Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

by Philline Harms

  An annoyed expression spread across my mom’s face. “Then she should make time. The church is more important than any of her occult nonsense!”

  “Either way, it’s not relevant to the topic right now.” My dad suddenly cut in, setting down his glass of wine. “Just run this little errand for your mother, Julian. Or is that too much to ask for?”

  “No, it’s not.” I sighed, trying not to sound too irritated and got to my feet. “Where’s that cake server?”

  Mom just pointed at the kitchen counter with a blank face. I fetched the cake server and left the kitchen without another word. In the hallway, I quickly slipped into my sneakers, deciding not to change clothes. Nancy was probably just one of these other strange church ladies that owned a bunch of cats, wore aprons over flower dresses, and had nothing else to do than to bake cakes for charity events, like most of the women my mom was friends with. I doubted she would care that I was ringing at her door wearing only sweatpants and a hoodie.

  Since it was only a short distance, I also neglected to wear a jacket and stepped outside, shutting the door behind me.

  Out here, everything was calm and quiet, like it usually was in the type of pristine suburb I lived in. The road was already lit by street lamps every few feet despite the sun only just setting. In a few windows, I could still see the flickering light of a television. However, others were already hidden behind curtains, concealing what was going on inside.

  I didn’t encounter a single person on my way down the street. Everyone was already inside and probably getting ready for bed. In this area, it seemed like life just paused at seven in the evening, when everyone returned to their picture-perfect homes until the next ordinary day began in the morning.

  The house my mom had described was only a two-minute walk away. It was a huge house with a porch and a big yard in front, bigger than other houses around here. I had never really paid attention to it, but now I was honestly kind of intimidated by the size of the property.

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the yard and walked up to the white front door, somehow feeling extremely nervous all of a sudden. My nerves peaked the moment I rang the doorbell.

  It took a few seconds before someone opened the door, and when it did and I could see who was standing there before me, I almost screamed.

  “Hey there,” Hunter said, one eyebrow raised.

  “Uh…Hi,” I muttered, giving him a quick once-over.

  He was barefoot, only clad in dark jeans…and my hoodie.

  Under his attentive gaze, I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, painfully aware of my clothes and the way my hair probably looked, still wet and all over the place. I was pretty sure I looked like a complete idiot standing there with the darn cake server in one hand.

  But Hunter didn’t laugh. Instead, he said, eyes bright with amusement, “Damn, sugarpie. You make it pretty hard to think straight right now.”

  “Uhm, why are you wearing my hoodie?” I asked, speaking the first thing that came to mind and ignoring that horrible pun.

  Hunter just shrugged. “It’s comfy. Why? Do you want me to take it off?” His smirk widened.

  “No,” I immediately said. “No, that’s not what I meant—”

  “Calm down.” Hunter chuckled. Then he pointed at the cake server in my hand. “I suppose you wanted to bring this to my mom?”

  By now, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and die. “Yeah.”

  Hunter stepped out onto the porch, closer to me, and took the cake server out of my hand.

  After he carelessly tossed it onto a drawer in the corridor behind him, he said, “Well, thanks for coming by.

  I just nodded. For some reason, my heart was beating twice as fast as usual, and I could feel my hands shaking, not just from the cold.

  “Why are you always so nervous?” Hunter suddenly asked something that looked like genuine curiosity flickering across his features.

  “Only when you’re around,” I replied truthfully.

  Something was off with my voice. The words came out sounding breathless, husky.

  Hunter’s eyes softened. “You don’t have to feel that way,” he told me.

  I didn’t know what to reply to that, so I just kept my mouth shut.

  “Actually, I think you—” Hunter began but stopped mid-sentence as the lights of a car suddenly lit up the yard.

  I turned around only to see Sean McLarin, a guy I knew from my sports class, getting out of his car. Sean was tall and muscular with a sharp jawline and jet black hair. He was also known for having a slight problem controlling his anger, so there was a good reason I was a little intimidated by him.

  “Would you look at that,” Hunter said. His voice suddenly changed from the softer, sincere tone he had just spoken into the arrogant sneer I was used to. “My date of the week is here.”

  “D-date of the week?” I asked, shaking my head slightly in confusion.

  “Sure. I sometimes call people to come over for a few nights a week. It’s always quite fun.”

  Fighting down the sick feeling in my stomach, I watched as Sean neared us until he came to a halt next to me.

  “What’s he doing here?” he asked Hunter instead of a greeting, not even really looking at me.

  “Oh, he was just about to leave,” Hunter answered, cocking a brow at me. “Right, Jules?”

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice sounding surprisingly firm considering the state I was in right now. “We’re done here.”

  Then I spun around and walked away as quickly as possible without actually running, just wanting to leave Hunter and Sean and this entire bizarre situation behind.

  When I turned around once more, the last thing I saw was Hunter pushing Sean against the wall next to the front door. His hands were locked behind the jock’s neck while he was kissing the guy roughly.

  Chapter 8

  After what I witnessed a few days before, sharing a tent with Hunter on the field trip was the last thing I wanted to do. Still, the trip was obligatory for all students, which was why I found myself dragging my suitcase across the camping site along with the rest of the class.

  “Here we are.” Hunter announced and ripped open the zipper that kept the tent shut.

  We arrived at the camping site about ten minutes ago and were sent to move into our tents after a brief assembly.

  The tent was red, and the dim light inside was tinted with the same color. The tent itself wasn’t very big. There was only room for our two sleeping mats and sleeping bags and a little bit of space on both sides where we could put our backpacks.

  “The last time I was in a place with this kind of red lighting, there were more girls, and they had considerably fewer clothes on. While I’m okay with guys too, I think it’d only be appropriate if you’d at least take off your shirt,” Hunter said, flashing me a smirk while he sprawled lazily on his sleeping bag.

  I slumped down on my sleeping mat next to his. There really wasn’t much space separating them, no way to escape his lingering gaze.

  “Are you ever going to stop saying things like that?” I groaned and closed my eyes. “You do realize that I’m straight, right?”

  Next to me, Hunter chuckled lightly. “That’s what I said, too, until I kissed a boy and liked it.”

  “Well, I kissed a girl, and I liked it.”

  “Okay, I get it.” He laughed. “We can talk about something you’re more comfortable with.”

  Was he actually being considerate?

  I opened my eyes in surprise to steal a quick look at him. He was lying next to me, propped up on one elbow while he watched me with an unreadable expression.

  “About how much I hate insects for example.” Hunter quickly proceeded as the silence dragged on for too long and pointed at the tent opening. “This door stays closed. I do not want to get eaten by bugs tonight.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked. “You’re scared of bugs?”

  “Yes,” he replied impatiently. “Just don’t open that unless you have
to.”

  I nodded and tried not to laugh at the look of actual worry on his face.

  Hunter rolled his eyes at me. “Oh, come on. There’s nothing funny about that.”

  “Yeah, there is,” I replied and struggled to keep a straight face.

  “Cheeky, are we?” Hunter narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Never.”

  “Sarcastic dumbass.”

  “That’d be me.” I grinned.

  Before he could answer, the sound of a whistle rang from across the camping site, along with Mr. Smith yelling for everybody to meet at the fireplace.

  Hunter and I crawled out of the tent and headed for the fireplace. While he went to sit with his friends, I took my place next to Nate. Emily was sitting with her friends and greeted me with a smile and a short wave.

  “Hey, man. How’s it going with Hunter?” Nate asked.

  “Well, I only had the urge to punch his incredibly straight teeth out around five times in the last few minutes, so that’s good, I guess.”

  “His teeth are the only thing straight about him.” Nate commented, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Tell me about it.”

  In the next few minutes, the area around the fireplace began to fill with students until there was no more space on the benches and they had to sit on the grass. On the opposite side of the fireplace, I could see Alexis sitting on Hunter’s lap, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder. Sean was sitting on the ground in front of him with a grumpy expression.

  “Do you think something is going on between Hunter and Alexis?” Nate asked, looking at them intently.

  “I’m not sure,” I said thoughtfully. “Sometimes they seem like they’re a couple, but that’d be weird seeing as he’s still sleeping around with half of our school…Maybe they’re friends with benefits?”

  Nate frowned. “I don’t believe that. Alexis doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to agree to something like that.”

  I couldn’t hold back an amused grin. “You think? I didn’t realize you knew her that well.”

  “I don’t.” He admitted. “I’d like to, though. She seems nice.”

  “Nice.” I repeated with a chuckle. “Why don’t you just ask her out then?”

  Nate shifted around uncomfortably. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea. I mean, have you seen her? She could have everyone! Why would she be interested in me?”

  I looked over at him, surprised by the distressed tone in his voice. “But you’re—”

  “Just leave it be.” He interrupted me. “I will only make a fool of myself. I don’t do relationships anyway.”

  The teachers spared me from answering him as they stepped into the middle of the circle and started talking.

  “Silence!” a slim blond teacher shouted, eyeing every single one of us with her hands on her hips until it was finally quiet.

  “Wow,” Nate whispered. “I didn’t know this was a boot camp.”

  “I’m Mrs. Hennig,” she said. “I’ll be the go-to female person for you, girls. If you have a problem, you can come to me.” She paused for a moment, waiting for some murmurs to die down. “So, the plan for tonight will be as follows: First, you’ll have time to explore this camping site. But, and this is the most important rule for the next few days: do not leave the camping site without the permission of a teacher. Do you understand?”

  Everyone muttered in agreement, and she continued. “Afterwards, we’ll have dinner…That’ll be in thirty minutes, and when that’s over, we will have a night hike. We don’t care when you go to sleep, but you aren’t allowed to leave your tents after midnight. Unless you want to use the bathroom, of course. Are we clear?”

  Again, everyone nodded.

  “Good. You’re dismissed then.”

  Nate and I got up with the rest of the group but didn’t come very far, as Mrs. Hennig suddenly pointed the finger at us.

  “You and you!” she shouted after Nate and me and beckoned us over to her.

  I exchanged a puzzled look with him. Had we done something wrong?

  “Yes?” I nervously asked.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not punishing you guys for anything,” she said and to both our surprise, laughed lightly. “I just want to talk about the night hike. It’s a tradition that every year, a few students follow the group and scare them when they walk past the old cemetery. Would you guys like to take care of that this year?”

  “Uhm, sure,” I said after exchanging a quick look with Nate. That actually sounded quite fun. “Is there anyone else with us?”

  “Yes. Mr. Smith will be there, too. Just follow him as soon as the group leaves the camping site.” She looked at us, waiting for any more questions. When neither of us said anything, she nodded briefly. “Alright. See you around. And don’t go too far with the prank, got that?”

  “She really has that kind of a sergeant-thing going on,” Nate stated with narrowed eyes as soon as she was out of earshot. “Dude, do you know how we can scare them?”

  “Jump out of the bushes and scream?”

  Nate sent me a blank stare. “The only thing scary about that is your lack of imagination. I have a better plan. How about we lure some people away from the group? They’ll be terrified to suddenly find themselves alone.”

  “Sure, whatever.” I laughed.

  Nate always had a thing for scary stuff. He already started putting up Halloween decoration in the middle of July, so this was clearly his thing. Freaking weirdo.

  ***

  About two hours and a dinner that consisted of overcooked noodles with tomato sauce later, everyone left the camping site for the night hike. Some of them were carrying flashlights with them. Nate and I had two of them, too, seeing as the sun was about to go down.

  “Are you ready, boys?” Mr. Smith asked. His eyes were gleaming with glee for the poor students he’d be scaring tonight.

  “Yep,” I said. “Where do we have to go?”

  Mr. Smith motioned for us to follow him. “I know a shortcut we can take so we can wait for them at the cemetery.”

  The walk there took about ten minutes, then we reached the huge gates of the cemetery. Behind it, I could see some tombstones protruding from the graves like fingers reaching for the dark sky.

  “What are you waiting for, cowards? Spread out!” Mr. Smith said and laughed a bit as he saw our worried faces. Then he walked past us and disappeared in the dark behind the gates. “Don’t let the zombies eat your brains!”

  I nudged Nate with my shoulder. “Dude, you’re lucky. They won’t chase you if they know there’s nothing to take from you.”

  Nate scowled at me. “Very funny, Jules. May the zombies eat you whole.”

  With that, he followed Mr. Smith, leaving me to my own devices.

  “Rude,” I shouted after him and followed them through the gates of the graveyard.

  I wasn’t particularly scared of cemeteries. I actually didn’t mind visiting them, since I was there often. Still, I couldn’t deny that being here, alone and in the dark, was giving me chills.

  Hurrying past some graves, I looked for a good hiding spot. Eventually, I decided to wait by the small chapel. The others would walk right past it, but if I ducked into an alcove, they probably wouldn’t be able to see me, and I could choose a victim to scare.

  So there I was, waiting with my back pressed against the wall of the chapel, which was still warm from the fading daylight. I glanced at my watch, realizing that if Mr. Smith’s calculations were right, the group would be here in only about two minutes.

  And it was true. Shortly after, I heard voices and the excited chattering of the students. I pressed even harder against the wall and hoped they wouldn’t shine their flashlights into my direction. I didn’t even dare to breathe, not wanting anyone to spot me before I could set the plan into action.

  Luckily, the majority of them walked past me without even one of them noticing me lurking around in the shadows. After them, followed small groups of people and
others were even walking all on their own. These were the ones I was looking out for—easy targets that I could attack without anyone else noticing.

  I was actually really enjoying this. I realized as I was watching my unknowing classmates nearing me. There were only three more people left, and I would have to decide which of them I should pick. Shortly before they reached my spot, one of them stopped and bent down to tie their shoelaces. The others didn’t wait but kept on walking.

  This was my opportunity.

  Whoever the person was, they were alone and unaware of my presence. In the dark, I couldn’t tell who it was, but from their build, I suspected it was a boy, barely taller than me. I waited patiently until he was done tying his shoelaces and stood upright again. He advanced quickly, walking in long strides until he was right next to my hiding spot.

  Taking a deep breath, I reached for him, pressing one hand over his mouth to muffle his surprised outcry, and pulled him into the chapel. The darkness inside was pitch-black and all-consuming, so it was impossible for me to recognize my victim as I pushed him up against the wall.

  That was until it suddenly hit me: his smell.

  I knew this aftershave.

  I blinked into the darkness until my eyes adjusted, only to see that I was right. It was Hunter, blinking back at me in surprise.

  “Jules?” he asked.

  His voice echoed loudly through the chapel, bouncing off the walls around us. By now, my eyes had adjusted well enough to the darkness that I was able to see the confused look on his face.

  A hot wave of embarrassment suddenly took hold of me.

  “What?” I asked, my voice oddly high-pitched. “No. I’m…the cemetery gardener.”

  “Okay, as much as I appreciate that you want to make out with me in this cozy little chapel, I’d like to know the reason.” He snickered.

  “I don’t want to make out with you!”

  Hunter’s eyes traveled to where my hands were still resting on his shoulders, pushing him against the brick wall behind him. I pulled them back immediately as if I had burnt my fingers on him.