The weekend came around and I still wasn’t feeling any better than I had at the beginning of the week. I managed to make it to school every day, so I wouldn’t get behind in my classes, but after that, there was nothing but going home and to bed.
There were no more alone times with Hunter, he’d finally gotten a chance to tell his mom the good news and then spent most of the days and nights with the band.
Joshua had a big lacrosse game coming up and was at practice every evening after classes. He hadn’t said any more about me and Hunter being so close that day, but I could tell he was still a little angry. I could see it in his eyes every time his mom would mention Hunter’s name during dinner. He would always look over at me to see what kind of reaction I was giving to the conversation that dealt with his brother.
I always ignored him and acted like my normal self. Inside, though, I constantly wanted to see more of and hear all about Hunter.
“I’m fine. I can go.” I was arguing with Crystal about the upcoming weekend trip. Crystal was playing overprotective step-in mom by telling me that I needed to stay at home and not accompany her and Joshua to the two-day lacrosse tournament.
“You’ve been sick all week and going to school. You need to take it easy this weekend and get some rest. You don’t need to get any sicker.” Crystal was putting down her foot in this situation. Usually, she was easygoing, but when it came to anyone not feeling well, she took getting healthy to the extreme.
“She looks okay.” I knew Joshua wanted me to go more than he wanted his mom to. He had something planned one evening after the games, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was.
There hadn’t been any more kisses since that night he kissed my forehead, so maybe he was finally understanding that we would be better off as just friends and not becoming a couple.
“Joshua, no. Alabama needs to stay here and recover. End of story.” Crystal shook her finger at him for good measure.
“What’s going on?” This was the first time in a long time that Hunter came home when everyone was still around.
My eyes followed him around the room and my stomach did a belly drop whenever he looked my way.
“I’m going with Joshua to his weekend tournament for lacrosse. Alabama has been ill this whole week and I told both of them she needs to stay here so that she wouldn’t have anything to do and finally get better,” Crystal explained the situation before either one of us could butt in and tell our side.
“I have the weekend off. I should be around most of the time. I’ll make sure she gets rest and eats her chicken noodle soup.” Hunter winked at me with the last comment. He knew I hated to be cared for like a baby. He had heard me complaining to Joshua on several occasions that I could do things for myself. Joshua liked to take total control. Not in a possessive or abusive way, but one that didn’t leave any sense of freedom for those who thrived in being independent, like me.
“How convenient.” Joshua gave his brother a dirty look and stormed out of the kitchen.
Crystal waved her hand at Joshua’s departure like he was an angry toddler not getting his way. “He’ll get over it. He just wanted a young, beautiful lady cheering him on and not his old mama.” She walked over to the kitchen entrance and turned back around to me and Hunter still seated at the table. “I just want you to get better.” She pointed to me.
I gave her a thumbs up in agreement.
“And you need to behave yourself this weekend.” She raised her eyebrows at Hunter.
There was a look that passed between them and he nodded his head like he understood.
“I have to finish packing since we have to leave tonight.” Crystal walked back to her room.
“Still not feeling well?” Hunter hadn’t seen me since the day he had announced about going out to California for the potential signing.
“I’m feeling better. It’s just they…” I pointed in the direction that Joshua and his mom had gone. “…overreacted to all of this.”
Hunter nodded. “Mom is always like that. She let us have our freedom and tried to let us make our own mistakes and learn from them, but it seemed whenever we got even the slightest cold, her motherly instincts took hold and she was overprotective.”
I chuckled at his memory. That was exactly how Crystal was acting right now. Not even my mother, the times that I’d been sick when I was younger, would’ve never cooked me chicken noodle soup, made sure there was Tylenol in the medicine cabinet, and showed that my health was more important than whatever else was going on.
“Yeah, but your mom is pretty great.”
“So…” Crystal interrupted their little bonding moment. She had her suitcases in hand with a disgruntled Joshua standing behind her. “We’re leaving now since I don’t wanna be driving while it’s dark out. The tournament is over on the coast in Cape Hatteras. It’s going to take about five hours to get there, but I’ll call when we get in.”
“Good luck.” I looked past Crystal to Joshua.
He was staring intently at Hunter. Then he set his suitcase down and moved past his mom. He pulled me into a tight squeeze and whispered that he would call me later on that night.
I nodded but didn’t reply.
Joshua grabbed his suitcase and walked out of the house without saying anything to his brother.
“Guess he’s ready.” Crystal followed behind her son who’d let the front door slam behind him.
Hunter waved his hand goodbye like a little kid with a lot of animation to his mom and brother who had already left.
I giggled. “You’re not being nice,” I jokingly scolded him.
Hunter appeared stunned. He crossed his hand over his heart dramatically. “I was just saying goodbye to my dear brother.”
“Mmm-Hmm. I doubt that.” I giggled once more. “He did seem a little irritated about something, didn’t he?”
Hunter barked out a loud laugh. “Uh, yeah.” He shook his head. “He’s afraid I’m going to move in on his woman this weekend.”
My mouth fell open. I was flabbergasted that Hunter thought Joshua and I were a couple. “Nothing is going on between Joshua and me. So, no need to worry about taking his woman.” I shook my head. Men were impossible to deal with. I had one who thought he owned me and one I wished would own me…like in the bedroom.
“No worries, Bama.” Hunter used the nickname that he’d given me. His eyes traveled up and down my body. He licked his lips and ran his hand through his hair. “I — uh, have some phone calls to make.” He made a quick exit out of the room.
I just shook my head at the guy who obviously had issues with being alone around me.
I didn’t see too much of Hunter the rest of the evening. I heard him on the phone when I went to my room. He seemed to be laughing with whomever he was talking to. It was rare to see him ever smile, let alone laugh. He was so like the classic dark-haired, seductive-eyed, brooding bad boy.
I took the flu medication that Crystal had left for me and fell right to sleep after watching only fifteen minutes of TV.
“Wow, you went to sleep early.” Hunter had gotten up earlier than usual. I was usually up before him, but today he’d beaten me for early awakening. His body seemed to be in high gear since the great news from California, and now, that he and I were all alone until Sunday.
I stretched my arms high up over my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hunter watching as my t-shirt rose to expose my tight stomach. If I could stretch just a bit more, I would give him a show. I didn’t have a bra on, so my breasts would be in clear sight, but I decided to play nice and placed my arms back down to my sides.
“I took some more flu medicine. It kicked my ass last night.” I sat down on the bar stool that was across from him.
It looked like he’d been up for a while as he was already showered, shaved, and dressed.
“Why are you up so early? It’s a free day off for you, right?”
Hunter shrugged. “No reason. I just woke up and wanted to get the day started early. Are you feeling better?”
“I do. I think I’m well on the road to recovery.” I was feeling good right now.
Two of my classes for the day had been canceled because a lot of the students, and teachers as well, were going to cheer the lacrosse team on. The other two were just going over review things for the upcoming tests, but I already had the material memorized and an ‘A’ in each course, so there was no sense in going in.
“I have the day off, so I guess the stress of not having to go to class helps a little.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. The hassle of not having to deal with band shit for the next two days helps a lot.”
“So, what are you doing for your big day off?” I didn’t have anything planned for myself, but it seemed Hunter did.
“I was thinking about heading over to the zoo. Wanna go?”
I just about fell off my stool when Hunter asked me to go to the zoo. “Um, yeah I guess so.” I tried to hide my excitement and not seem like some giddy schoolgirl, but it was kind of hard not to smile. “I’ve never been to one, so this should be interesting.”
My momma never had the money or the time to do any of those things that a parent should do with their child. Sometimes, I felt like I missed out on a whole heck of a lot when I was a kid, especially when all the other kids used to talk about going to the movies, the zoo, birthday parties, and whatever else that was going on at the time. My momma used to tell me, ‘We don’t have the money for that’ or ‘I can’t be doin that right now.’ But there was always time and money for her partying.
“Cool. I can be your first.”
As soon as Hunter said those words, I felt my face turn red. He didn’t say it sexually, but my dirty little mind was always in the gutter when he was around.
“That’s cool that I can be with you the first time you go to the zoo.” He rephrased his sentence so it didn’t sound so indecent.
I bounced off the stool. The excitement of going to the zoo and spending the day with Hunter made me trip over my own two feet as I got up. I saved my face and pride by catching myself with the counter.
Hunter just smiled but didn’t comment as I straightened myself up.
“I’ll go get ready.” I raced back to my bedroom to change my clothes and make myself more presentable to go out in public.