Page 43 of Hunter
“Neither, and my head’s fine.” I instinctively reach for my beanie and make sure it’s secure and wince. My elbow is killing me after hitting the pavement.
“You sure? You don’t wanna concussion. Here, lettme help you, come on now,” I nod my head slightly, and he grabs my hand and pulls me up into a sitting position.
“Where’s what’s his name? Hunter? The other brother?”He must know Evie and Chase.Hunter’s name vibrates in my chest, and I see the face I was kissing in my head. I’ve never been kissed like that, and I’ve never wanted to be kissed so badly in my life.
The energy between us has been shifting all day. It’s not full of wrath anymore. It doesn’t feel angry or annoyed. And it’s not as cold. Things have started to warm up. I feel it, there’sheat rising from glowing embers that sparked early this morning when I ran into the shop.
They ignited into flames when we fought, were fanned by all the sweet words he said to me, and then I threw a full tank of gasoline on them when I kissed him. I started to feel more comfortable sitting in front of the burning fire when he sat with me in the dining hall and in the library.
And when we kissed again, it felt like we hit record temperatures. Every time his tongue swiped over mine, it felt like he was adding logs to the fire. I was starting to sweat and had to take a step back to get some air. I wasn’t ready to overheat, so I had to readjust our thermostat.
I’ve never physically or emotionally had my body and heart respond to a man like this before. I wanted to kiss him, and I wanted him to kiss me. I liked how it felt and liked that it was with him. I wanted his eyes to see me as a woman and not just the holes men have reduced me to. All of the sexual encounters I’ve had were rooted in violence and abuse. I did what I had to do to survive. And for the first time, a man made me feel like I was alive.
“I only met him once, and to be honest, I was focused more on his brother and him chasin' my sister. You okay? You want me to find him for you? I think Drew knows him –”
“No, don’t do anything.” I start to stand, and he jumps up before extending his hand again.
“I bet he’d wanna know you fell so he could look after ya.”
“You just said you only met him one time, and now you think you know what he’s thinking?” I question and pick my bag up before throwing it on my back.Pinche codo! Me duele! Dammit, my elbow fucking hurts!
“I don’t need to know him to see how he was lookin’ at you. There was crazy in his eyes when he thought I did something to offend you earlier; that boy would definitely wanna know ifyou weren’t okay, darlin’. You can’t tell me no different.” He didn’t see the confused look on his face when Payton called me, Valentine Garcia, and I didn’t deny it. I didn’t tell her that she had mixed me up with another person. I didn’t say a word. I just panicked and ran. “You sure you’re okay? You’re looking a little pale.”If you just saw a ghost from your past, I bet you’d be pale too.
The vibration from my phone is just as annoying if I were to have my ringer on as it goes off for the millionth time. I pull it out and see his name—outlined in red—showing a dozen missed calls and even more unchecked messages.
“I’m gonna go, thanks for the, ugh, help.” I need to get my head in the game and get back on track. I can’t get distracted by him and how he’s making me feel right now. I need to get my ass to the shelter, get my laptop from Amy’s office, and figure out what to do next.
“Be careful then, I’ll see ya in class, darlin’.” I turn around before he can say one more word and walk down the block as fast as I can, which is not at all.
There are always people sitting on their front lawns in beach chairs with drinks in their hands, acting like they're on some vacation or some shit, and now is no different. I don’t look at any of them and shove my hand in my pocket to grab the handle of my girl. Just in case.
I’m exhausted by the time I get to the shelter. I honestly don’t know if it’s more mental or physical at this point. I’m also starving, thirsty, and fucking scared.
I don’t want to have to leave here. I’m so close to finishing and can’t start over at another school. I don’t have the money to resettle somewhere new, let alone the mental bandwidth.
I hate my life, but I like this routine. It’s hard, but I can take it. It’s my grind, and I know how to handle it. I’ve got it down toa science. Havenwood and HU are the enemy I know, and I don’t wanna fuck with any place new.
Valentine had to die for Edison to live. She’s dead in New York, and I’m alive in Virginia. And that’s how it’s gonna stay.
TWENTY-THREE
It’s been two hours,one hundred and twenty minutes, and it feels like an eternity. She could be anywhere by now. She ran, and I never caught up to her. I have no idea how she managed to flee so fast, but she did. She even grabbed her big-ass bag on her way out the door.
I haven’t been able to find her; I’ve looked everywhere that I can think of, and she’s nowhere to be found. To be honest, my list of places to check wasn’t very long. I don’t know her schedule, her routine, or where she goes.
This is so fucked up. My brother could tell you what brand of shampoo Red uses. He watches her all hours of the fucking day and night, and I know if I were to hit him up right now and ask where she was, he’d be able to narrow it down to a class seating chart.
Then there’s Max. He knows more about my sister than anyone else on the planet, and they haven’t even been together that long. They’ve become so close in a short amount of time, and the way they love each other reflects this closeness. They’re basically married; they share toothpaste, laundry detergent, and fucking toilet paper. Max would never not know where she was. He would never have to question where she could possibly be if he were in my shoes right now.
And here I am gasping for air while she’s in the wind. I know nothing about this girl except for how she makes me feel. And right now she’s making me feel desperate. I’m fucking desperate to know she’s okay.
The dragon in my gut is in total distress that she’s gone. He’s pacing back and forth, and I feel sick to my fucking stomach over it. Between what she went through last night and now this rando girl freaking her out, all I can think about is that she’s gonna run and disappear for good. It causes my chest to constrict, and it’s so tight, the flimsy, threaded stitches that hold my heart together feel like they're being ripped apart.
I looked all over the library and had no luck. I questioned the librarians, and they don’t think they saw her run outta there. My sister said she hasn’t seen or spoken to her today. The Tutoring Center was a dead end. I’ve been stopping and asking everyone that I come across, but no one remembers seeing her.How could that be? I don’t fucking understand how no one’s noticed her when she’s all I see.
I called Alvi, and he told me to calm down and to sit tight. He repeated over and over again that she’ll show up when she’sready and that she knows how to handle herself. I don’t like either of those answers, no matter how many times he said them. I want her to be ready now, and I don’t want her to have to handle shit on her own anymore.
I’ve called her sixty-two times, and punched the call button for number sixty-three. It goes straight to voicemail, and I wanna fucking scream until she hears me.Fucking hell, Ed, pick up!
