Like Real People Do - Jill Roord

Nice Suit

I suddenly found myself installing some sense of trust in Jen, "Someone said I should be weary about her, is that true?"

Jen tilted her head from side to side, as if she were weighing up the options, "I mean, I think it depends to be honest. But don't listen to everything you hear, everyone's always making shit up about Hunter."

"What do you mean?" I wondered why everyone spoke so vaguely about her. In my mind, there should be a solid answer but it seemed that everyone danced around the line, not even being able to decide for themselves. 

"She loves a party," Jen shrugged, "Hunter's just a character, some people don't like that and others love it but you very rarely find someone who loves her. I think everyone just has troubles distinguishing the reality from the fantasy but with someone who messes with reality so much, it's impossible to know the truth. Hunter is the only person I know that has the ability to make everyone around her question the entire world."

I raised my eyebrows, trying to keep up with everything Jen was saying considering my English was still a little rusty, but from what I'd heard I was only more confused, "So why?"

"Why what?" Jen looked up at me and it was only then that I realized she'd slid half way down the seat.

"Why does everyone stick around?"

"Oh most of them don't," Jen sighed, speaking like it was just a standard fact of life rather than quite sad, "But I think it's the chase, everyone wants to catch up with Hunter Putellas and live in whatever fantasy land she is. It's the dream."

"Right..." I muttered, questioning a lot of what Jen had said.

"I'm so sorry to leave you newbie but Katie's calling me and I'll never turn her down for a drink," Jen chuckled as she got up and left. I figured the 'newbie' title would follow me around for a while. 

Thinking back to what Jen had said, I questioned how far someone could actually mess with reality. Surely the truth was the truth and Hunter couldn't do anything to change that, but apparently I was mistaken. Part of me wanted to see it for myself but the other half of me almost feared it but then I reminded myself she was just a girl. Hunter was a person, like any other, but just with some amazing footballing skills and a rather unconventional lifestyle because of that.

After talking to Danielle for a while, someone I already knew well, I decided to get some air because it felt so hot and stuffy inside the club. As I stepped out the door, I looked to my left to see a brunette sitting on the curb, I questioned if it was the person I thought it was. After taking a couple of steps towards them, I realized it was in fact Hunter Putellas but I questioned why she was out here alone when she seemed to thrive so madly in the social environment. 

Taking a risk, I sat beside her and for a second I swear that I saw her flinch. Within a couple of seconds she'd turned her head and then looked away again, groaning, "I don't talk to the new squad members," Hunter complained, sounding almost sad about the fact. It slightly surprised me that she didn't have a Spanish accent, Hunter sounded like she'd been raised in North London but that didn't make much sense as I knew Alexia hadn't been. 

"Why?" I almost chuckled, it was such a random agenda to never speak to new players.

This seemed to stump the rather drunk girl, "I don't know," she admitted, deflating a little, "I'm not part of the welcome squad, I guess."

Hunter had already left me with a lot of questions, "There's a welcome squad?"

"Yep," Hunter sighed, popping the 'p'.

"Who's in this welcome squad then?" I asked, for some reason trying ridiculously hard to have a conversation with this girl, something just drove me to talk to her. 

"Everyone except me," Hunter nodded, barely even questioning that fact. 

"Well that doesn't make much sense," I suggested because it sort of sounded like she just didn't like new people joining the team. 

"Yeah, I guess," Hunter agreed half heartedly and then we fell into silence. 

I guessed that I should've gotten up and left, it was clear that Hunter didn't want company and she definitely didn't appreciate mine. But for some reason, I stayed, I sat there waiting for something to happen because in my soul, I knew there was something more. I didn't buy for one second that Hunter was some master manipulator of the world, it seemed to me like she was misunderstood, but I could be vastly wrong considering I'd only been around her and the team for a night. Normally, I wasn't an investigative person but I felt like I needed to understand this girl for some strange reason. 

Suddenly Hunter spoke up, breaking the silence, "nice suit," she commented. 

That was enough to make me grin, I sat there so surprised and happy that I forgot even reply for a second, "thankyou. Nice dress."

"I should get back to Beth, she's going to be sick at some point," Hunter laughed but turned to me and realized I wasn't laughing so stopped, her mouth hanging slightly ajar, "She'll be fine, I just don't want her to get sick in her hair," She assured me.

And just like that, Hunter stood up and walked away, not looking back or bidding me a final farewell but just that interaction alone was enough, I could feel myself somehow falling into that trap. 

It was just like Jen had said; I wanted to catch up to Hunter Putellas.