章 81: A cool city

　　“Did you know about this?” I ask Hayden while dragging my pyjamas bottoms over my legs. Tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear, I arrange the mess on my dresser. “Daddy is travelling tomorrow.”

　　“Yeah,” he replies, “Mum told me.”

　　Dinner was a horrid affair. They didn’t stop talking about it. How can they be excited at uprooting me from here and moving to another city? I expect Hayden to say more but he doesn’t. He likes the idea.

　　“Are you going to try and stop them?” I ask.

　　The poster on my door doesn’t offer me any comfort. Her smile doesn’t fuel me with the drive to be a better fighter. It’s not about the fight as much as it is about leaving Benny. I collapse to the bed with a sigh, my head hangs between my shoulders. I stand, then sit back. Hayden drags in a breath, I clench my fist on my knee in anticipation of what he will say.

　　“Stop them from being happy?”

　　At that, the knife in my gut twists and my eyes water. I want them to be happy too.