Hunt
Idon’t know what the hell’s gotten into me, but I trudge forward anyway.
Around the corner and toward Blue’s locker.
Like usual, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head all morning. But what’s different now is that I find myself wondering things I’ve never wondered before. Did she get to school okay? Did she go for a bike ride this morning, or did she take her usual walk? Was she still thinking about me after I left her room last night?
With every step, I try to talk myself out of what I’m doing.
This is a bad idea.
Go straight to class.
Don’t be an idiot.
But the twisting in my chest keeps one foot in front of the other, like my body knows she’s the only thing that can make the sensation go away. After I left her room, I spent a long time thinking about her. Too long. And, shit, I just wanted to see her again.
Still, this is school, not her home. We’ve never talked here the way we did last night, and I can’t stop the nagging voice in my ears that keeps mocking,Will she even want to see you?
Brief moments from my past flash through my head as I walk, the images faded and choppy ...
Dark hair brushing my bare shoulder, shorts being tugged up. Eyes heavy-lidded, shooting me a wink. “I can always count on you, gorgeous.” A feminine, sultry voice. “You know where to find me next time you’re lonely.”
Blonde hair over me, red hair under me, light skin, dark skin, freckled skin ...
Their voices all blend together, their faces distant like I’m looking through someone else’s foggy camera lens.
Brown eyes, green eyes, hard angles, soft angles ...
“It was fun,” she says; they say ... before quickly disappearing from my truck, my bed, the school’s storage closet. Running back to the someone they’ll actually talk to. The someone they’ll hold hands with. Sleep with. Stay with.
The someone they actually want to be with.
Blowing out a breath, I run my fingers through my hair as I get closer to her, brushing past other students. The old me would’ve been smooth as fuck, knowing what I wanted and doing exactly what it took to get it. But this—whatever this is—is different. Unfamiliar. And I’m not the old me. My palms sweat like I’m about to talk to a girl for the first time, and it’s fucking irritating.
The bell rings, and students disperse. Her laughter hits me first, then her back comes into sight. The closer I get, the deeper I frown. Tommy’s face is right in front of hers.
I squeeze the strap of my backpack, jerking it higher on my shoulder. My knuckles feel raw from the tight hold. Tommy shuts his mouth when I stop at Blue’s side, and he flicks his gaze between us.
Blue looks over her shoulder, a crease across her forehead. Then her face lights up, and she smiles.
“There you are, Joshua.”
I cock a brow, a weird buzz hitting me at hearing those words from her. “Were you looking for me?”
“Of course I was.”
“Uh, hey, Hunt.” Tommy holds out a hand, and I glance at it. “Tommy, remember? We played basketball together last year?”
“Yeah.” We shake. “I know who you are, man.” I also remember the way he stares at Blue in class. Far as I can recall, he’s a decent guy, even if he does get around almost as much as I used to.
He nods, then scans the empty hall. “Crap, I’d better go. See you around, Blue.”
I grit my jaw, barely managing to keep my mouth shut. I know she’s not mine, but right now, it sure as hell feels like she is.
“Yeah,” Blue says, “see you.”
Tommy flashes me a strange look before turning and taking off. I relax slightly when he disappears around a corner. Then I fix my gaze on Blue.
