Page 16 of Something Like Sunflowers

“Princess.”

“What?”

“Princess. You said queen. She’s not the queen, because she hasn’t won…and I fully intend to win the crown myself, so she’s a princess.”

Shana stops walking but keeps her hand on the rail until I turn to face her. She blinks at me like she intends to challenge my snooty behavior, but she gives up.

“You are aggravating sometimes.”

“My plan is to catch them playing a kissing game, and as long as Dustin doesn’t get cut from his shift at work earlier than he’s supposed to, I can insert myself next to Shane, spin the bottle just a tad too poorly, and finally get my dream first kiss.”

I stare off into the fake sunset to add to the dramatics for Shana, but she does not seem impressed.

“This is a stupid idea,” she says. But we keep walking. “I don’t even think you like Shane. I think you really like—”

“I can’t, Shana. He hates me. You know that. Besides, it doesn’t matter if I like Shane or not. He’s hot and popular, and kissing him can only help my high school status.”

The attic is at the top of the last flight of stairs behind a locked door, but as fate would have it, it is unlocked today. I turn the handle and open the door, expecting to smell pot or beer or something worse up here, but it’s neat and tidy, aside from five or six pizza boxes and a few opened drinks on the bar. I scan my eyes around the room, appreciating the layout when I hear Shana gasp beside me.

“Ew. People are humping up here. Let’s go back.”

“You go. I’m staying. I can tell it makes you uncomfortable, so if you don’t want to wait around, it’s fine. I’ll find a ride.”

“Suit yourself,” she sighs. “But I’m not leaving you here. I’ll be right downstairs waiting. If you don’t come back down in thirty minutes, I’ll send a hired hit for Shane.”

“Shhh!” I whisper and shove her to the door as we both giggle.

I click it shut behind her, only to be yanked back roughly by my hair and pulled into a hard body. My breath hitches slightly, and I tense up, ready to break away from whoever this is that has the actual nerve, but then I recognize the smell of him.

I hate that I like it.

“Ponygirl? What are you doing here?” He scans my body with an irritated huff he has no business huffing, the asshole. “Wearing that?”

I yank my hair free and whip around, shoving Hunter away before he can feel the goosebumps that I loathe come from his closeness. I’m not surprised he made an appearance at Robbie’s tonight; I just didn’t expect him to come ahead of my brother. They usually travel as a set. Dusty won’t be far behind him once the Sugar Stable closes in an hour or so.

Which means I need to lose Tweedle-Dumb over here, find Shane, and act fast on the kissing plan.

Hunter takes in my jean skirt and cowgirl boots and snickers. “You better get out of here lookin’ like that, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me kiddo!” I snap, enraged that he even thinks he gets a say. “You aren’t that much older. And I can wear whatever I please, thank you.”

I throw my hands on my hips to show him I mean business and he can take his skirt comments somewhere else. I’m in high school now. I’m not the little tween tagging along that they seem to think I still am. I can take perfectly good care of myself, and he and Dustin need to get used to that.

He frowns at my lack of obedience and tugs off his hoodie. “Here. You can wrap this around that piece of fabric that’s barely covering your ass.” He wraps it around me just like he says and then he ties the sleeves so tight around my waist that my stomach might burst. Or maybe that’s just how I feel whenever I’m around him. He makes me so mad sometimes.

I look down at the sleeves dangling in front of my jean skirt and cock my hip to the side. “And what are you gonna do if I don’t wear your nasty, smelly hoodie?”

His jaw clenches, and he gets up close and personal with my face. From a distance, I’m sure it looks like we’re flirting, not fighting. But then, I never can tell the difference when it’s Hunter.

“I’ll tell Dusty you’re here. Bet he doesn’t know, does he?”

I try to hide my reaction, but I suck at hiding anything around stupid Hunter. I guess because, aside from my brother, he’s known me longer than anyone. He can tell when I’m lying, and that freaking sucks. It’s like having two brothers rather than just one.

Only, that doesn’t feel right. Hunter’s not a brother. And I don’t like thinking of him like he is. Which is why it annoys me when he tousles my hair and keeps his arm around my back possessively as we approach the bar like he very much is my older brother.

“Hey, guys, look who came to hang.”

We veer to a smaller hangout area with three couches and a game table in the center. A few people are playing cards. One person is unidentifiable since they haven’t unlocked lips with their partner since I entered the room with Shana five minutes ago. Ew. And the rest are a handful of rodeo team members I half know from being around the competitions. Most of them are juniors and seniors, and—

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