Since we’re just heading into our second week of school, the newspaper has a skeleton crew. Most of the regular contributors graduated last year, so there are a lot of positions open.
I volunteered to help out with the entertainment section and write a couple of extra articles even before I knew Hunter was going to ruin my life this weekend. When I initially volunteered, I kinda wanted to kick myself. I didn’t know how I’d find time to do that on top of all my first week back preparations, but now that I need busywork… good looking out, past Riley.
Since Mom had to work an overnight shift last night, she sleeps until about two.
I’m on the couch with a notebook open on my lap, a pen in my hand as I watch the movie I have to review for the school paper. The movie is actually four years old, not a new release, but I don’t want to go to the movie theater in town and risk running into anyone from school, so I decided to do something a bit differently. The book version of this movie is randomly on the New York Times Bestseller list right now, so I thought I’d read the book and watch the movie, and write about both for my article.
“Hey, you’re watching movies without me,” Mom says, openly surprised. “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”
I glance back at her and offer a little smile. “It’s for work, not play. I have to review it for the paper, so I figured I’d watch this one alone.”
“Is it because I talk during movies?” she asks.
“Maybe.”
She sighs. “I knew it. Is it any good? Maybe we can watch it again later if it is.”
I shake my head, reaching forward and grabbing my drink off the coffee table. “I think you can skip this one.”
“Did you make coffee?” she asks, sniffing the air. “I smell coffee.”
I nod. “I did. I stayed up late reading and working, I needed it to stay awake. It’s still fresh if you want some. I saved you a cup.”
“You’re the best,” she tells me, turning around and groggily making her way toward the kitchen.
I go back to watching my movie, but before Mom makes it back from the kitchen, the doorbell rings.
My heart sinks.
“I’ll get it,” I call out urgently, jumping off the couch without even taking the time to hit pause.
All day while doing my best not to think about Hunter, I’ve been waiting for that doorbell.
When I crawled into bed and turned out the lights, I was so tense thinking maybe Hunter would show up outside my bedroom window.
Not that I wanted him to, of course. I didn’t. But I did block his number, and if Hunter really wanted to talk to me, he knows where I live. He could show up at my house.
He probably thought my mom would be home last night, though.
And again, I don’t want him to come.
I just thought he might.
Now as I make a beeline for the door, my tummy rocks with nerves at the thought of who could be on the other side.
Maybe it’s Ray. I hope it’s Ray. Now that I’ve had some time to think on it, I feel guilty for asking him to keep a secret from my mom. I know how she would react if she found out—and so does he. It was a really big favor he did for me, and I won’t forget it.
I pull the door open, halfway convinced it will be Ray, so my smile droops when I see who is actually on the other side.
Anderson.
“Hey,” he says, offering a little smile I can only categorize as contrite.
I suppose that makes sense. He did call me a whore last night.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one to call me that last night. Makes it a little less memorable today than it usually would be.
“Hey,” I say back, but my confusion is clear. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugs. “You weren’t answering my texts.”
Of course.
I block Hunter and nothing.
I don’t answer Anderson’s texts and he shows up at my house.
I guess I had the action right, I just had the wrong boy.
“I wasn’t in the mood to talk,” I tell him.
He nods, looking down at the ground as he shoves his hands into his pockets. “I get that. I wasn’t trying to be a pest, I just legitimately wanted to make sure you were okay. I was getting texts and notifications from other people, I was hearing things…”
Remembering how it went last time he heard things, I straighten up and look at him. “Is there something I can do for you, Anderson?”
He glances into the house behind me. “Could we talk?”
“My mom’s home.”
A frown flickers across his face, but then he nods. “All right. Maybe we could go somewhere? Let me buy you lunch.”
I shake my head, crossing my arms protectively over my chest. “I don’t want to go out in public today.”
“We could go somewhere less public. How about a picnic? We could go to the park—we can easily avoid people there. We’ll stop at the butcher on the way, pick up a couple of sandwiches. We never did get them the other day, and I know how much you were looking forward to it.”
I shake my head, frowning at him. “Why? We broke up.”
“Last night was bad,” he says plainly. “All the way around. I was an asshole, I said shit I didn’t mean. I don’t want it to end like that between us.”
That’s fair. I don’t really want things to end that way, either. And I guess not being alone right now wouldn’t be the absolute worst thing in the world…
“I’m kind of in the middle of something,” I tell him, gesturing back to the living room.
His shoulders slump with disappointment. “Ah.”
“I’m not blowing you off,” I say quickly. “I just… I’ve been keeping busy today. I was working on a school thing. I have to finish this movie and make some notes for the review I’m writing, but if you wanted to get sandwiches and talk afterward… we could do that.”
“Yeah?” he asks, brightening.
I nod. “In fact, if you wanted to help me avoid the public scene all the way around, maybe you could go grab the sandwiches yourself while I finish up here, and we could meet up at the park?”
He smiles. “I could do that.”
I offer a little smile back. “Okay.”
“I’ll meet you by the Ferris wheel,” he says, his smile growing a little more intimate before he turns and makes his way down my front porch.
There is no Ferris wheel at the park anymore, but there was over the summer when the carnival was in town. I went with Anderson. It was our first real date, but I didn’t know it was a date. He won me this little green snake at one of the game booths and then we went on the Ferris wheel. While we were waiting in line, he reached down and grabbed my hand. I looked over, surprised. Our eyes locked. His glinted with interest. I realized it was a date.
The memory brings a bittersweet smile to my face.
Then I hear a scream from the living room, and I realize I forgot to pause my movie.
Whoops. I turn around and head back in to finish my work, but I find my whole mood has changed.
Before, I was kind of dreading finishing the movie. It meant I would have to move on to the next task already, and if I completed my work too quickly, I would run out of busywork before I ran out the clock on the weekend.