Nonexistent

~Chapter Twenty-Six~

"Well, do you know where he's taking you?" I questioned, tilting my head back down to continue writing down problems on the math worksheet as I listened. She stilled for a second.

"No. I'll ask him once they're done practicing, I think they only have about ten minutes left." I nodded once, my pencil scratching on the paper as I did the basic math in my head, saving the calculator parts for later when I was home.

As Harper said, it wasn't long before the boys retreated to the locker rooms for fast showers. Harper and I stood as they hit the locker rooms, taking the time to pack our backpacks before moving to the side of the gym where we stood quietly chatting while we waited.

Logan, as per usual, was the first out. He talked the least of the three boys, saving himself from the disaster that was the boys' locker room, from what I had heard. Oliver and Hunter were more engaging, interacting with the rest of the team even while they shared the showers. I shuddered slightly at the thought of showering with other people in a close vicinity, shaking the thought from my brain quickly.

Harper was quick to notice the presence of the dark haired boy, her eyes lighting up slightly as a smile formed on her face. Logan himself seemed to relax a little, shoulders loosening a bit as he moved towards the girl who had shifted a little closer to the door. They met in the middle, talking in quiet voices just to each other.

I smiled, moving to take my phone out of my sweater pocket, checking the time. It was getting late, and the sky was steadily darkening as the days grew shorter and colder. With it being California weather, it wasn't freezing, but brisk enough to wear a sweatshirt in early December air. School would only be in for another three weeks, and then a two week break for the holidays before the spring semester.

I wasn't overly excited for the holidays, although I knew I would likely be going to Harper's house for Christmas Eve, and the day before that Oliver was hosting a small get together at his house. Christmas would be spent quietly, exchanging a small gift with my mother on one of her rare days of remaining sober.

My mother used to love Christmas, decking the halls of our overly large house with lights, garland, wreathes, and strings of leaves. The house would smell like pine cones for weeks. It was nice, having something that brought the family closer. My smile dropped as I remembered how I would go jump onto my parents' bed at three in the morning, excited to see whatever Santa had gotten me that would be resting under the large tree near the fireplace.

That had been years ago, and after my father had left, my mother had lost her Christmas spirit. For the first year or so, we tried to decorate, but it became too much as she started to lose herself to the alcohol. We still made a point to exchange a gift with each other though, one reminder that no matter how dark it got, we were still there to give each other something worthwhile.

The door slamming and a rush of noise flooded my senses, jerking my head up from my phone as I was brought back to the present. Hunter and Oliver were in the midst of the large pool of boys who had just flooded out of the locker rooms. Hunter was quick to break off from them, Oliver following the group as they began to disperse towards the student parking lot on the side of the school.

Hunter walked towards me, hair damp and strands fell sloppily over his eyes. I laughed slightly as he tried to flip them out of his eyes as he got closer. He gave me a playful glare as I covered my mouth with a hand, trying not to smile. His hand moved to push his hair up, but with it being damp, it just flopped back down over his forehead, water droplets dropped down his face.

I shrunk back slightly, nose scrunched. "You're like a dog when it's wet." I shouldn't have said that, as I watched his eyes glint mischievously and it took two seconds for him to be shaking his head, hair flopping and water droplets flying all over.