by Kent, Rina
“But you think I am.” She shook her head and bit her lip before looking away. Her eyes welled up with tears, and my face fell. I’d seen Paige cry dozens of times, but before a month ago, I couldn’t have predicted being the source of her pain. I wish it felt good and the image of her laughing with her new friends about me would replay in my mind, but all I could see was the hurt on her face.
“We’re not friends anymore… You don’t need to warn me about—”
“Okay, I get it.” She wiped beneath her eyes. She was staring at something on the field, and I followed her gaze. It wasn’t something, it was someones.
Jade and Leilani stood two feet apart, their legs spread in the ending move of a cheer. Both of their eyes were locked onto Paige.
“Oh, I see.” I rolled my eyes and laughed dryly. “They sent you up here to scare me away. Cool.”
“No, they didn’t.” Paige whipped toward me and placed her hand on my shoulder, which I swatted away.
“Eden, listen.” She glanced down at Sherry before putting her mouth next to my ear. “Hunter wants me to talk to you about going with him to homecoming. Cam and Hunter, they—”
“Stop.” I stood and gestured toward Jordan for him to stand too. This had been a terrible idea. I should’ve known one of them would ruin it.
“Come on, we have to go.” Jordan slowly stood and took my hand.
“Eden, wait.”
I whirled around, my eyes crazed and teeth bared. “Leave. Me. Alone.”
I’d made no attempt to be quiet, and several people, including Sherry, broke their concentration on the game to turn and stare at us.
Paige glanced around, the color draining from her cheeks. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away.
Oh, I embarrassed you, Paige?
Good.
I gripped Jordan’s hand and guided us out of the stands. I had to force myself to go at a pace his short legs could keep up with, and when we’d made it to the railing, I chanced a glance toward the benches where I’d last seen Camden. The defense was playing, so he was still there. Our eyes met, and his head tilted in question.
I paused and took a moment to just stare. The first half had been nice, even with Hunter’s parents taking the bulk of my attention. For a moment, it had felt as if I really had been there to watch my boyfriend play.
I gave a small wave before continuing on out of the stadium, not looking back again.
Chapter Seventeen
Cam
“Run the ball.”
The voice belonged to Gene, but my eyes never left Hunter. Sweat dripped from his chin to his white T-shirt. His chest showed clearly in the beam of the porch light where it’d soaked through. I hadn’t sweat a drop, and my fingertips touching the lace of the football had gone numb. My breath fogged in front of my face. Hunter jogged up to stand to my right. He bent his knees and rested his hand on the ground while peering up at the blackness of the backyard where the light didn’t reach.
The patio door slid open and Sherry appeared holding her robe tightly around her. “Gene, they’ve been at it for hours. Don’t you think this is enough?”
“Shut up,” Gene barked over his shoulder before turning to me. The light shone down on his back, casting a shadow ten feet in front of him and painting an ominous haze over his face.
“Run the ball.”
I flicked my gaze between Sherry and Hunter. His breathing was deep. A shiver ran down my spine just looking at the sweat that was drying.
I clapped a hand over the ball. “Hike.”
Hunter sprinted three steps out before pivoting and charging toward me. I pumped a fake pass to the darkness before handing it off to him. My numb fingers prickled as the ball left my hand, and I shoved them into my hoodie pocket for a minute of relief.
Hunter’s legs stretched in front of him as he sprinted the ten feet down the backyard to the spot where Gene had jogged to. Gene’s face contorted, and an animalistic grunt barreled up his chest as he shoved Hunter to the ground when he was in reach. Hunter rolled in the grass, the ball tucked tightly in the crook of his arm.
The corners of his eyes creased, and his white teeth gleamed as he bared them. “Are you all right?” I asked, taking a step in his direction.
Gene held out a hand to stop me and snatched the ball from Hunter before hurling it my way. I caught it without moving my glare from Gene’s poorly lit face.
He peered down at Hunter, who was still heaving on the ground while holding one hand at his side. “Get up.”
“That’s enough.” The ball fell from my fingertips and thumped on the grass.
I stalked toward them and nudged Gene out of the way. I crouched next to Hunter and spoke low enough that Gene wouldn’t hear. “You don’t have to do this anymore. Let’s just go.”
Hunter’s closed eyelids wrinkled more, and he groaned as he pulled himself up. I stood along with him and waited for him to decide what to do. But I already knew what he’d choose.
He jogged up to the imaginary starting line we’d drawn three hours ago and planted his hand in the grass, in position.
“That’s my boy.” Gene clapped and stepped off to the side, ready to play the role of biggest dickhead in the world.
“Let’s go, Cam.”
With a shake of my head, I trudged over to the ball. My phone vibrated against my thigh as I was picking it up, and I grabbed it from my pocket to check the message. It was from Leilani, asking if I wanted to come over and hang out with her in the hot tub. Right then, yeah, I did. Anything but this bullshit.
“You know, maybe you should be less preoccupied with your girlfriend and more preoccupied with your team,” Gene snapped. “You’re the captain. Every mistake comes down to your leadership.”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and tightened my grip on the ball. My brain tried to glue my mouth shut, but testosterone was pumping. The challenge misted in the air, wrapping around me and squeezing. I rolled my neck to ease some of the tension.
Hunter’s head turned my way. “Cam, run the ball.”
“Let’s go!” Gene commanded, snapping his fingers. How were they not numb?
I chucked the ball into the pool and took a step toward him. “Would you just shut the fuck up?”
His eyes grew comically round, and his chest pushed out like something out of a cartoon. “What did you just say to me?”
“I’m so sick of your shit!” I stalked up to him and gave him a shove, but predictably, it backfired. He charged toward me and shoved me back with more force than necessary to have me falling to the ground.
“Gene, that’s enough,” Sherry said, her voice shrill.
He glanced her way and spat. “Go back inside.”
He yanked me up by my hoodie and held me within an inch of his face. My jaw clenched and hands fisted at my sides, but I made no more moves to escalate the situation. We’d been here before. I knew how it ended.
“You’re a little shit, Cam, you know that? You fucking be thankful you’re Ronald’s kid, or I swear to God—”
“Gene, come inside. Now.”
Dammit, Sherry. Shut up!
His wide eyes snapped to hers, and his jawline sharpened. He shoved me to the ground and stalked that way.
“Or what?” I asked, standing and stepping after him.
“Hunter, tell your friend to go home.”
“Or what, you fucking pussy?” I raised my arms in invitation, but it was in vain. He’d paused and his muscles tensed, but he didn’t turn my way.
Hunter grabbed one of my arms and pulled me back before inserting himself between us. “Stop.”
His voice was a low growl, as if I was the one he was mad at.
The patio door clanged as it shut behind Gene and Sherry.
“Get out of my fuckin’ way.”
I went to charge toward the patio, but Hunter’s hand blocked me. I glared down at it before meeting his eyes.
“You’re gonna piss him off even more, and then what, Cam? What the fuck are you gonna do, then?
”
My fists relaxed, and I tucked my open palms into my hoodie, peering over his shoulder at the glass door they’d gone through. Neither of them were visible, which meant they’d most likely gone to their bedroom to fight. As if Hunter couldn’t hear it.
He was right. This was my fault.
“Are you okay?” I asked, turning back to him and rubbing the back of my neck.
His glare was pinned on me, but he removed the hand from my chest. “Yeah.”
I nodded and let my hand fall to my side. “Hunter, I—”
“Who texted you?”
“What?”
“Tonight. You kept looking at your phone. Who were you texting?”
One side of my lips pulled up, and I wrinkled my brow. “Why?”
He shook his head and turned as if he was going to go inside. I knew better, though. He’d stay out here in nothing but a T-shirt and sweats for at least another hour. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was avoiding hearing their fighting, or if he was punishing himself.
I followed him over to the patio and took the seat next to him.
“Leilani asked if I wanted to hang out in the hot tub. I’m sure she sent you a text long before she sent one to me. We both know I’m the backup sex.”
“You’re the one that says no.”
His skin was pulled taut over his jaw. Sweat caked his blond hair, matting it over his forehead into hard, freezing strands. “That wasn’t the only text you got tonight, though.”
“Why do you sound like a jealous girlfriend?”
“Why do you sound like someone evading a question?”
I’d kept my tone light to insert some humor into the conversation, but clearly that wasn’t what Hunter was after. Leaning back in the chair, I stared at the pool. So many memories had been made in there.
“Cam.”
My breath fogged around me as I turned his way.
“What was Eden doing at the game tonight?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me the truth.” He leaned toward me and placed his hand on the arm of my chair. “Are you seeing her?”
My mouth opened to answer with an immediate no, but I hesitated. Was I seeing Eden? I was hanging out with Eden. I liked Eden. But I wasn’t Eden’s boyfriend. I wasn’t anyone’s boyfriend. By society’s standards, I was closer to a relationship with Leilani than with Eden.
“No.”
“I’m not going to be pissed if you are, I just—”
“I’m not dating the band geek, Hunter.” My face tugged into a cringe at my own words, but I didn’t correct them. They were true. We weren’t dating. I wasn’t lying to anybody.
“But you’re still fucking her.”
“No.”
He shook his head and laughed dryly. He snatched his hand from my chair and leaned back.
“Why are you being so pissy?”
“Because you’re full of shit.” His voice rose into a shout. “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
“I don’t—”
“Stop, Cam. Just stop. I’m not doing this tonight.” He stood and glanced toward the door. The anger in his expression was there, but it was diminishing. He looked exhausted.
“Can you give me a ride to Leilani’s? I left my keys inside… Unless you plan on cockblocking me from her, too.”
“You can come to my house.”
Hunter shook his head. “No thanks.”
He stood, staring down at me, waiting for me to move. Words perched on the tip of my tongue, but the problem was, I didn’t know what they were. I knew I should tell him something, but I didn’t have any idea what.
Tough conversations weren’t our thing.
I stood and scratched at my hairline. I hadn’t had a shower after the game, and the feeling of filth was starting to be overbearing. It’d be better to go home alone. I was tired anyway. “All right.”
We walked around to the front of the house and got in the Jeep. Hunter didn’t say a word on the way over to Leilani’s, but instead, stared out the passenger window. When I pulled into her driveway he turned to me, his lips in a thin line. “Hey, so I just want to thank you for that sound advice you gave me for Eden. It’s really working out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hang back and wait, right? That way, I don’t look too desperate.”
I poked my tongue into my inner cheek and expanded my chest with a heavy breath. “Don’t you think we have more important things to worry about tonight than Eden?”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s the way you see it.” His hard expression didn’t budge. With one last pointed stare, he threw open the passenger door and climbed out of the Jeep. He pressed his palm against the edge of the door and paused. “You might not be done with her, but neither am I.”
I rolled my eyes and put the car in reverse before he had a chance to slam the door. My knuckles whitened as I clutched the gear shift.
Fuckin’ immature asshole. He was acting like she was some toy we were fighting over. My chest tightened as I whipped out of the drive and started toward my own house. It took several miles before my grip on the steering wheel relaxed.
This wasn’t about me. This was deflecting what was happening with his parents. That was all.
Sherry’s image popped into my head, and I pulled my phone from my pocket to check my messages. Only Leilani’s text showed on the screen. Sherry wouldn’t be texting me. That was over.
I tossed my phone into the cupholder and inhaled deeply, focusing on my breathing until I pulled into my own driveway. My parents’ cars were parked in the garage next to each other, and I pulled the Jeep beside them. They hated it when I parked in the garage this late, so normally I’d leave the Jeep in the driveway and go through the front door. They said the garage door opening woke them up.
Too bad I didn’t give a shit.
I yanked the keys from the ignition and slammed my door after getting out. Despite the rage simmering underneath, my lips pulled up on one side. At least they’d know I was home.
I let out a laugh and walked into the house, stopping in my tracks as I spotted my dad in his pajamas, leaned against the counter.
“What is wrong with you?” He asked, disgust contorting his face. His lip curled and he folded his arms over his chest. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Sorry… didn’t mean to wake you.”
He huffed and his cheek protruded from his tongue poking into it, mirroring the same habit I had. Was it genetic? Or had I learned it from watching him all these years?
“Gene called about ten minutes ago and said you were causing problems at his house.”
“Gene’s an asshole.”
“No, he’s my business partner.” My dad’s fist crashed to the countertop, jingling the set of silver serving spoons my mom kept in a decorative vase. They were just for show. No one cooked around here.
“I don’t have time to deal with this right now, Cam. Do you get that? Do you even care?”
“Care about what?” I shouted, lifting my hands. “Care about your work? Care about your partnership with Gene O’Reilly?”
“Care about anybody but yourself.” Dad’s voice reverberated in the kitchen. I flinched from the noise, and maybe from the words too. They echoed in my head long after the sound died.
“What on earth is going on?” My mom appeared in the kitchen, worry etched into her expression. She jerked her robe tighter around her chest and gaped at my dad.
I turned my gaze to him and watch as he deflated. His thick brows relaxed, as did his fists. “I’m sorry, honey. I figured Cam’s arrival had already woken you.” There was an unsurprising bite to his tone. His gaze flicked toward me before going back to my mom. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be up soon.”
She blew him off and turned to me. “Are you all right?”
Am I all right?
It was such a simple question, but one that evoked bitterness. It weighed down my blood until the stream throug
h my veins slowed to a crawl.
“Yeah.”
She huffed and ran her hands over the sides of her nose. “Then why are you coming home so late?” She moved her hands to her hips and spoke as if I’d done something wrong. Something abnormal. Like I’d broken one of their nonexistent fucking rules.
“I was practicing plays with Hunter and Gene.” I rolled my shoulders and forced my muscles to relax. “We won tonight, you know?”
Her face softened, but her hands didn’t lift from her hips. “Yes, we know. We listened to it on the radio on the way back from the city. Don’t deflect—”
“Cool,” I said, glancing at my dad, who was still leaned against the counter. “I’m gonna go to bed now, if it’s all the same to you.”
His nostrils flared and he pushed off the counter. “Do not cause problems with the O’Reilly’s, Cam. I don’t care what you think of him, he’s my business partner, and you will respect that. Is that clear?”
My teeth ground together as I jerked my head in a nod.
He walked past me and then past my mom, who still stood in the entryway. Her lips were pulled into a frown, and the familiar gleam of disappointment in her eyes had me peering at the tile.
“Please don’t make us enforce a curfew, Cam. You’re eighteen, you—”
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
A sigh whipped through the air, and my mom’s bare feet padded on the kitchen tile until she was next to me. She wrapped her arms around my shoulder and kissed my hair. She jolted backward and lifted her hands to her nose. “Jeez, kid,” she said, waving a hand and laughing. “You need a shower.”
“Sweating is part of the game. It’s kinda unavoidable.” I shrugged and tried to inject humor into my tone, but the bitterness broke through.
Mom sighed again, almost dramatically this time. “Well, I’m sorry we couldn’t make it this time, but we’ll be there next week.”
“I know,” I said, snapping my gaze to her. “I’m gonna go take a shower now.”
I brushed past her, ignoring her third and final sigh. My steps were quick going to my room, but I tried to keep them as controlled a pace as I could. I wasn’t running from her or her disappointment. Or at least I didn’t want to be.