Page 78 of Hunter
“Down to the shop, Ed’s there,” I tell him, and look at my phone to check the time. I type out a message to let her know that I’m leaving the arena.Because I fucking am.
“It’s still fucking crazy to me that you all of a sudden have a girl.” He shakes his head as his thumb moves across his own phone screen. “You do know that means that you only fuck her, right? No more threesomes or foursomes? Well, actually, I guess if she were down…”
“I’m gonna need you to shut the fuck up now,” I tell him with a firm voice. His eyes lift up to see why my tone is so icy. I’ve been thinking about this shit a lot lately, and I fucking know what I’ve done and what my reputation is. I don’t want that shit spewed around her. I don’t need other women; they’ll never give me what I need because they aren’t her. And I don’t want any shit said to her about it.
“Because I want you to hear this when I say it, so your dumbass doesn’t say anything stupid like that ever again. Alright?” I demand, and he scowls, “If I have her, I don’t need anyone else.”
“You love her,” he comments as he shakes his head in disbelief, “You’re just as fucked as I am,” he adds as he smiles. “Welcome to the club.”
“Who are you both talking about?” Our sister asks from behind us, and we turn around at the sound of her voice. “You love who?”
“Edison, I’m talking about Edison.” I’m never lying to my sister again or going to hide shit from her because I think that it’s a better option than being honest. That nearly took us all out last Fall, and I’m not doing that shit again.
If what I have to say now, or in the future, or even right this second—as I admit that I’m dating one of her friends— pisses her off, then so fucking be it. I don’t care. I would rather look at her angry eyes than know that I lied to her again. “You good with that?”
“Are you kidding? Wait, are you together? Don’t you dare treat her like you do all those other girls, A., I won’t fucking let you,” Evie warns, jabbing her index finger into my chest as she defends my girl and her friend.
“You better not hurt her.” I know what that feels like, and I’d have the team tie me to the fucking net naked and have them practice five-hole shots, then hurt my sweet little nightmare again.
“Never,” I assure her, and I fucking mean it.
“Good, because she’s special,” my sister adds and lifts her chin. She’s shorter than Chase and me, but she stands the fucking tallest for what she believes in.
“Yes, she is.” I can tell that Evie approves of my answers and that I’ve passed her test when she gives me another hug. I can tell that this one’s different from the obligatory good game hug she gave me after the game. This one is happy, and my sister uses all her might to squeeze me.
“You are, too. You just don’t want anyone to know,” she whispers before we separate. “Show her that you’re special, Hunter,” she adds, and it pulls on my fucking heartstrings, as she taps my chest with her hand.
“You should have seen him earlier, he was kissing her out on the sidewalk, Eves,” Max adds, and my sister’s eyes widen behind the lenses of her glasses. “It was like a fucking movie.”
“You were? That sounds so romantic!” she squeals out, and I get instantly sweaty.I don’t fucking do romance.
“Alright enough.” I can feel the tops of my ears getting red.
“What’d I miss? Enough what?” Monroe chirps, and I roll my fucking eyes when I look up and see him and Jake approaching our circle.
“You didn’t miss a fucking thing. I’m on my way out,” I announce for what feels like the tenth fucking time.
“Where are you going, man?” Monroe asks just as I turn to walk away (again), and with a fucking clenched jaw and fisted hands, I dig down fucking deep to remind myself that I love these fucking people even though they’re getting on my last nerve. I’m fucking impatient, and I’m starting to feel itchy without her.
“For the tenth fucking time, I’m going to the shop,”
“That’s fucking boring, you can go play cards with Alvi whenever. There’s some Greek scavenger hunt party over on the lane, let’s go.” Once upon a time, I would’ve said yes because I was bored and figured I should try to feel something with another human being… Or a few of them. And now none of that shit sounds appealing to me.
“Ed’s there, so that’s where I’ll be,” I firmly say, and Monroe tilts his head while he pauses to give my face a full fucking examination.
“So bring her, bro, everyone loves a fucking party,” he pleads, and I shake my head no at his request. For someone so fuckingsmart, Monroe can be real fucking stupid - not everyone likes to fucking party.
I seriously doubt that she would want to go, and there’s not a single part of me that wants to take her there. Especially after what fucking Payton said about her getting anxious in places with lots of people. That bitch’s words have replayed over and over in my head like game tape, and I don’t want to do that to Ed.
“Aren’t you in the mood to celebrate?”Oh, I’m definitely in the mood to fucking celebrate, and it doesn’t involve any of these fuckers or parties on the lane.“All we gotta do is beat Coventry and we go to the fucking Frozen Four, my dude, come on, we’re so fucking close.”
“Hard pass,” I tell him and hit his outstretched fist with mine, letting him know that I’m leaving for real this time when I give him a head nod. “Jake!” I yell out, and he picks his head up when he hears me. He got caught talking to some freshman players down the hall. “I need you to take me to Alv’s.”
All I want to fucking do is go get my girl, bring her back home, and fuck her brains out of her pretty little head. Then I’m gonna make grilled cheese and put her to sleep.
As soon as I get in Jake’s SUV, I send her a text to let her know my ETA and start bouncing around in the back seat. I’ve got big plans and can’t fucking wait.
But all those plans fly out the back window that I’ve got cracked open as soon as she texts me back.
