Popular Ch. 03

She grudgingly admitted that he looked really good in the all black costume. As Lexie approached him he finally saw her. A dazzling smile appeared on his face, but she didn't give him the chance to say anything. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back into a secluded corner.

"Tell me what Noah said isn't true!" Lexie demanded as she smacked him in the arm. "God damn you! How could you do this to Hayden?" Lexie stood there as a stunned expression appeared on Leo's face. "Don't even act like you don't know what the FUCK I'm talking about. Noah told me that the two of you had a bet that he couldn't take anyone on campus and make them popular. He said that you agreed to it, and then Hayden got picked as your project." She couldn't contain her anger and roughly pushed Leo backwards. "He said that the only reason you approached Hayden that day in the cafe was to make friends with him to try and prove Noah wrong. I never thought you would ever pull a stunt like this." Leo looked at her, and she could tell he was the verge of crying. "Are you going to fucking say anything?"

Leo raised one of his black gloved hands and covered his face. His body shook slightly, and Lexie wasn't sure if he was upset about her yelling at him or upset that he got caught. Lexie's hands balled up into fists, and it was taking all of her strength to not pound the shit out of him. She opened her mouth to begin another tirade when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Lexie, what the hell are you freaking out about? I could see you flipping out form across the room."

Lexie's eyes widened in shock, and she spun around to find Leo standing there. He was dressed as Dick Tracy, and even had the yellow trench coat to go with the costume. He was looking at her like she had lost her mind, and an icy cold fear shot down her spine.

"Wait a fucking minute. If you're here, then who…" Lexie's voice broke off as she saw Noah step into her view over Leo's shoulder. He wasn't standing close enough to hear what was being said, but he had a huge evil grin on his face. "Oh fuck!"

Lexie quickly spun around, and looked at Zorro, who she thought was Leo. Zorro's gloved hand reached up and pulled the hat and bandana off. The hair that Lexie had seen before was actually a professional wig. Her heart threatened to explode in her chest.

"Oh my God." Lexie whispered. "Hayden."

Lexie locked eyes with Hayden, and tears began to fall down her face as she realized what she had done. Noah had set up her up good, and she had risen to the bait without realizing it. She couldn't even imagine the things that were running through his head.

"What the hell is going on here guys? This is supposed to be a party." Leo joked and laughed. His laughter stopped as he realized just how upset Lexie and Hayden were.

"Is it true?" Hayden asked Leo as a few tears slipped uncontrollably down his face.

"Is what true? What the fuck were you two talking about?" Leo demanded. He had no idea what had them so upset, but he was worried about his friends.

"Noah told me about the bet." Lexie quietly sniffed. "Of course I freaked out, and he told me that you were dressed as Zorro. Since YOU had decided that we would surprise each other with our costumes, I had no idea it wasn't you. I came over here and confronted you about it, well, actually, it turns out I told Hayden all about it."

"Oh my God." Leo started talking as fast as he could. He had to explain everything and make them understand. "Hayden it isn't…"

"IS IT TRUE?" Hayden's voice was harsh and cold.

"Yes." Leo muttered. He had never heard Hayden like that before, and it scared the hell out of him. "It's not what you're thinking. Please let me explain…"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say." Hayden interrupted him. "I…It's…I can't believe this." Hayden went to walk past them, and Leo reached out and tried to grab his arm. Hayden jumped back like he was on fire. "Don't touch me."

Leo watched as Hayden took off through the crowds of people. Hayden's words had hurt, but it hurt Leo even more when Hayden jumped away from his touch. Leo knew that he deserved everything he was getting, but that didn't make it hurt any less. He turned to Lexie to try to explain everything to her, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. She must have slipped off as he watched Hayden leave. In that one moment Leo lost the one thing that he had started to care for more than anything in the world. Hayden.

Chapter Seven

Hayden sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been sitting at his computer for the last few hours trying to work on a paper that was due in his American History class. The last week had been one of the hardest of Hayden's life. Not only did his classes start, but he also had to spend the week avoiding Leo at all costs.

At first Leo kept popping up where Hayden was going. It was something that frustrated Hayden to no end. He didn't care what explanations Leo had to offer because he didn't want to hear anything Leo had to say. Hayden felt as if his heart had been ripped out. It wasn't until he had pushed Leo out of his life that Hayden realized just how important the man was becoming to him.

The only source of strength that Hayden had in his life at that moment was Lexie. She was just as upset and hurt about the situation as Hayden was. In fact, Hayden thought that Lexie might have actually been hurt even more than he had. Lexie had known Leo practically her entire life, so Leo's betrayal affected Lexie on a deeper level than it did for Hayden. The knock on his door was a welcomed distraction as Hayden looked disgustingly at his computer screen. The paper wasn't going as well as Hayden thought it would.

"Hey gorgeous." Hayden smiled as he found Lexie standing on the other side of the door. He also noticed that bag she was carrying. The two of them had been taking turns having meals in each other's dorm rooms. "I'm glad to see the gravy train has arrived."

"I couldn't let you starve to death as you slaved over your homework." Lexie said with a smile as she entered the room. "I'm also the bearer of good news."

"Ah, good news…I was almost forgetting what that was." Hayden said with a smile as he sat down next to her. "So spill."

"Noah is gone." Lexie said as she dug through the bag of food.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Hayden asked as he took a drink of the soda Lexie brought with her.

"It seems that Mister Radcliff's colorful comments at the rush party finally made their way around campus." Lexie said with a small smile. "He finally got harassed about it enough that he decided to leave Reynolds."

"Are you happy about the news?" Hayden cautiously asked. He knew that Noah was a tough subject for Lexie to talk about.

"I'm actually happy about it." Lexie finally grinned. "I'm glad I won't have to keep looking over my shoulder any more to see if he's lurking around somewhere."

"So how did you find out that he was gone?" Hayden asked as he dug into his pasta.

"That's the semi-embarrassing part of my story." Lexie said with a low chuckle. "Leo finally caught up to me, and leave it to him to catch me off guard."

"Where did he catch you?" Hayden asked. He watched as Lexie sighed and shook her head. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh yes it can, Hayden." Lexie giggled. "He caught me in the ladies room at the rec center."

"You mean as you were coming out of the ladies room?" Hayden questioned.

"Oh no I don't." Lexie couldn't stop her laughter at that point. "I had just stepped out of the stall, and there he was leaning against one of the sinks. He told me that it was a last ditch effort, and he figured I couldn't escape him. He was right. I would have had to sprint past him to get out of the bathroom. I just didn't have the energy to do it, Hayden."

Hayden smiled reassuringly at Lexie. He wasn't upset at her for talking to Leo. Hayden understood that they had a very long history together, and it would be selfish of him to think Lexie wouldn't stay friends with her twin.

"How is he?" The words left Hayden's mouth without even thinking.

"He's doing good." Lexie looked out Hayden's window.

"Really?" Hayden looked at her questioningly. She didn't sound very convincing, and Lexie knew it.

"Of course he's not, Hayden." Lexie said with a sigh. "I think he's taking this a lot harder than we expected. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like shit. It looked liked he had been wearing the same clothes for a few days, and uh…he smelled a bit like alcohol."

"You think he's been drinking?" Hayden couldn't stop the concern that welled up inside of him.

"I don't know. Maybe." Lexie looked so lost and confused. "I just don't know what to do, Hayden. I've never seen Leo like that, ever." Her eyes pleaded with him. "Look, I don't want you to think I'm just saying this as a way to smooth things over. I think you know me well enough by now, that I don't do shit like that, but I'm really concerned about him, Hayden. You know how Leo always had that spark in his eyes?"

Hayden could only nod his head in response because he didn't trust himself to answer her out loud. His throat closed up with emotions that he had forced himself to not deal with. Hayden certainly remembered that joyfulness that Leo's eyes broadcasted. It was just one of the many things that attracted Hayden to him.

"It's gone, Hayden." Lexie's voice cracked. "His eyes were dull and glassy. It's almost like it's Leo's body, but he's not there anymore. I think that he's…that he finally…"

"He gave up." Hayden whispered.

"Leo…he uh…he gave me a message to give to you." Lexie finally looked back at Hayden. He could see the unshed tears in her eyes. "He wanted you to know that he's sorry. He then said…tell Hayden that I lo…miss him."

"Are you saying that he almost said that he…" Hayden couldn't form the words.

"Yeah. I think that's where he was headed." Lexie reached out and grabbed onto Hayden's hand. "Look, you can believe me on this or not, but I think he does. Leo's not the type of person that can say those words very easily. Please don't think that I'm trying to push you towards him or anything like that. I'm your friend no matter what. I'm only going to bring this up once, and you know that I haven't said anything about this before, but…I think you should try to talk to him."

Hayden squeezed her hand and let her words sink into his head. Lexie had been telling the truth. During the entire week that had passed she had never uttered one word about Hayden trying to talk to Leo, and for her to bring it up, Hayden thought long and hard about it.

"I'm not going to badger you about this." Lexie continued. "I meant it when I said this is the only time I'm going to talk to you about it. If you ever want to talk about things or about Leo, you're going to have to be the one to bring it up, Hayden. I don't want you to feel pressured in any way, sweetie."

"Thanks, Lexie." Hayden gripped her hand even tighter and smiled at her. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Likewise, stud." Lexie said with a wink.

A million thoughts raced through Hayden's mind, and his heart. Was he ready to face Leo and talk about what had happened? Could Leo's feelings really be that deep for Hayden already? His mind was a jumble, and he decided to just worry about finishing up his lunch and spending time with Lexie. He would worry about Leo, and everything that went with that, later.



Hayden walked across the Court and looked up at breathtakingly beautiful night sky. He was on his way back from Lexie's dorm. The two of them had spent the night watching movies on cable and unwinding after a hard week of classes. They were both fortunate enough to have their weekends free. The two of them had so much fun that evening they had decided to turn it into a weekly event. It gave Hayden and Lexie something to look forward to at the end of the week.

Hayden sat down on a bench and relaxed in the calmness of the night air. It took a few seconds for him to realize what bench he was sitting on. It was the bench that Leo had led him to that night Hayden had too much to drink. Thoughts and memories that Hayden had refused to think about suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind. There was one thought that he just couldn't escape. No matter what had happened, Hayden still missed Leo.

After a few minutes Hayden stood up and started back to his dorm. Maybe Lexie was right. Maybe it was time for him to try to talk to Leo about what had happened. Those were the thoughts that were running through his head as Hayden stepped around one of the many trees that dotted the Court. Any other thoughts left his mind as something crashed into him, and Hayden pitched backwards to the ground.

The air rushed out of Hayden's chest in one long puff as a massive groan slipped from his mouth. Once Hayden realized he was on the ground the first thing that caught his attention was the smell of beer that assaulted his nose. Hayden raised his head slightly to see what, or most likely who, was sprawled across him.

"Leo." The word left Hayden's mouth in a hushed whisper.

Leo's head had come to rest on Hayden's stomach, and at the sound of his voice Leo jerked upright. His eyes widened as he realized who he had run into, again. He scrambled backwards a little bit, and shook his head to clear his mind.

"Fuck, Hayden…I didn't even see you. I'm s..sorry." Leo's voice was slurred and uneven. Hayden was finally able to look Leo in the eye, and his heart nearly broke. Lexie hadn't been kidding yesterday. "I'm sorry. I'll l..leave you alone."

Hayden wasn't sure how he felt at that exact moment, but he decided that fate was definitely sending him a sign. Then again, Leo knocking him to the ground was turning into a routine for the two of them. Hayden realized that Leo took his silence as a bad thing as Leo stumbled to his feet. He watched as Leo tried to walk back towards the dorms.

It only took Hayden a few moments to realize that Leo was in no shape to be by himself as he watched Leo fight to stay upright. Hayden quickly stood up and brushed himself off. He trotted the few feet over to Leo, and Hayden had made it just in time. Just as Hayden stepped up next to him, Leo pitched forward. Hayden grabbed onto Leo and helped steady his friend.

"I'm fine." Leo slurred. "Please just leave me alone."

"Why?" Hayden asked.

"Because…" Leo's voice cracked. "Because I don't want you to see me like this."

"It's a little late for that now." Hayden gently said. He put his arm around Leo's waist and pulled his friend's arm over his shoulders. "You do realized that you just knocked me to the ground for the third time in just over a week."

"Not exactly how I planned to sweep you off of your feet." Leo mumbled. "I can make it back just fine. You don't have to do this."

"I know I don't." Hayden tightened his arm around Leo's waist to keep him steady. "I want to."

"Why?" Leo's voice was barely above a whisper, and Hayden could hear the pain in the man's voice. "After what I did…why would you want to help me?"

"I think you've been beating yourself up over what happened harder that I ever could." Hayden tried to look Leo in the eyes, but Leo turned his head away. "Harder in fact than I would ever want to."

Leo was quiet for the rest of the trip back to his dorm room, except for the occasional groan. Hayden wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing or not, but feeling Leo's body pressed up against him just felt right. Hayden felt it deep within himself, and it scared the shit out of him.

Hayden was able to get Leo back to his dorm room without either of them getting injured, a fact that Hayden was very thankful for. It took a few moments for Leo to dig his keys from his pockets and open the door, but he finally managed to do it. Hayden helped him into the room and flipped on the light switch. The room was a fucking disaster area.

One side of the room was completely bare, which obviously pointed out what side Noah had. There were clothes and food wrappers strewn all over the place. Lexie's hunch about Leo drinking had been right. Hayden could see the garbage can was overflowing with crushed, empty beer cans. Leo broke away from Hayden and stumbled over to the window.

"Leo…" Hayden's voice seemed loud in the silence of the room. "What's happened to you?"

"I lost my best friend, and I almost lost my twin." Leo's pained voice quietly floated over to Hayden. "And the craziest thing is that none of that mattered because losing you was the worst." Leo swayed for a moment, and Hayden was afraid he was going to fall. "I really think I need to lie down."

Hayden quickly moved over to Leo and helped him over to the bed. Leo fell backwards with a loud thump onto the bed. Hayden pulled off his shoes, and then situated Leo under the covers. When he was done Hayden started for the door.

"Hayden…" Leo's voice stopped him. Hayden glanced over his shoulder and saw Leo looking at him, really looking at him, for the first time that evening. "Please…please don't go."

Hayden almost wished he had the strength to walk away. He could hear the pain and anguish in Leo's voice, and the sound went straight to his heart. Hayden slowly made his way towards Leo and stood next to the bed.

"I thought you didn't want me to see you like this." Hayden quietly replied. He hadn't meant to throw Leo's own words back at him, but he couldn't help the anger that still bubbled inside of him.

"I…I can't ask for your forgiveness, Hayden." Leo quietly murmured as he looked up at Hayden. "I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for what happened. I just…I just want you to know that I'll regret not telling you the truth sooner for the rest of my life, but I can't regret making that bet with Noah."

"Why?" Confusion rocked through Hayden.

"Because if it wasn't for the bet, God only knows how long it would have taken for our paths to cross again." Leo whispered. "And who even knows if that would have happened. If you leave here tonight, and I never get the chance to make it up to you, I want you to know that in the little time that I've known you, you've changed my life forever." The tears in Leo's eyes made Hayden's throat close up, and he sat down on edge of the bed without even thinking. Leo's hand found his and gripped it tight. "No matter what anyone tells you or no matter how anyone may treat you, I want you to remember that you're something special, Hayden Chatham."

Leo's voice drifted in and out, and Hayden realized that the alcohol finally took over and caused his friend to pass out. As Leo's breathing deepened and evened out, Hayden knew that he had drifted off to sleep. Hayden looked down at their still interlocked hands. Hayden reached over with his free hand and ran his fingertips over the back of his friend's hand.

It was obvious to Hayden that Leo was in a great deal of pain over everything that happened. A pain that might have even outweighed his own. He thought about what Leo had said right before he passed out. Hayden had questioned it himself a few times whether or not he and Leo would have ever been friends if it wasn't for the bet. If they were destined to meet, how long would it have taken if there was no bet? What if the bet was fate's way of bringing them together?

Hayden shifted a bit, and as he moved Leo gripped his hand tighter. He watched as Leo's body shifted restlessly. Hayden squeezed Leo's hand to reassure his friend that he was still there. Almost immediately Leo stopped moving and returned to sleeping peacefully. In that one moment Hayden made a decision about what was going on between them. A decision that he hoped would be the right one.



Leo grimaced as he woke up and felt the beginnings of a major hangover. A depressed sigh slid from his lips as he realized he had had way too much to drink, again. The past week had been utter and complete hell for him. The only times he didn't feel the pain of what happened was when he was numb from the alcohol. Leo concentrated for a moment and tried to remember the previous night's events, but it was all one big haze to him.