"BE HONEST, what do you think about Hunter?" Ava asked slowly as if she was walking on eggshells, lowering herself beside me on the couch.
"What?" I confusingly asked.
She rolled her eyes as if the question was a simple and obvious one. "What's your opinion on him?"
"I don't know. I've only met him once," I said with an expression on my face that read duh.
The corners of Ava's lips curved up. "Well then that settles it. We're all going to spend some time together, and you two are going to get to know each other." She sprang up from the couch and gripped my wrist, yanking me up with her.
"Woah, wait a second," I said, trying to pry my arm out of Ava's grip, but she clung onto my arm like her life depended on it.
And with that, Ava threw some clothes at me after finally letting go of my arm as she pulled me into her room. "Put this on."
"Ava, wait—"
"Bye!" Ava sang as she ran out of the room and shut the door behind her. I groaned, begrudgingly changing into the clothes she gave me.
∞
"SO WHY DOES my opinion on Hunter matter?" I asked questioningly as I stepped out of Ava's room, smoothing out a wrinkle in my shirt.
I looked up and felt my cheeks begin to gain some warmth as I saw Hunter sitting on the couch a few feet away with Ava seated beside him. He offered me a soft smile as I responded back with a weak one. Ava got up and walked over to me, pulling me back into her room as she quietly closed the door.
"Because," she dragged out, "I really like him, Hads. Even though we've been on a few dates, I really like him a lot already, and I want you guys to like each other because if it becomes serious, I don't want my potential boyfriend and best friend to hate each other. That would be a nightmare."
I chuckled, "Fine." Ava smiled with glee, her eyes lighting up. "So, what are we doing today?"
Ava shrugged, "You'll just have to wait and see." I sighed, not really surprised that she said that.
We walked back out to the living room where Hunter was waiting for us, scrolling on his phone. Ava strolled over to him with a smile on her face, holding out her hand towards him. "Ready?"
He nodded, getting up and taking her hand, intertwining their fingers together.
"Oh, and by the way, this is Hadley. Hadley, this is Hunter. I'm sure you two have met before, right?" Ava said as she looked between the both of us, subtly reminding us of what our names were to each other. He had emerald eyes with golden flecks that reflected the sunlight, which made him enthralling. His fawn hair was swooped back with a light coat of gel and he had a slight shadow of scruff lining his chin.
"You're the girl who answered the door that one time when I had flowers, right?" He said as we shook hands.
"Yeah, that was me," I awkwardly chuckled.
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you properly." Ava pulled the door open and walked with pep in her step, leaving us behind. "Do you know where she's taking us?" He whispered as he watched her walk ahead of us.
"No clue. I'm guessing you don't know either?" He nodded in agreement.
∞
"HEY," I heard a voice from behind us shout as we crossed the quad. A wide grin was wiped across my face as Hunter and I laughed as we shared our most embarrassing moments from high school after a long day.
Mines was when I slipped on a caution sign and I fell down, my lunch crashing down into my face as the whole cafeteria laughed at me. When I look back now, I laugh at myself, but back then, my face was bright red as a tomato. Hunter's story, on the other hand, was probably the one that took the cake. He went on a date with this girl and laughed at a joke she told, which caused him to choke on his spaghetti and a noodle came out of his nose. "Hopefully that doesn't happen again," he said as he finished up his story.
I spun around and saw James jogging towards us. An unsettling feeling rose in my stomach with every second and before I knew it, James was standing right in front of me, inches away. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not, I've been...busy," I replied, looking away as my lips rolled in, wanting to leave.
"Yes, you are. I know you are. Is everything okay?" He placed his hand on my cheek and lightly stroked the skin beneath my eye with his thumb. I stiffened under his touch, beginning to feel uncomfortable. Feeling more wary from the silence, he added, "Look, I know I might've said it too early but I won't make you say it back until you're ready." He offered a small smile.
And that's when the big wave hit me, the unyielding knot in my stomach making it worse.
I fucked up big time.
Tears pricked my eyes as I felt like the world was caving in on me, wanting this problem to just disappear with the wind. And then it happened: the explosion of emotions.
"I'm sorry," I cried out as I bursted into tears, sobbing like there was no tomorrow. "I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry," I repeated over and over again, casting my gaze to the ground.
Concern washed over James's face, eyebrows furrowed. "No, Hadley. God, I'm sorry for putting all that pressure on you. I never want to make you cry. Come here." He reached for me but I pulled away, hurt and confusion pooling in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, James, but I don't think I'll ever be able to give you what you want. I don't think I'll ever be able to say those words," I sniffled, shamefully bringing myself to look him in the eyes. "And I don't think I'm ready for a relationship yet."
Hurt filled his eyes as he desperately pleaded, "Hadley, you're not serious, right? God, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. Let's just forget it ever happened and go back to how it was before."
He tried once again to hug me as he filled the space between us but I took another step back. Agony morphed onto his face as he stared at me.
"I'm so sorry, I know I should've said something sooner, but James...I think it's best if we stayed friends. I know this also won't help, but you deserve to hear it, you deserve to know the truth." I inhaled as I prepared to break it to him. His heart was breaking, practically shattered. His anguish was written all over his face.
"The truth is, I don't think I ever really liked you in that way. I had feelings for someone else who didn't feel the same way and when you gave me your attention, it made me feel significant to someone; it made me feel like I was needed. And I knew it was wrong, I knew I was doing something I shouldn't have, but I still went ahead with it anyway, and now I'm paying for it by feeling this immense guilt that words can't even describe because I still want him and I hurt you in the process of trying to get over him. So for the umpteenth time, I'm sorry, James. I'm sorry I was too much of a coward to turn you down, and I'm so sorry for doing this to you."
My cheeks were wet, but the tears had halted and an immense weight felt like it was lifted off my chest. Embarrassment and utter betrayal was written all over his face, but he masked it a second later with fury. The expression on his face made my stomach drop even more.
"You're such a fucking bitch. You led me on and used me so that you could what, make him jealous? Or were you using me as a rebound, you fucking tease. I thought you were different, but I guess I was wrong. You're just like all the other bitches who were a fucking tease and led me on. And that other guy, please don't tell me it's..." He didn't even have to finish his sentence as he laughed dryly. He already knew who it was. By the silence and the expression on my face, he knew that we were both thinking of the same person: Milo.
"No, I'm not losing another girl to him," he hissed with venom in his voice like Milo was some type of low-life. He lunged for my arm, but Hunter swiftly stepped in between us and pushed James away. I had completely forgotten that Ava and Hunter were still there, watching the whole scene unfold as my feet became glued to the pavement.
"Hey," Hunter warned, staying between the two of us. James shrugged Hunter off and stepped to the side, coming a bit closer to me.
"You're delusional, Hadley. Do you think he'll ever like you like that again? He's with that girl Nicole, do you really think he'll ever come back to you when he has her? Because if you do, you're an idiot. He'll never love you," James spat with malice in my face, making sure I knew the pain he felt.
"Okay, that's enough," Hunter chimed in, completely blocking my view of James, pushing his chest away.
"Don't touch me," James spat as he whacked Hunter's hand off of him and took a step closer towards Hunter, shoving him in the chest. "Mind your own fucking business."
"Didn't anyone teach you manners? I know you feel like shit right now, but that doesn't give you the right to be a dick about it because you can't accept the fact that she's not into you," Hunter boomed authoritatively.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" James growled and grabbed the collar of Hunter's shirt, his face inches away from Hunter's.
"You think you're innocent here? Does she know what happened at that party from a couple weeks ago?" Hunter whispered to James. James narrowed his eyes at Hunter before grunting and forcefully letting go of him as he backed away.
The look on James's face gave me chills. If looks could kill, Hunter and I would've been good as dead.
Hunter gently placed a hand on my upper back and guided me away towards Ava who was shocked and offered me a sympathetic look.
A day that was supposed to be a fun bonding experience with laser tag and a break-out room was turned sour as both Hunter and Ava led me back to the dorm, heavy tension resting in the air like a thick blanket.
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A/N: Hello! Intense chapter, hm? As always, thanks for reading and your support!
-Karlee 💛