"Dude. I thought your head was too hard to get a concussion."
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Scott."
"Congratulations, Jamison," Jason said. "You're just a few brain injuries away from being as bright as Scott."
Scott glared at Jason. "I'm bright enough to know that's an insult, asshole."
I shook my head, leaning next to Hunter. Stefan was sitting next to Jason on the sofa. Lia was in a chair next to me, and Scott paced the room. That guy was unable to sit still.
It was after school. Lia had texted me earlier, and as soon as school ended, they invaded Hunter's room.
Scott came closer and looked at the container of cut fruits with hungry eyes.
"No," I told him.
"Maybe he doesn't want them?" Scott said with a grin.
"No. They're Hunter's."
"Do you have a hole in your stomach?" Lia asked. "You literally just had a burger on our way here."
They bickered back and forth, but I was too busy looking at Jason. Hmm. He looked a bit off.
"I wonder what's wrong with him?" I whispered to myself.
"Who?" Hunter asked.
"Jason. He seems a bit off..."
Hunter put his hand on my knee and squeezed. "Maybe you should talk to him?"
"Maybe. Do you want me to bring you something?" I asked him, turning to look at him. Our faces were so close. "From the cafeteria or outside, before the nurse kicks us out for the day."
He closed the little distance between our faces and kissed me. "I got all I need now."
My face warmed. "Anyone ever tell you you're smooth?"
He smiled a little. "Yes. My girlfriend."
"She must be very observant, your girlfriend."
"She is," he said. "Also pretty, smart, kind, and has a mean punch."
How could I not love him? I grinned and kissed him again. Someone gagged. I bet it was one of my brothers. I raised my middle finger in the air without looking before pulling away from Hunter.
Scott was dramatically heaving. I rolled my eyes and swung my legs out of the bed, slipped in my shoes and stood up. "Jason, can you come with me for a second? I need to get something for Hunter."
Jason frowned but stood up. Lia gave me a look. She would grill me about it later. For now, Jason followed me out of the room, where Scott was trying and failing to make Hunter feel like a creep for kissing me in front of him and Stefan.
Jason and I took the elevator down. There were a few people inside, so I didn't start talking until we were outside. I unlocked Lia's car. "Get in," I told Jason and hopped in.
He sat in the passenger seat and closed the door with a sigh. The sun was setting, painting the clouds with its twilight colors.
I turned in my seat and looked at Jason. He raised his brow. "Aren't we going somewhere?"
"What's wrong with you?"
He frowned. "What?"
"Something happened. You're off. What happened?"
He huffed and glared at the windshield. "Nothing happened."
I kept quiet and just stared at him. The clouds parted and let out a bright beam of orange. Jason's brown skin glinted gold and his honey colored eyes looked like chips of iridescent amber. The clouds moved again and covered the sun, setting his face in dark shadows.
"I met Liza's parents yesterday."
Okay. "It didn't go well?"
He let out a humorless laugh. "Understatement of the century."
I poked his arm with my finger. "Brighten up, dude. I'm sure they'll like you eventually. All fathers hate their daughters' boyfriends on principle."
His jaw ticked. "He didn't hate me because I'm his daughter's boyfriend."
I frowned. Jason was a pain in the ass sometimes, but he could really be charming when he wanted to. "Why then?"
A beat of silence, then, "because I'm black."
I blinked. "You... you're serious?"
He nodded.
"But... Liza isn't like that," I mumbled.
"Yeah, well, it turns out her father is a racist bastard," he said, his eyes dark and unforgiving.
Wow. For Jason to be this angry, it must've been bad. "What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Okay. This was the last thing I expected. Liza was just so sweet and kind. I couldn't believe her father was a racist pig.
"Is that why Liza didn't come here?" I asked. Wait, I hadn't even seen Liza today. I'd been preoccupied with Hunter's absence all morning I didn't even notice.
"She didn't come to school today. We had an argument." He sighed. "It doesn't matter."
"I'm sorry. It sucks," I said. "Do you want me to talk to her or something?"
"No. Don't. I'll deal with it myself."
I leaned over and hugged him, patting his arm. "If you want to talk about it. I'm here for you."
"I know. Thanks, Sapph," he said.
We left the car and headed back inside. "Hunter didn't actually need anything, did he?" Jason asked.
"Nope," I said, pushing open the glass door.
"How did you even know something's up with me?" he asked.
"I can read minds," I said in a theatrical whisper, wiggling my fingers for effect.
He snorted and threw an arm around neck. "You're a dork."
"Thanks."
*
The following day, I had a class with Liza, and she was there. I sat behind her, in my usual seat. Her head was down as she doodled in her notebook, her red hair curtaining her face.
I touched her back. She turned her head and gave me a weak smile. "Hey."
"Hey," I said. "Are you okay?"
Her smile tightened. She shrugged and looked ahead of her again. The seat next to her was still empty. I rose and took the seat, inching the chair closer. "Hey."
She glanced at me then went back to doodling. "Did Jason tell you?"
"Yeah. Well, some," I said. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Do you want me to tell Jason something?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. "No. Thanks, though."
I sighed. "I'm here if you want to talk about it, about anything. Okay?"
She smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Sapph."
Sam always said that you couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped. Jason and Liza were the only people who could work through their issues. I didn't know enough to intervene, and unless they asked me to, I probably shouldn't. And that sucked.
It royally sucked.
My sinking mood lasted until lunch. As I dragged my feet out of my last morning class, a tall, scowling figure waited for me outside the door. Leaning against the wall, looking at the world through dark, scrutinizing eyes, was my boyfriend.
"Hunter!" I grinned and rushed towards him. He smiled. The white bandage on his forehead stood out under the fluorescent lights of the hallway. He straightened up, and when I hugged him, he hugged me back just as tightly.
"Are you sure you're okay to be out of bed?" I asked. We walked together to the cafeteria, joining the moving wave of hungry teenagers. "I would've thought you'd take any chance to skip school," I said.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I didn't come for school."
Oh. I nudged him. "Very smooth."
"So you keep telling me," he mumbled, glancing at me with a smile in his eyes. "I'm not even trying, I'm just saying the truth."
"Lord help me when you start trying."
He smiled and kissed my temple. I snaked my arm around his waist. "I missed you, and it's not even twenty four hours since I last saw you. I think I might be developing obsessive tendencies when it comes to you."
He snorted. "Sweetheart, if you think you're obsessive, then that means I'm your stalker."
"Stalk all you want," I told him.
"Don't regret it."
"Never."
Our eyes met, and an electric jolt went right through me. My heart squeezed so tight I thought it would implode.
I stopped walking and looked at him. I felt like if I didn't say it right now, the world would cease to exist.
"I love you."
Hunter's chest hitched with a breath. He froze, his dark eyes holding so much hope and joy it took my breath away. In the middle of a crowded school hallway on our way to lunch; it was such an unimaginative way and place to admit my feelings out loud to him. But I just couldn't hold them back anymore.
Then he hugged me, his arms and chest swallowing me, as if he couldn't hug me close enough, as if he let go, the world would sweep me away. As if he wanted to tuck me right next to his heart.
Someone walked by and whistled, someone else made a remark. I didn't care. Being hugged by Hunter was my favorite thing in the world. He made me feel so delicate and feminine, so protected and needed and loved. Everything else disappeared, and we were the only two people in the world.
"I love you, too," he mumbled against my ear. "So much, you have no idea."
Someone smacked the back of my head. Ow. I raised my head. Stefan was walking down the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder at us and smirked. Ass.
Hunter rubbed the back of his head. He must've hit him, too. I could always count on my brothers to ruin a romantic moment.
"Asshole," I grumbled.
Hunter shook his head. But he had a small smile on his face, his expression looked the most open I'd ever seen it, and his eyes twinkled. I wanted to carve his face right now in the back of my eyelids.
I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him. "Let's go. I need to pay my brother back for his smack."
Hunter and I took our trays and joined the others for lunch. I glanced around the cafeteria. Liza was sitting with a group of girls. Well, at least she wasn't alone. I sat down next to Jason. He was arguing with Scott about something, his smile carefree and charming as usual.
I sat down next to Lia, Hunter next to me.
"Hunter, good to see you up and about," Lia said, swirling a pickle in ketchup. I wrinkled my nose. I would never understand this girl's taste buds.
"Thanks," Hunter mumbled.
"Stefan, apologize," I told him. Usually, I would just take my revenge by smacking him upside the head as well when he least expected it. But that would unleash a chain of reactions, and I would have to be guarding my head for twenty four seven in the upcoming weeks. So I would just get my revenge another way.
"Nope," Stefan said, looking awfully smug. I would wipe that look right off his face in a few seconds.
"So, Lia," I said. "There's this guy in the gym who wants me to set him up with someone."
"Who?" Lia asked, leaning closer.
"Sebastian. He doesn't go to our school. He's a really nice guy," I said, looking at Stefan. He took a sip of his coke, seemingly disinterested in the conversation.
Lia sighed. "I don't know..."
"You could go on a date, give it a shot," I said. "What do you think Stefan?"
He almost chocked on his drink. Coughing, he shot me a glare. I beamed at him and gave him a napkin. He snatched it out of my hand and wiped his mouth. Hunter turned his head down, a smile creasing his cheeks.
"Why would you ask Stefan?" Lia asked, frowning at my brother. Their life long animosity clear in the look she gave him.
I shrugged. "No particular reason. Oh, I know!" I snapped my fingers. "Stefan, why don't you-"
"Sapphire!" Stefan shouted, his eyes panicking. Everyone paused.
I smiled and batted my eyelashes. "Yes, dearest brother?"
He growled. "I'm sorry," he said. "For hitting you and your boyfriend."
"Apology accepted," I said, and steered the conversation to safe waters, away from Stefan's crush-maybe more than crush- on Lia.
Hunter leaned close. "Remind me to never piss you off."
I patted his knee. "Don't worry. You're safe from my wrath."
*** **** ***
Going into the gym, Steve immediately zeroed in on Hunter and strode towards us, eying the glaring bandage on my boyfriend's head. "What the hell happened to you? Did you get into a fight?"
"Car accident, so don't get your panties in a twist," I replied before he could ban Hunter from the gym.
Steve gave me a look and stabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Give me thirty minutes of cardio outside, smartass."
I groaned, but I knew better than to argue with Steve. I left Hunter under the mercy of the coach and made my way to the locker rooms.
"Sapph!" Emma called, rushing over from her desk to walk beside me. "What in the world did you tell Brandon?"
I blinked. "What did I tell him?"
"Yes, he's being persistent."
"And that's bad?"
She narrowed her eyes at me. "You did tell him something."
I opened the changing room's door and tugged her inside. "I know for a fact you still like him, Emma, so why are you pissed off?"
"It's not that simple!" she said, throwing her hands up.
I opened my locker. "Isn't it? It seems simple enough to me."
"That's because you're still too young, everything is simple to you!"
My hand froze at taking my clothes out of my bag.
Emma snapped her mouth shut. She covered her face and sat down. "I'm sorry. That was mean."
I sighed and sat down next to her. The brown locker in front of me had been mine since I was still a kid coming here with my father. It was covered in all sorts of stickers, some of them were rubbed off completely.
"I am young," I said.
She lowered her hands. "Yeah, well, it's not a bad thing. I'm just in a mood. I'm sorry."
I nudged her with my elbow. "Hey, if you want me to tell Brandon to give you space, I can do it."
"No, that's not it," she said, tugging on the hem of her yellow shirt. "I guess I'm just... a coward. You're right, in a way, you know. It could be simple, but I'm too scared."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry. As your friend, I feel like I should have a piece of wisdom to impart on you at this moment. But I got nothing."
She smiled and leaned her head against mine. "It's fine. Some things in life we have to figure out on our own."
Emma and I walked out of the locker room giggling about a romance book she read the other day, Brandon forgotten. Steve and Hunter were still speaking near the entrance. It looked pretty serious.
As I watched, Aaron came into the gym. He walked past them, not even looking at them. I smiled to myself. I guess Hunter beat some sense into him.
I went to my thirty minutes of cardio outside. Halfway through, Hunter came out and leaned against the wall, watching me run.
"You could join me?" I called out, sweat trickling down the back of my neck.
"No, thanks," he called back. "Steve says I should rest today. Unfortunately."
I snorted, running past him. "Unfortunately, my ass. You hate cardio as much as I do."
I could hear his chuckle. I glanced at my watch. Only ten minutes to go. I powered through, and was soaked to the bone by the time I was done. I walked on my noodle legs to join Hunter by the wall. He gave me a towel and opened a water bottle before handling it to me.
"Thanks," I mumbled, wiping down my face and neck. Cardio sucked, but it did feel nice afterwards. "What were you speaking about, you and Steve? It looked pretty serious."
I sat down. Hunter went behind me and pushed my back, helping me stretch. "I guess it is. Kind of. I asked him about competitive boxing. I want to make some extra money."
"If you're still underage, don't you need your parents' consent?"
"Apparently. That's why I asked for a job here, instead."
I hesitated. He didn't like talking about his family. "You really think your parents will cut you off if you don't go along with what they want?"
"They won't even hesitate," he said, sitting down beside me as I stretched my arms. He leaned back on his arms and looked at the sky. "I already have some savings from... before."
"Before?"
He glanced at me. "I used to fight. Illegally."
My eyes widened. "So the rumor is really true?"
"The rumors? Yeah, I guess," he said. "I made pretty good money from it, too."
Concern nipped at my guts. I paused with my arm over my head. "You're not going to do it again, right? I heard those fights could be pretty dangerous."
"They are. Don't worry. I'm not thinking about it," he said. "I'll just help Steve around the gym from now on. He said he could use me. And, well, I'm pretty sure I'll get at least one scholarship. So I won't really need a big sum of money to go my own way."
I reached over and squeezed his knee. "I'm here for you. If you need a place to crash once you're kicked out of home, I have a very cozy couch."
He wiggled his eyebrows. "I was aiming for your bed, though."
I slapped his leg and chuckled. "Hey, don't let my brothers hear you say that. You'll be out on the streets before you could even blink."
He grinned. He looked more... carefree. I guess he was at peace with his future plans. I rubbed the pale blue hair tie he gave me. I always wore it around my wrist. I glanced at my black hair tie around his wrist.
Hopefully, everything would work out.