Everyone is a little shocked at the speed with which all of this is unfolding, but hey, when it’s right, it’s right.
At least, that’s what she keeps telling me. As if I don’t already know it.
“If Hunter could finally pick out a shirt, we could get going!” I raise my voice for effect, but if I’m being honest, I could stare at his washboard abs for years and never tire of the view.
He finally grabs one and slides it over his head. Toothbrush and paste in hand, he winks at me. “I’ll be back. Pick something out for me to wear to the party?”
I leap out of my chair and head into his closet. I bite my lower lip as Elle drones on in my ear about favors, cake tastings, dress fittings, and a whole bunch of other things I’m sure I will hear about endlessly over the next couple of months. I rifle through the hangars until I find the perfect outfit. I grab black pants, a dark gray button-down shirt, and a black jacket. No tie. No need. It’s perfect. I imagine him walking toward me in this ensemble, the trendy GQ look offset by those piercing eyes—
“Liv! Are you even listening to me?”
I clear my throat, a deep red flush climbing up the sides of my neck as if she caught me doing something very naughty.
Regrettably, those things have only been done in my mind.
“Sorry. I was just, ah, trying to save time by picking out an outfit for Hunter.”
“Mmhm,” she murmurs. “And what about Thomas?”
“We broke up.”
“Not surprising.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It must be hard to date a guy when you’re mooning over another one.” Elle chuckles.
“You’re insane! Do we really need to go over this again?”
“Not now, I have you for the whole weekend. I’ll make sure it comes up again. And again. And ag—“
“Okay! I’ll see you soon!” I stab the End button on the screen just as Hunter saunters through the door.
“Am I all ready to go?”
I nod, swallowing hard and still very aware of my thumping heart. Thank God I didn’t have Elle on speaker a few seconds ago. Argh! Is it possible that everyone except Hunter can see right through me?
Or maybe, and it kills me to even admit this to myself, he sees things very clearly and is smart enough to know that one false move would make us crash and burn.
Hunter
“So what do you think of this guy Elle is marrying?” The question tumbles out of my mouth so I don’t have to think about the fact that Liv is pressed against me in an elevator full of hungover co-eds on their way to breakfast in the dining hall. The sweet citrusy scent of her new perfume makes me dizzy with lust.
Argh! This has to stop. She’s my best friend! I can’t fantasize about her, no matter how good she smells. It’s sick.
She shrugs, twisting her ponytail. “You know, he does all the right things, says all the right things. He’s dorky cute. Totally her type.”
“Does he wear a beret?”
“Not in any of the pictures I’ve seen.” She flashes a toothy grin at me. “He doesn’t seem to be on the cutting edge of fashion.”
“Because a beret would definitely put him on that list?”
Her smile fades. “It’s just fast, you know? I mean, I’m over the moon happy for her, but she’s getting married and moving to a foreign country with a guy none of us knows anything about…it just makes me nervous. And my parents are flipping the heck out.”
“Of course.” I’m actually surprised they let her go to France in the first place. Their parents have always been a little overprotective, and over the years, I’ve taken on the job of the menacing brother for both of them. And it’s worked out well for everyone; that is, until the feelings I have for one of my sisters took a very different turn.
I hoist both of our duffle bags over my shoulder once the elevator dings and the doors open on the ground floor of our dorm, one of the newer buildings on campus. It has brightly painted walls and a perky team of resident assistants who constantly roam the halls with wide grins and peppy greetings.
“Hey guys! You’re up early.” Cori, Liv’s roommate and fellow cheerleader, appears from around a corner. It looks like she’s dressed in the same outfit she had on last night when I ran into her at The Lantern.
I smirk. “Doing the walk, huh?”
“Nothing you haven’t done.” She gives me a wink and nudges Liv. “So what happened last night? Did Tommy Boy ever show up?”
Liv nods. “Oh yes. Such a charmer, that guy. Really knows how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Did you kick him to the curb or what?” Cori puts her hands on her hips. “I’m tired of our place stinking like a brewery every weekend.”
“Yeah, he’s out. I’ll buy some potpourri when I’m home and we can fumigate on Sunday night.”
“Maybe Sunday, maybe Monday.” Cori snickers. “You never know who might turn my head and distract me.”
“Just make sure you text me before I get back here so I know if I’m crashing at Hunter’s.”
I stare at Cori, desperate for her to get my telepathic message to bring home some random dude, even though her track record assures me it’ll probably happen anyway.
Cori recoils and furrows her brow at me, clearly not hearing my silent plea “What’s wrong with you, Hunter? Why are you looking at me like that?”
No such luck. I shrug. “I thought I saw a spider in your hair.”
Cori squeals and jumps into the air. “Oh my God! Is it there? Get it out!” She starts shaking out her hair, and I can’t help the snicker from escaping my lips. “Relax, whatever it was is gone.”
Cori punches me in the shoulder. Hard. “Jerk.”
Liv gives her a quick hug. “Don’t go punching people like that. If you hurt your wrist, who’s going to hold me in the air?”
“Don’t worry, lady. I’ve always got ya!” Cori stabs the Up button next to the elevator and blows a kiss to us. “Have a fun weekend guys!”
“You too!” we sing-song in unison. We continue our walk down the long corridor and Amy, one of the RAs from my floor, strides past us with a smile that could rival the sun. “Hey, Hunter! Will you be at The Lantern tonight?” She leans in closer, dropping her voice, her green eyes raking over me like she’s a starving lion. “I’m off duty this weekend.”
I shift the bags, very aware of Liv’s eyes boring into the back of my skull. “Sorry, Amy. Not tonight. I’m headed home for the weekend.”
Her smile looks completely fake now and she pulls away, her back stiff. “Well, maybe next time. Have fun!” She hurries around a corner before I can say another word, and that’s a darn good thing because I don’t really want Liv to know that I’ve taken Amy up on her invitation at least three times this semester.
A snicker comes from behind me and I turn to see Liv doing a pretty bad job of covering her mouth. “Seriously?”
I shrug and look back as I continue walking toward the exit. “What can I say? Life happens when you’re away at competitions.” I don’t mean to sound like a jerk but that’s how it comes out. For the briefest of seconds, I see something behind her gaze. The eyes that had been laughing now seem to hold something else, something like—
“Ahh!” My shoulder smashes right into a hard object, and I stumble backward, anchored by the heavy duffel bags still hanging from my other arm.
“Why don’t you watch where you’re going, McKinnon?”
That voice. Like nails on a blackboard. I drop the bags and inch closer so we’re toe to toe. Thomas Ashton, that overprivileged goon. I hate that he’s taken over my place on the basketball team. Going to games and rooting for them, seeing him hit three pointers from my spot…it’s a jagged friggin pill. He was never good enough for Liv. I’m glad she finally kicked him to the curb. “I must have missed what you said, Ashton. Why don’t you say it again?”
“Hunter, stop it! What’s wrong with you?” Liv grabs my arm and steps between us. My pulse throbs,
and my clenched hand twitches, desperate to land a punch right between his beady little eyes. I’d heard from a few different friends that he’s been bragging to his teammates about how he’s gonna do things to Liv that make me want to put a fist through his throat. I can’t stomach the idea of him so much as touching her, much less doing anything else. But luckily, she figured out what everyone else already knew…Tommy boy may be a legacy here at the USC, and he may be headed to the NBA, but he’s still a grade-A jackass.
Thomas eyes me, his menacing glare daring me to pounce on him. “What’s the matter, McKinnon? If you want a piece of me, take it. Don’t let your bestie hold you back.”
Liv glares at Thomas. “Shut up.”
“Just friends, my ass,” he snarls at her. “Do you think I’m some kind of an idiot?”
“Does that question really need an answer?” I edge around her, puffing out my chest.
“Screw you, McKinnon.” He turns back toward Liv. “You’re a liar. I know you have a thing for this tool.”
I reach my arm back and launch, my fist cracking against his jaw. It barely makes him stumble, ogre that he is. “Don’t you dare call her that.”
“Hunter! Enough!” Liv gives me a death glare and pushes against Thomas’s chest as he steps toward me, ready to pounce. He can bring it. I’m ready for him. “Thomas, you’re a drunken loser who never trusted me in the first place. Shame on me for not seeing the real you sooner. Just call me the idiot.”
Thomas’s mouth falls open as chuckles ripple through the small crowd of students gathered around us, curious to see what happens next.
I can’t help the smirk from spreading across my lips. At least I got in one good punch.
She laces her fingers with mine and yanks me around him, pulling me toward the exit. I spin around and give him the finger. Jesus, how old am I?
“This ain’t the end, McKinnon!” Thomas’s face is beet-red and his fists are clenched. “I’ll be here when you get back, and your girlfriend won’t be able to stop me.”
I wrestle my arm away from Liv. “You should’ve let me pummel him and get it over with. Now I’m gonna have to deal with him when we get back.”
“You’re impossible.” Liv lets out a deep sigh once we’re outside in the breezy morning air. “He’s not worth it. Did you really need to start with him?”
“Me? He’s the one who opened his mouth in the first place.”
“Because you egged him on!”
“He got in my way.”
“You weren’t paying attention to where you were walking.”
“He should have moved.”
Liv cocks her head to the side. “Oh, of course. Because you own that hallway.”
I pull my keys out of my pocket and spin them around my finger. “He called you a liar. Did you really think I was going to ignore that? Besides, he fights like a chick. I could’ve knocked him into next month without breaking a sweat.”
She shoots me an amused glance. “Good thing you didn’t. You’re little RA Amy didn’t look very happy with you before, and I doubt she would have come to your rescue if campus security showed up. She would’ve let you get hauled away in the paddy wagon.”
“He didn’t deserve you.”
Liv sighs. “I know. I just thought…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s so over.”
I stop at my car, unlock the doors, and pop the trunk. It’s pretty empty, save for a basketball. I always carry it. You never know when you’re gonna need to play a quick pickup game. I dump the duffel bags inside and slam it closed. I look up to find Liv standing in front of the car, staring into the window, but making no move to actually get into the passenger seat.
I walk around the car and place a hand on her shoulder. “Liv? You okay?”
She zones for another second and then looks at me. “Yeah, I’m good.”
I open the door and she slides inside, flipping her ponytail. She moves the seat back, giving her toned legs some more room to stretch out. I stare for a second too long, wondering how her skin would feel under my fingertips, since self-torture is evidently a new thing for me.
I slam the door shut and grit my teeth. I need to get my head together. These feelings…they have to stop. This can’t happen. We can’t happen. I just need to figure out how to get my head and heart on the same page.
Easier said than done.
Liv
I tap my left foot to Everlong by the Foo Fighters as Hunter’s car cruises up the coast headed toward northern California. Their early stuff is a bit before my time, but my mom loves them and would always listen in the car, singing along while driving me to cheer practices and competitions. So, their music kind of grew on me. Hunter hates it. He thinks it’s a step above noise, but he won’t ever change the station if I’m in the car with him.
Hunter hasn’t stopped talking for longer than three minutes during the entire trip. In the four hours we’ve been driving, he’s sucked down the three Red Bulls I packed, but to be honest, I need the distraction.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to keep the angst at bay. I flex my right foot and bite my lower lip to keep from yelping in pain. I landed wrong yesterday at practice doing a round-off tuck, a total amateur move on my part, and aggravated my saddle bone again. The last competition was too much for my weakened foot, and I haven’t given it a break at all. I knew I should have wrapped it again this morning, or at least pulled on my support sock before sticking it into my sneaker, unprotected. I don’t know how much more stress it can take before my foot just gives out, and Coach Val has already called me out during the past two practices. All of my moves are seconds off, and it’s had enough of an impact that she’s taken notice and is ready to pull me from the routine. Leaving me in is too much of a risk if I can’t land my moves.
The problem is, we have the Aloha Spirit Internationals Cheer Competition in Hawaii next month, and I need to be on that mat.
Coach Val is the only other person who knows my future depends on it…and my foot.
I didn’t want to say anything to Hunter, Elle, or my parents since more added pressure is not exactly going to help me right now. I’ve been going to physical therapy on the sly, taking it easy, conditioning exactly the way the doctor advised me to. But my foot is still very sensitive, and one wrong move could crush my dream.
I scroll through my emails to find the one I’m looking for…the one I’d just received earlier this week; the one that will change everything for me. ESPN just launched an exhibition team of professional cheerleaders, and they’ve been scouting the entire country for prospects who are graduating from college this year. They’ve seen my tapes, and they want me to audition. The cheer industry is huge right now, and if they select me, I could really make a killer career for myself. Endorsements, clothing lines, workouts, sponsors…it would put me on the map. The only catch is, my “audition” will be my performance in Hawaii.
Ironically, while ESPN dangles an opportunity that most girls would kill for, it’s also going to pull me away from everything – and everyone - that I love. It’s the one thing that gives me pause about moving ahead with my plans.
I sneak a glance at Hunter, who is tapping his fingertips on the steering wheel with one hand and shifting with the other. I grit my teeth. How much longer am I supposed to sit on the sidelines, secretly praying and waiting for something that will never in a million years happen? I’d been fine playing the role of best friend for years and years, until these annoying feelings started to bubble beneath the surface. Not that they matter. Hunter isn’t about to change. And he sure as heck doesn’t see me as anything other than the person he wants to hang out with after his night with the lady du jour is over.
And then, without warning or invitation, he infuses my mind and my senses. Things I’ve come to notice in the past months pelt my heart like paint balls…like the delicious scent of his Prada cologne, how that black t-shirt stretches across his muscular chest, and the way his biceps ripple every time he maneuvers
the steering wheel around some slow-moving car…
“What’s wrong with your foot?”
The question yanks me out of my Hunter-induced fog. “My foot? It’s fine.” I shift in my seat, stretching my right leg farther in front of me. He’s always so observant about everything, except, of course, me being infatuated with him. That somehow manages to escape his radar. “I just needed to move it around a little. We haven’t made a pit stop yet, which is kind of miraculous, considering all of the Red Bull you’ve had.”
“You’re the one who needs to pee every five minutes.”
I squeeze my legs together. “Don’t say it or you’ll make me have to go!”
“I’m shocked we made it this far without you begging me to stop.”
“Argh!” I slap my hands on my bare legs. “I was trying not to focus on it! Now I have to go!”
He snickers and pulls off the freeway and heads into a rest stop. “Jeez, Livvie, we’re about an hour away from home. You sure you can’t make it?”
With a few sudden stops and starts before he reaches the front of the main building, I clutch my midsection and groan. “You suck, you know that?”
“You love me. Now go to the bathroom like a big girl and please bring me back another Red Bull.”
I huff and grab my bag. “Your skin is already turning a disturbing shade of fruit punch red. Just saying.”
“Don’t worry. Red’s my color.” He winks at me and pulls out his phone. No doubt checking to see which tart has liked his last Instagram picture. I twist away from the car after slamming the door and stumble over the curb. “Ahh!“ Crikey, that hurt. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to use my mind to blunt the pain, at least enough so that I can walk into the building without Hunter noticing me limp.
I manage to get inside the doors and let out a deep breath once I’m out of his sight. Ice. I need ice. Luckily, the bathroom line is nonexistent, so I hobble in, take care of business, and hobble back out in search of a convenience store. I grab a bottle of water, a bag of his beloved M&Ms, fill up a cup with ice, and pay the cashier. If Lacie paid a single shred of attention, she’d have brought him a bag of M&Ms for breakfast instead of a death muffin.
Always You, Always Us Page 3