"I don't think that's a good idea," I mutter under my breath. Emily only giggles and looks toward Kaylin who's also just as amused as Emily is.
Kaylin grabs my arm in her hand and tugs me down the never-ending hallway. "Don't worry. Emily said Hunter wouldn't be back until tonight," she whispers in my ear.
I only raise my eyebrow in a questioning manner, wondering how my best friends convinced me to do this.
"And we'll be here with you, don't worry." Emily turns the knob and pushes the wooden door open. I don't go in and stare at the magnificent bedroom instead. Never in my life have I seen Hunter's bedroom. Emily and Kaylin are already inside the bedroom before I can even take one step, rummaging through his things, trying to find anything worth seeking.
Looking at his bedroom now, I can safely say either Hunter is not particularly decorative or just plain lazy. There isn't much in his room. The lack of pieces of furniture in the room gives the illusion that the bedroom is much bigger than it is. The first thing I notice is a king size bed adjusted at the centre of the wall parallel to the door. Windows line the far left wall, a plain white studying table stands beside a white bookshelf filled with an array of books ranging from Wuthering Heights to The Great Gatsby. I trail my fingers along the spines of the books, smiling.
My eyes scan the papers scattered messily across his studying desk. I glance at Emily and Kaylin, only to find them messing around on Hunter's bed. I turn back towards the desk, picking up a paper just hanging off the edge of the table. There's nothing on it but pencil smudges, but when I turn it over my jaw falls open. It's beautiful. The drawing of the little girl holding a puppy is so eerily realistic that I think it's a black and white photo at first. As I look closer, I can see the texture of the pencil against the paper and Hunter's signature embedded at the corner.
"What's that?" Emily asks from the bed.
"It's his drawing. Emily, he's amazing." I study it with awe. It's hard not to admire it straight away. The little girl sits laughing on the plush grass, wind blowing in her dark hair and a small fluffy Maltipoo just in front of her, standing on its hind legs and jumping up toward her face with his tongue out of his mouth.
"I think she meant that." I turn at the source of Kaylin's voice, looking toward where she's pointing. I set the paper back down, striding across the humongous room and taking a closer look at what's lying beside the small silver rubbish bin beside his desk.
"Emily.." I trail, my face turning the colour of beetroot. "You said he's never done it, right?" There's silence in the room. None of us dares to speak. The tension is thick, and it feels as though everyone is frozen for so long, not able to move or speak.
Kaylin's quiet voice is what cuts through the silence first. "Is it a used condom?" Her voice is so soft I almost miss it, but I nod my head slowly, still not able to peel my eyes off the thing on the floor. He probably aimed for the bin but ended up missing it.
"Guys, does Serena Palmer have a white Toyota Camry?" Em pronounces every word extremely slowly. I have no idea but Kaylin apparently does and nods her head. Emily is finally piecing the puzzles together. My lips morph into a frown as I look at Emily. She's staring right at me with an uncertain look on her face. "Where was I last night?"
Kaylin furrows her eyebrows, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, so she's now sitting instead of lying down. "But he wouldn't do it with your parents at home would he?" The thick tension is now gone, and everyone is just looking at each other, trying to understand why there's a used condom in his bedroom.
"Oh, my gosh, you guys! My parents and I weren't home last night. We were visiting my grandparents in Pristine Bay. They're flying to Italy tonight. I saw her car pass when we came back home."
"Hunter didn't come?" I ask.
"Of course he didn't. Hunter never comes anywhere with us."
I give Emily a sad smile when she looks down at her hands, lost in her thoughts. Kaylin wraps her left arm around Emily's shoulders. It's awkward again.
"Do you guys want ice cream? I would die for some vanilla right now?" Kaylin spoke, cutting the awkward tension.
"Vanilla sucks." Emily stands, smiling again this time.
I only tell them I'll be down in the kitchen in a minute when they glance at me questioningly. I look back at Hunter's desk as soon as they step out. Wrapping my fingers against the drawer, I pull it to see the content inside. A navy book sits in the drawer. The tips of my fingers trace the rough canvas cover of the book before I pick it up to get a closer look. I don't open it, though. I don't know if I can. I turn to look at the door, feeling as though someone's watching me do a crime.
"Leah!" Emily's voice from downstairs causes me to jump. The book tumbles out of my hand and onto the carpeted floor, creating a loud thud. I cuss under my breath.
"Leah, please come get your ice cream now." I hear Kaylin shout urgently. My eyes widen when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. My body freezes for quite a few seconds. The footsteps are now right outside. I grab the book from the floor, quickly putting it back into the drawer and closing it shut, not even bothered to see what is written in the book. I turn, just about to go downstairs when I collide with the wall. I press my lips together tightly, rubbing my chest with my palm.
"What the hell are you doing inside my room?"
I only watch him with wide eyes, too stunned to say anything. There is nothing I can say to make him less irritated. His face is calm, no trace of anger on them but his eyes burn with hot flames. He's just too beautiful to be true. Sunset streams through the window blind and fills the whole room with soft orange rays. His long dark eyelashes look majestic in the sun. They brush against his cheekbones every time he blinks. I have no idea what to say. I can only admire him.
I watch his lips when he speaks, almost missing what he says because I am too busy marvelling at his flawless face. "I asked you a question." His voice is thick and gritty, but it makes my insides churn. Not in a painful way, though. It's a pleasant churn. His voice is velvety and silky. I can listen to it all day if he lets me.
"I just... I was passing by, but I thought I saw something by the bin." My voice is too quiet, but he hears me anyway and looks past me to see the object beside the bin. He raises his eyebrows questioningly, still looking into my eyes.
"My door was closed when I left. I also saw you going through my drawer."
"Okay, I am sorry."
"You're not forgiven." He steps aside, throwing his jacket onto the bed and taking his shoes off before flopping on the bed with his arms behind his head. He looks at me again. "You have to beg for my forgiveness."
"What? No."
"Then I'll tell the whole school you slept with me."
"I would never sleep with you." I scrunch my nose, hoping he doesn't see through my lies.
"Then start begging." There's no humour in his tone or his expression. I can hear Emily and Kaylin snickering just outside. I look toward the doorway, but Hunter clicks on his tongue impatiently. "You're not begging the door, you're begging me." There's a smug smile on his face, but he continues to watch me with those sinful green eyes.
"Okay, fine." I sigh. "Hunter, please please—"
"Not like that. On your knees." He tilts his head toward the floor.
I grit my teeth together, trying to convince myself that begging for Hunter's forgiveness is much better than being known as the school whore who slept with her best friend's brother. After a few seconds of silence, I finally give in and drop down to my knees, all while looking at Hunter right in the eyes. "Oh please forgive me, my king," I say monotonously.
"You're horrible at this."
"Well, I didn't ask you to thank me when I helped you in fourth grade so why should I beg for your forgiveness?" I snap, finally regretting it when Hunter stays quiet, his face not showing any hint of emotion.
"What?"
"Nothing. Will you please forgive me?" I want to get out of here.
"When did you even help me?"
"Just drop it, please. Can we just forget about all this? I promise I'll stay away from you from now on."
"I'll forgive you when you tell me."
I stand up, stretching my legs a little. "Remember when Sam Cunningham pushed you off your bike?" He nods slowly, trying to recall what happened. "I followed you that day even though my house was on the other side of town, but I saw Sam following you, so I went the same way. You fell, I called your mum to come pick you up. Your mum was so freaked out she just left your bike on the side of the street and threw you into the car."
"That was you?"
"Do I look that different?"
"Well, you looked better back then." He smirks, but I just ignore him. "And for the record, I didn't need your help so I don't see any reason as to why I should thank you."
I frown, not knowing how to respond. If it wasn't for me, he would be long gone by now. "I better get home."
"Need a ride?" He sits up on the bed. I only narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. "I forgot to buy some cigarettes so I need to head out anyway." He shrugs.
"Then no, I don't need a ride."
"He doesn't mean a ride home." Kaylin and Emily hoot. I nibble on the inside of my lip, smiling sheepishly at Hunter who's not even the slightest bit amused by Kaylin's remark.
"No, seriously, I already called my mother to pick me up," I lie, eager to get out of Hunter's room. His presence makes me feel like I have breathing problems. It's like there's no air and it's only him standing there, looking at me and silently burning every inch of my skin with his eyes.
I grab my school jacket from Emily's room, say goodbye to Em and Kaylin and then call Elliot to come and pick me up. He finally arrives after 20 minutes, right before the rain starts pouring down from the sky. We sit in silence on the way back home.
I know he has something to say. He's only debating whether he should say it. I am about to ask him, but he turns the radio on before I can. It's almost like he knows I'm about to speak.
I glance at him, but he's focused on driving. His jaw is gritted, his hand gripping the steering wheel so tight his whole fist is white. Bonnie Raitt continues to blare through the speakers, and it seems to get louder every passing second.
I finally snap, reaching my hand out and slamming the radio button, halting the music completely. Elliot only turns his head to me, questioning me with his eyes. "You have something to ask me?" I calmly ask him, but he turns away and sighs.
"Liam told me about how you ran away with Hunter the other night."
"Ran away? I didn't run away with him. When?"
He frowns with anger and disbelief. "He saw you get on his damn motorbike in the middle of the night, Leah. How is that not running away? He even called your name."
"Did you guys tell Mum and Dad?"
"I will if you don't start explaining yourself. Liam said he stayed up all night worrying about you."
"It wasn't my idea. He forced me to buy him food because there wasn't any food left from dinner that night."
"Why is he asking you to buy him food? Do you owe him something?"
"No. We invited him to dinner, remember?"
He groans, mindful of how Hunter's mind works. "I don't want you hanging out with him, Leah."
"He would never hang out with me, Elliot, don't worry."
"You sound pretty sad about that."
I smile, rolling my eyes just as soon as we park the car in the garage.
Liam and Elliot let me off the hook this once, but tells me if they see me hanging out with Hunter again, they will personally rip his head off and then blame it on me when the police find out.
I only just finish brushing my teeth when my phone vibrates from the nightstand. I grab it, seeing a message from Emily.
Emily: alex turner came on as soon as you left my house
Me: What? Why didn't you call me?
Emily: cause i was watching duh ?? anyways i cant believe my brother isnt a nun anymore
Me: You had to have seen it coming
Emily: u like him tho
Me: Everybody wants to jump his bones, Em. You've got the hottest brother in town.
Emily: 1. thats gross 2. you admitted it 3. ew
Me: You can't blame me for wanting to jump a hot guy.
Emily: people say me and hunt look alike so your saying i am hot omg
Me: Night, Emily.
I see another single message from 'Kaylin <3'
Kaylin: I am picking you up tomorrow xx
I chuckle under my breath, tossing my phone onto the bed beside me carelessly and closing my eyes, hoping I dream of something good.
The next morning, I wake up to Kaylin's voice downstairs. She's talking to my mum about what kind of tea she likes. She doesn't even drink tea. She's a coffee addict. She can't go to school without a hot cup of coffee in her hand. Once she came to school looking like she was dragged through hell twice and told me it was because she woke up late and didn't have time to make herself some coffee.
I get ready for school then go downstairs to get breakfast and meet Kaylin.
"Hey, Kaylin." Kaylin and mum are both sitting beside each other on the high stools with a mug of something steamy in front of them. I grab some grapes and a slice of apple from the fruit plate, leaning on the counter beside Kaylin. "What are you guys drinking?"
"Earl Grey." Kaylin squeaks with a forced smile on her face. I nod, popping the last grape into my mouth and grabbing her mug before chugging down the sweet tea.
"Leah! That's Kaylin's!" My mum scolds me with disapproval. Kaylin nods, agreeing with my mother.
I only shrug. "Sorry. You ready to go?" Kaylin hugs my mother goodbye, and I follow afterwards. We walk out the house while trying not to burst out laughing.
"Ugh, how do people even drink tea?" Kaylin asks just as soon as I close the front door and walk down the stairs of the porch. She takes one of the straps of her backpack off her shoulder and grabs her water bottle before chugging down three big gulps. "Thanks for the help, though."
I spot a familiar black car parked at the usual spot Kaylin's brother, Viktor, would park when he picks me up. "Did your brother get a new car?" I squint my eyes to see through the semi-tinted window of the car.
"No. Viktor has something to do at uni and my parents are too busy with work to drop me off so Viktor asked Hunter to pick us up." I take a long exhale, suddenly remembering the conversation I had with Emily last night. The idea of jumping Hunter's bones makes my cheeks flush.
I try to think of anything else but him. "You couldn't just take the bus to school?"
"I lost my bus card."
"Use your money."
"No. I can get french fries with it. I don't dibs shotgun. You do." She opens the back door of the car and closes it before I can get in. I yelp, trying to open the door and finding it locked. I tap on the window with my fingers but Kaylin only smiles cockily from the inside, sipping on her coffee.
I walk to the other side of the car only to find it locked as well. I sigh, opening the passenger door and peering in at Hunter sitting in the driver's seat with that goddamn smirk on his face. He's the only person in the whole school that can make the school uniform look like it was custom made for him by Louis Vuitton.
"Can you unlock the—"
"No. Get in or we're going to be late."
I huff, plopping onto the inviting leather seat of the passenger seat and putting my bag under my feet. I am already buckled in when I realise Hunter hasn't stepped on the pedal. I turn my head to look at him and instantly regrets it when I see he's already looking at me. My stomach flips with anxiety.
Do I have something on my face? Did I apply too much chapstick?
His hand is gripping the gear stick while the other is resting on top of the steering wheel. "What?" I question.
He doesn't move but smirks instead. "Aren't you a little too sassy this morning?" I narrow my eyes but he only seems to ignore me and move the gear into position before pulling onto the road.
"You were the one staring at me," I snap back. He doesn't lose his smirk, though, but instead slams on the pedal harder, weaving through the morning traffic of people going to work. I press my back harder to the seat behind me, afraid if I don't I will go lurching forward onto the dashboard.
"Cause you've got something sticking out of your nose." I've never blushed from embarrassment so hard in my life. My whole body is radiating so much heat you can cook a three-course meal on it. I am sure now the memory is seared into my brain and ready to pop out at me at unexpected times. I flip the visor above me and tilt my head up to look up my nose. There was nothing there.
"You're such a prick."
"Aw, come on," he drawls on, and for a second I think he might apologise, but I should have known his ego is much too big for that. "Maybe you just breathe really hard, and it popped straight out of your nose."
Kaylin snickers in the backseat, but quickly put on a straight face when I turn to look at her.
"Where's Em?" I ask.
"Sick."
I nod.
The rest of the journey to school is quiet except for the constant bickering coming from Kaylin and Hunter, which I refuse to join anyway. As soon as Hunter parks the car in the school parking lot, I get out, wanting to get away from Hunter and his rude remarks. Kaylin joins me by my side, clearly enjoying the attention we're getting from the students loudly chattering about why we were in the same car as Hunter Kings.
"They're making such a big deal about this," I mutter quietly so only Kaylin can hear.
She tosses her empty coffee cup into the bin. "Kind of makes sense, though. They probably think we had a threesome."
From the distance I see Cain running with a thrilled grin. I am struck with fear. Kaylin notices it too and glances at me, shrugging. We continue to walk until Cain is standing in front of us, panting and out of breath. He wheezes out a small 'Hi'. We greet him back. "Hold on." He holds his palm up, face scrunching up from exhaustion. He fishes out his blue inhaler from his jacket pocket and quickly does his thing, smiling afterwards. "So, Leah." We start to walk to the field, but Cain is giving me a teasing look. "How are you and Hunter?"
"What?"
"I saw you strut into the school with him hot on your tail. He was really enjoying that full view of your firm ass by the way."
Kaylin slaps on his arm. "I was there too, you know."
"And he wasn't interested in your ass, cause not that you have any anyway. You're kind of like a side hoe." Cain shakes his head, playfully judging Kaylin with his eyes.
"Nothing happened between us. We're just how we used to be."
"Borderline acquaintance, borderline lovers." Cain wiggles his eyebrows, resting his heavy arm around my shoulders. That doesn't even make sense. "Honestly, you and Hunter should be in jail for the endless amount of times you've eye-raped each other."
I push his muscular arm off my shoulders and glare at him. He smirks, putting his hands up to show his defeat. School drags by pretty quickly, considering I was only daydreaming the whole time. So many things were on my mind. It's only until my free period that it gets interesting.
I usually spend my free periods in the school library, catching up on projects I can easily do with the help of the library books and the unbelievably fast internet. Other people usually sign out and get out of school, but I don't usually do that unless I have early leave. That way, I don't need to think about coming back to school again.
Not many people come to the library on free periods. It's only those who want to surf the internet rather than hang with friends who come. My friends have a pretty diverse schedule so we don't often get free periods at the same time, but when we do we usually get out of school and stay at the park nearby. Today is no different than many other days. Emily is supposed to hang with me at the library, but instead, she's sick at home, probably lounging around the house eating bland porridge in a jacket and a pair of old sweatpants.
I don't even glance from my project when the library door opens. From my peripheral vision, I can see two students stepping into the library, but I ignore them. I am about to stand from my seat and search for a book when I hear someone giggle, a little too loudly, might I say. I turn at the source of the voice only to find Hunter being dragged to the back of the library by Serena Palmer. I turn my head around, making sure they don't see me. Her laughter fades the more they walk away so I grab my phone and follow them. I only get a glimpse of Serena's blonde hair and Hunter's shoes until they finally disappear behind the rows of bookshelves.
I grip my phone in my hand, walking quietly to the back of the library when I hear a quiet whimper. I freeze. Now the thought of turning around and not looking back seems awfully tempting, but I continue to walk anyway, pretending I am just strolling through the library. Needless to say, I shouldn't have been so curious.