister in that much pain. It hurt.” He blushed.

  “Awww! Nashy! You’re so sweet!” I pinched his cheek.

  “Whatever, let’s just get back to the game.” He spun the bottle and it landed on Bailey again.

  “What are your top four biggest fears?”

  “Four?” She laughed in amusement.

  “Yes, four—now answer the question!”

  “Um, car crashes, my mom or sister dying, ghosts, and spiders,” she said, counting them on her fingers as she went.

  “Ghosts aren’t real, Bailey.” Nash giggled like a little schoolgirl.

  “Yes, they are! Watch them haunt you tonight!” she screamed at him.

  He started laughing. “Okay. Whatever you say!” he taunted.

  She huffed and spun the bottle. It landed on Daniel. She smiled.

  “Where would you want to live if you could move out of Canada?” she asked.

  “Anywhere you are.” He kissed her. We all awwed, and they blushed.

  He spun the bottle, and it landed on Hayes again.

  “What are your biggest fears?”

  He shrugged. “Losing Autumn, losing you guys, and oblivion,” he stated. I smiled and kissed his nose.

  “I promise you won’t lose me,” I told him.

  “Good. ’Cause I sure don’t wanna lose you.” He spun the bottle and guess what.

  It. Landed. On. Me.

  Crap.

  Who knows what he’s going to ask me!

  “Have you ever had a boyfriend, and if so, why did you break up?”

  Oh no. I looked at Hayes with pleading eyes, and he gave me a worried look. “How about a different question?” I asked uneasily. This one brought back too many unpleasant memories.

  “But you said we have to answer them, no matter what,” Nash said.

  “Fine. It was the beginning of seventh grade. He asked me out, and of course I said yes, because I had a huge crush on him. I didn’t have many friends in school. They only wanted me for fame and for Cam. We dated for about five months until he called it off for no reason. The next day I went to school, and the girls were saying I was a slut and stuff. He told everyone that I had paid him to have sex with me. Of course it was a lie. Then, after about a month, I found out that he only dated me as a dare and had gotten paid I don’t know how much money. He went behind my back, hooking up and dating numerous girls the entire time. He also abused me after about two months of dating. I didn’t tell anyone because he kept threatening me. The only one who knew was Cameron. That’s why I don’t let many people get really close to me.” A tear ran down my cheek.

  I quickly wiped it away. I didn’t even want to say his name because it still disgusts me. I still have nightmares. What he did was wrong, and no guy should ever do that to a girl.

  “Autumn, I’m sorry for asking that question,” Hayes said in a rush, worry in his eyes.

  “No, it’s fine. I had to tell someone other than Cam.” I smiled weakly.

  Hayes pulled me into his lap and hugged me. I hugged him back. He kissed my forehead.

  “I would never do that to you,” he whispered.

  “I know. That’s actually why I let you be my boyfriend.” I giggled. He gave me a quick peck on the lips and we looked back at everyone. They all had shocked faces except for Cam. He was still angry about it, though. He slapped the kid when I told him what happened. He would’ve done more, but I didn’t let him because he could’ve gotten suspended.

  “I’m so sorry, Auts,” Bailey said.

  “No, it’s really fine. I’ve gotten over him.” That’s not exactly the whole story. I mean, I’m over him and would never take him back, but I’m not over what he did to me. I can’t get over the scars he left me with and the pain he put me through, all for a bet.

  “What’s his name? I gotta kill him,” Nash said through gritted teeth. I guess he was angry.

  “Jonathan Mayberry,” I said, cringing as I said his name. Hayes rubbed my shoulder.

  “I have to kill him,” Nash stated.

  “I’ll help,” Hayes said.

  “Me, too,” Daniel answered.

  “No, guys, it’s fine. It’s in the past. Now, let’s watch a movie or something.” I yawned.

  “Is little A tired?” Bailey asked, smiling.

  I shook my head, even though that was a complete lie. I was dog-tired.

  “Sure. Come on, let’s just pop in a movie,” Hayes said, helping me up off the floor.

  “Y’all take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Nash told us, grabbing a pillow and blanket. Leaving us with only one pillow.

  “You sure?” I asked.

  “Totally,” he insisted.

  Hayes and I hopped into bed, his head lying fully on the pillow and mine lying half on the pillow and half on his shoulder.

  And in about five seconds, I was out like a light.

  Autumn

  I woke up to my alarm blaring at five a.m. Ugh, another day of traveling. We were going to Phoenix, Arizona, next. It was going to be a long day filled with yelling boys, music, and sleep. That sounded perfect.

  I got up, throwing pillows at everyone, but nobody budged except Bailey. She glared at me and then smiled.

  “Morning, love.” She yawned.

  “Morning, B.” I smiled, then left to go back to my room for my suitcase so I could pick out some comfy clothes. On my way out, though, I grabbed Cam’s floral Vans shirt—that would do for a start. In my room, I selected one of Hayes’s sweatshirts plus a pair of my plain black track shorts.

  I walked to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I threw my hair in a messy ponytail and put on my glasses. Looking in the mirror, I shrugged: good enough. Then I pulled on my clothes for the day.

  “Wanna help me wake them up?” I whispered to Bailey when I got back to the room where the guys were still sleeping.

  She smirked. “Duh.”

  We hopped onto the beds, jumping ba
ck and forth from one to the other. Hayes and Daniel groaned and gradually woke up. Then I went over to Nash and jumped on top of him.

  He chuckled. “Do you really think that hurt?”

  “Maybe? Hopefully?” I said.

  “Well, it didn’t. You’re like a cloud. You’re bouncy and have no weight to you,” he said, pulling me into his arms and cuddling me, but also sorta strangling me. Whichever you prefer.

  “What are you saying? You callin’ me fluffy?” I said playfully.

  “Shut up, you know what I mean.” He pushed me off the couch.

  I slapped him across the head and ran over to where Hayes was studying his phone, still in bed.

  “Whatcha doin’?” I asked, lying on top of him, my chin on his chest.

  “Looking at my beautiful girlfriend.” He laughed.

  “Well, thank you, kind sir.” I giggled and kissed his nose.

  “You missed,” he stated simply.

  “Hmm?” I asked, confused.

  “You. Missed.” Then he kissed me on the lips.

  “Ew, Grier, your breath stinks.” I scrunched up my face.

  “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet, Brown,” he defended.

  I giggled and laid my head on his chest, wrapping my arms around him. “Well, then, go brush them.”

  “I’d rather stay here,” he whispered.

  I hummed in agreement.

  Soon I made him get up because we were scheduled to leave in about fifteen minutes. I lay down and I guess I must have dozed off again, because when I woke back up, I was on one of the bunks in the tour bus.

  “How did I get here?” I said out loud.

  “You fell asleep, so I carried you.” I looked next to me and saw Hayes lying there, rubbing his eyes. I was guessing he was just waking up, too.

  “Thanks, Haas.” I kissed his cheek and climbed out of the bunk.

  I walked to the living room area and saw the others sitting around on the couches. I sat next to Cameron and Nash, and looked at the time on the TV box. It was nine thirty a.m. I laid my head on Nash’s shoulder and closed my eyes.

  “You must be really tired.” He laughed.

  “No, I’m not tired. What are you talking about?” I replied sarcastically.

  “Well, no need to get sassy,” Cameron replied.

  “I’m sassy twenty-three/seven,” I mumbled.

  “Twenty-three? Why not twenty-four?” Bart asked.

  “Snack breaks.” They all laughed.

  “Guys, she’s dead serious.” Bailey giggled.

  “You got that right. What are we watching?” I asked.

  “We’re watching Blue Crush!” Aly yelled, jumping onto my lap.

  I lifted my head off Nash’s shoulder and opened my eyes. I hugged her tiny little waist and kept my arms wrapped around her as she sat on me.

  “Whose choice?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Mine, duh.” Aly flipped her hair.

  “Good choice.” I smirked.

  “Thanks. I stole it from your DVD case.” She smiled.

  “You didn’t!” I said, feigning shock. Aly and I were the only ones who actually watched surfing movies by choice, since we were the only ones who surfed. We could watch them all day together. I have a lot of them, both old and new.

  “Oh, but I did!” She giggled. I smiled and turned my attention to the TV.

  “Ouch, reef.” Aly and I hissed simultaneously.

  “That’s gotta hurt.” I squinted my eyes, feeling the actor’s pain.

  “I wonder how much it actually hurts to hit that stuff,” Carter said—stupidly, might I add.

  “It’s called a reef, and yes, it hurts, a lot!” I sassed.

  “Jeez, have you ever hit one?” Bart asked.

  “I did once. It wasn’t as bad, but I still have a scar.” I lifted up Hayes’s sweatshirt and Cameron’s shirt to expose my stomach. “I body-slammed into a reef once in Venice. It hurt like crap. It ripped through my rash guard and bled a lot, but at least it wasn’t my face.”

  “Danggg! That’s a big scar!” they all agreed. It went from my waist to the middle of my stomach, and it was about an inch wide.

  “You should’ve been there when she hit. I still have the rash guard.” Cameron smirked.

  “Oh, shut up. You know reefs hurt. You accidentally stepped on one and cried for ten minutes!” I teased.

  “Shut up. We don’t talk about that day,” he huffed, and I giggled.

  We were back to watching the movie when Hayes walked in. There was no room on the couch, so he sat on the floor against my legs. Aly played with his hair, which he was not very fond of, and watched the movie intensely.

  “Nice drop-in.” Aly gaped. I don’t think she’s seen this movie.

  “I know.”

  “What’s a drop-in?” Daniel asked.

  We groaned. “Do we have to teach y’all everything?” Aly asked. We had already explained pipelines and A-frames to them.

  “We just want to learn,” Jonah whined.

  “We’ll teach y’all when we’re near a beach. Do they have beaches in Arizona?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Umm, let’s ask Bart,” Aaron suggested, after thinking about it awhile. We nodded; well, they nodded. Aly and I were too engrossed in the movie.

  After the movie was over, we all started doing our own thing.

  “I’m going to the bunks,” I announced to everyone in the living room. They all said okay as I walked away.

  I grabbed my phone and plugged in my headphones. I put my music on shuffle, and “Heartbreak Girl” by 5 Seconds of Summer came on.

  You say, “Thanks for being a friend”

  And we’re going in circles again and again.

  I didn’t realize that Hayes had climbed into the bunk. I turned toward him and kissed his cheek, laying my head on his shoulder. He stole one of my earbuds, and we listened to my music until we both ended up falling asleep.

  I woke up to pictures being taken. I looked over and saw Hayes taking selfies, with me on his shoulder asleep.

  “You better not post those anywhere.” I glared at him.

  “They’re already posted.” He smirked.

  I grabbed his phone, checking Instagram. There was a collage of the two of us with me sleeping. The first one was Hayes with his signature openmouthed expression, the next one was Hayes smiling, the third was of him doing a really weird face (per usual), and the last one was of him kissing my forehead.

  I wish that I could say I sleep perfectly, but I don’t. My mouth was slightly open, and there were flyaway hairs in my face. I groaned.

  “Haaaaayes, why?” I pouted.

  “Because, you’re adorable, and I immediately thought of a good caption,” he said, kissing me to get the pout off of my face. It worked, and I smiled, but then frowned again.

  “What was the caption?” I asked, stealing his phone once more.

  “You steal my phone a lot, don’t you?” He smirked. I lightly hit his chest and read the caption. It said “Sleeping Beauty” with the crown and two pink heart emojis.

  “That was your good caption?” I deadpanned.

  “It was clever!” he defended.

  “Uh-huh. You are so lucky I’m tired right now,” I mumbled, laying my head on his chest.

  He pulled me so that I was on top of him, and I nuzzled my face into his neck and wrapped my arms around his torso. I kissed his neck lightly and fluttered my eyes close to his skin. I could feel the goose bumps rise on his neck, and I smirked.

  “Put on some clothes, we’re coming in!” I heard Ella, Bailey, and Shaelyn say while opening the curtain. They awwed and climbed in our bunk (most likely taking pictures for the Autumn-and-Hayes folders we all have in our photo galleries), making it very cramped.

  “Wha
t do y’all want?” Hayes groaned.

  “We wanted to come and talk to our favorite young couple,” they sang.

  “No, y’all didn’t. We obviously know you have something planned,” I remarked, my voice muffled.

  “Ugh, fine! All the guys want everyone in the living room. They have something to tell,” Bailey said.

  “No! Tell them to come back here, or we aren’t going to be there,” I whined.

  “Okay, be right back,” Ella said, climbing out and going back to the living room.

  “I’m going to my bunk. It’s too cramped up here,” Shaelyn said, climbing into the bunk below ours.

  There were six bunks in this section that were pretty tiny. You could sit up and everything, if you weren’t tall like most of the guys. Then there was another set of bunks way in the back, instead of a master bedroom. We had to be able to fit everyone! Then the management and staff all had another tour bus, so it was like there was a teen bus and an old-person bus.

  The guys came back to us, and everyone crammed into the first set of bunks. People were sitting on top of each other and fighting for spots, while Bailey, Hayes, and I all watched in amusement. I motioned for Aly to come sit with us since she was so little and could fit, even though Hayes and I were lying down.

  “The reason we called this meeting is because we talked to Steven, and there are no beaches near Phoenix,” Aaron said, and we groaned. “But we’re going to rent a huge house on the lake!” He smiled and we all cheered.

  “Is there going to be a water trampoline?” I asked excitedly.

  “I guess it could be arranged.” Aaron smiled.

  “Yay!” I jumped up but hit my head so then lay right down against Hayes again, since my head started pounding.

  “Are you sure you want to be on a trampoline? I mean, it is a trampoline . . .” Brandon trailed off.

  “Yeah, and?” I said.

  “You have a concussion, and it could get worse,” Ella finished for him.

  “So. Take chances, right?” I shrugged.

  “Such a daredevil—I like it.” Alyssa smiled and high-fived me.

  “Just be careful if we do get one, Auts,” Cameron said, getting up and walking out, some of the others filing behind him back to the living room area.