You Make Me ▶▶A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction◀◀

Chapter 17

Hunter left two hours ago, and all I’ve done since then is sit in bed, watching my room silently. As time passes, my nerves rise. When will Hunter get back? Did something happen to him? Was it because of me?

Ever since I fell asleep with Hunter by my side, I’ve been craving slumber more and more. My eyes droop ever few minutes. When they close, I feel someone wrapping their hands around my neck. My eyes immediately open again every time.

My phone buzzes. I start, but calm myself down quickly and answer it. Instead of Hunter’s voice, I hear Stan’s.

“Hey, Harper.”

I don’t say anything. After a few seconds, Stan exhales loudly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I assure him. “Why’d you call? What do you want?”

“Harper, I thought we were friends? Can’t I just call because I haven’t heard from you in a while or I miss you?”

“No.” I sit up in bed.

There’s a pause on the other end. “...Is it because of Hunter?”

I furrow my brow. “Is what because of Hunter?”

“Does Hunter not want you to talk to your old lover? Does he think that I’ll get in the way of you two?”

I sigh. “Why does everyone think we’re together?”

“So it is true.”

“What? That’s not what I’m saying.”

I can hear Stan’s deep chuckle through the speaker. “You know, he doesn’t deserve you, Harper.”

“You don’t know anything,” I snap hotly.

“You’re worth more than a stale celebrity. You don’t need to drop your standards.”

“I didn’t!” I exclaim. “Stan, you broke my heart! Even after two years, I don’t think I’m ready to date again because you ruined it! Also, Hunter is an amazing friend. He’d never leave me to rot in my own grief after a death of two close ones to me!”

“Only Ginny was close-”

“NO. Stan, that baby was mine. She, Abagail, was going to have the best life. She was going to have tons of friends and be loved by everyone, and even if I’m the only one who does love her, I’m going to give her more love than everyone else combined. She was going to be beautiful!” Tears well up in my eyes, but I keep them from spilling over. “Good bye, Stan,” I whisper.

I end our call.

-

“Harper, I’m back!”

My heart swells with relief and joy.

“You have the key, remember?” I call back. I hear the sound of keys jingling together before the door opens. Hunter’s footsteps near and he comes into my bedroom, holding a big basket. He grins when he sees me, but it’s a little strained. I notice the blood on his sleeve immediately.

“What happened?” I ask, holding his arm and pulling up his sleeve. There’s no injury.

Hunter takes his arm away gently. “I only fell on my way here. I hit my nose on the ground, and it started to bleed a little, so I wiped it off on my sleeve. Sorry if I worried you.” I don’t buy the lie. His nose looks perfectly fine. Before I can question him further, he sets the basket down on my bed and pulls out some containers. They look like the ones you get from restaurants to take your food home with you. “Bon appetite.”

I take a container and open it. The aroma of a cheese burger fills the room.

“Where’d you go for this?” I ask, sitting down and taking out a fork from the basket.

Hunter shrugs. “I stopped by Steak And Shake and ordered to go. I guessed what you wanted.”

Taking a big bite of my steak burger, I say, “You guessed right.”

Hunter smiles as he starts to eat, too. When we finish, he nudges the basket closer to me. I raise my brow, and he nods towards it. “See what else I brought you.”

I peer into the basket. I grin. “Shakes!” I take out a chocolate one topped with caramel and chocolate fudge and gulp it down. Hunter laughs and eats his vanilla one that’s sprinkled with m&m’s.

I take out my phone and text Ginny.

Me: Hey! Guess who has Steak and Shake?

I don’t send the message. Steak and Shake was her favorite. The fudge caramel shake was all she would get. One time, when I had just graduated a community college and Ginny was still in highschool, I took her out to Steak and Shake for the first time. She didn’t know what to get, and since she was always in love with sweets (but only ate them on rare occasions), she only ordered a fudge caramel shake. She downed it all before I could even start to eat mine. She ordered another, earning a look of impression from me. She laughed and said that she’s so breaking her diet for dance. I told her that at least she’s not my size, and then she laughed and agreed.

I don’t realize that tears are running down my face until Hunter asks, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I hastily wipe my tears away with my hand. “Nothing.” I clear my throat.

Hunter, who was sitting next to me, move in front of me. He frowns at my red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “It’s clearly not nothing, you’ve never cried before.” On the contrary, I actually cry all the time. Just not in front of him. Or anyone else. I only ever cried in front of Ginny and Stan, before he lost all of my trust for him.

“Just drop it, Hunter,” I tell him, exhausted.

“Was it Stan?”

I shoot him a look. “What? Why would it be Stan?” I answer quickly.

Hunter narrows his eyes. “It was him, wasn’t it?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.” Before I can do anything about it, Hunter swipes my phone away from my grip. I shoot up.

“Give it back, Hunter!” I try to get it, but he turns away and scrolls through my messages with Ginny. My cheeks grow hot. “Hunter!”

“Who’s Ginny?”

“Just give it back!”

Hunter turns back around, still holding my phone. He stares deeply into my eyes. “Tell me. Please.”

Giving up, I sit back on my bed. I let out a long breath of air. “She was my sister.” I bite down on my lip. Please don’t ask anything else.

“Why hasn’t she replied to any of your texts?” I can hear the confusion in his voice.

I sit up, glaring at him. “She died two years ago.” I stand and walk out of my room, forgetting about my fears about the murderer or the intruder that could possibly be anywhere. I hear Hunter calling after me, but I start sprinting. His foot falls start to recede as I go. He must not be a runner.

I run down the stairs, almost tripping over my own feet a few times, but I eventually reach the ground level. I burst through the doors, turning left. There are people crowding the sidewalk by the bus station; I would get slowed down by them.

I turn to the right, ready to sprint, but I run straight into a hard chest. I look up.

My eyes meet Stan’s green ones. A grin slowly spreads across his face.