I lie and tell Mr. Henderson I forgot my clothes. When he tries to send me back into the locker room to rent a pair, I lie again and tell him I got a horrible rash from the last ones I had to rent. Then I fib again and say I misplaced the doctor's note, but I can’t wear used clothing until they diagnose me. With an Oscar-worthy eyeroll, he lets it go and allows me to sit out for the hour. With my back against the bleachers, I watch. At any moment, Mr. Gibson can pop out and request to speak with me. And knowing how pissed Mr. Henderson is for the most overused excuse, he’d let him drag me out of here.
When class ends, I grab my things and sneak out the side exit. When I slide out the door, two hands hold me, and I scream at the top of my lungs.
“Jesus, shut the fuck up. You’re gonna get us both in trouble.”
I push off Hunter’s chest. “What the fuck? You scared the living shit out of me.”
“And why is that, Stray?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Give me the truth.”
I wish I could. I wish I had someone to confide in. There’s no way to explain the shit I’ve gotten myself into. “You wish. What’s your problem? You seem super stalkerish lately. Jonesing for some more, are we?”
He rolls his eyes at me. Not as impressive as Mr. Henderson, though. “Give me a fucking break. You were a C minus at best.”
What is today, national eye-rolling day? I roll mine and scoff. “Bullshit. You practically cried it was so good. Fuck…oh, Cat…oh, fuck…”
“I never said your name.”
“You may as well have. You were so damn needy. Seriously, buzz off. Once was enough for me.” I try to escape his grasp, knowing Mr. Gibson will appear soon. He knows my schedule.
“Just knock off the act for a fucking second, will you? Something’s up with you. And as much as I want to not care, I can’t.”
His confession catches me off guard. It’s the first time he’s ever said anything close to nice to me. There’s a slight shift between us. Is this his olive branch? His way of playing nice? Calling a truce? I consider taking it. Life would be so much easier if we weren’t at each other’s throats. I open my mouth to accept when I see Mr. Gibson gunning toward us.
“Well, don’t. It’s…creepy. I gotta go.” I turn and take off running down the hall. Like a scaredy-cat, I spend the rest of the day in the nurse’s office feigning a horrible headache. It’s the only way to stay on school grounds and feel safe. He can’t get to me here. At least…I don’t think he can. When the final bell rings, I text Melissa for a ride home.
We’re both quiet on the ride, only the sound of the engine and tires fighting through the snowstorm. Melissa starts tapping on her steering wheel. “Cat, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
She becomes squirmy, and I know I’m not going to like whatever she’s about to ask.
“What’s the deal with you and Hunter?”
Great question. “Nothing. He’s my stepbrother.”
“Yeah, I mean, I get that, but…it’s just…he sure seems overly protective of you.”
That gets my attention. “Why do you say that?” If she looked a little harder, she would see he hates me.
“Well, at the party a couple of weeks back, he was furious at some guy trying to talk to you. He broke his nose when the guy tried to take you home. I didn’t think anything of it then. He was just being a brother and all, but lately, he’s been off. Like grumpier than normal. I mean, he’s been an asshole since I’ve known him, but lately. . . For example, Adam Briar was talking trash. He brought you up, saying how you were super-hot, and he’d fuck you even if you had an alien baby.”
“Yeah, so? Everyone thinks I left to have a baby. I don’t care.”
“Yeah, but Hunter did. Threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t shut up. Adam went on and on and—bam! Another nose break. That’s just one of the many stories I’ve heard, not to mention, seen.”
Hunter Graham. Is he avenging my honor? I find it super strange, yet strangely cute. “Who knows? Maybe he grew a heart and wants to make sure his little stepsister’s reputation stays clean. That and he loves his alien step-niece.”
Melissa laughs and slaps me on the arm. “Stop. Wait…did you have a baby?”
“No!” I laugh out. “I didn’t have a baby. I just left. There’s no juicy story. People are allowed to do that.”
She nods, accepting my answer. I rest in her seat, feeling comforted by her friendship and glad she took a chance on me when no one else bothered to befriend me in fear I really did get abducted and had a bunch of alien babies. We get to my house and thank God, I don’t see Hunter’s car. Mom and William aren’t expected home ’til late, so I have some time.
During study hall, I came up with a plan. It’s the only one I see solving all my problems. I’m going back to my dad’s. Once I get there, I’ll hack into my dad’s email and send a message to my mom telling her I’m back safe, and that will be that. I can finish the rest of my school year at my old school, and all will be good in the world. No more psycho teacher or grouchy, intolerable, hot, sexy stepbrother.
I wave goodbye to Melissa and head inside. Mom and William have a vacation planned for this upcoming weekend, so that’s when I plan on leaving. It will give me a few days to get home and settled. After packing most of my things, I hide my suitcase under the bed so no one catches on to anything. The problem is, I can’t fight off the nerves fluttering inside me. This is going to work. It has to. I pace back and forth in my room.
Since I’m a sucker for freezing cold weather, I decide to go for a walk. The fresh air will be good and help clear my head. Slipping on a pair of dry boots, I stick the house key in my sock and grab my earbuds. Starting my favorite playlist, I head out, taking my usual route, cutting through the forest preserve that leads into two neighborhoods before it opens up into the park. By the time I enter the playground, the sun has gone down. Even at night, this place brings me peace. The first time I ran away, I came here. I had my favorite blankie and pillow and built a house under the slide. I fell asleep, and it took hours for my parents to find me. When I first caught my parents cheating, I came here. Anytime I felt alone, I would come here and sit and watch other families, pretending they were mine. When I just wanted to feel something other than solitude, I came here.
I take my gloved hand and wipe away a layer of snow to make room for myself on the bench. Sitting, I admire how beautiful everything looks this time of year. The snow-covered trees glimmering in the moonlight. My heartbeat becomes steadier and calmer as I soak in the quietness.
“Catalina.”
I jump up from the bench and turn, finding Mr. Gibson. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?” I want to look and see if anyone else is near so I can yell for help, but I already know that answer.
“I’m sorry. I’m not here to hurt you. I hate that you look at me now with such fear.”
“I’m not sure why you’re here at all. This is crossing the line. You need to—”
“No, no. No one’s crossing the line." He takes a step toward me. “I just want to talk about us. About the first day we met. I saw the way you looked at me. Whatever it was you were feeling, I felt it too.”