Chapter 20

Ava

To say my week went well is an understatement.

First, my prank turned out better than I could’ve hoped. Jessica took her friend and two boys from the swim team home in her car, and they obviously had a fun night because the next morning, they were all covered in rashes, especially ~down below~, if you know what I mean. Best of all, she doesn’t know it was my prank.

For now, at least.

Second, Hunter has been surprisingly sweet to me since the incident at the party and our conversation in the classroom. I haven’t forgiven him completely because I can’t open myself up like that again, but I am giving him one more chance to prove himself.

I know you guys must think I’m doing this for crazy and stupid reasons, but I don’t want to go back to being the invisible, shy girl I once was. And yes, I’m as surprised as you to hear myself say that.

I feel happy with who I am. I have gained some amazing friends I don’t want to ever lose, and it feels nice to live this new life. It feels as if I had been hiding behind a screen for the first part of my life, just observing everyone else from the sidelines, and now I am ~free~.

It helps that the fire I had once felt for Hunter has abruptly dwindled into small embers. I know now that it was just a silly crush, and I was just attracted to his looks like every other girl in sixth form. I think I also liked the attention that he gave me, even if it was fake, because I never had that before.

In any case, pretending to date is easier when the feelings don’t feel so real.

Rubbing my eyes, I carry on writing an essay that’s due next week. Just because I don’t look like a nerd anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still act like one. I love to get my work done and out of the way.

Besides, I have to leave in half an hour so that I can meet Hunter at three p.m. It’s only one now, but since I don’t have a car—I can’t afford one, and mum needs our old car for work—I have to take the bus. The ride takes about an hour, but it still doesn’t go all the way to the nice part of town where all the big houses are, so I’ll have to walk a bit too.

Finishing the essay with ten minutes to spare, I start packing the things that I need to tutor Hunter, as well as my phone, keys, and some money for the bus. I then stroll to the bus stop, taking in the familiar but still stunning sights of our quaint little town.

The bus is crowded by the time it gets to my stop—ten minutes late, I might add—so I have to stand with all the heavy books in my bag. A couple of teenagers take up two seats apiece, and the number of times people bash into me is ridiculous. I’m annoyed, to say the least.

Thirty minutes later, I finally have a chance to sit. This blessing could not come sooner, given that my legs feel like jelly, and my breath is out of whack.

I’m honestly so unfit.

I’m socially awkward, so I spend the rest of the journey trying to avoid eye contact with the old couples shouting at each other and weirdos giving me creepy looks. Nothing happens, but I’ve never been more grateful for fresh air and open space than when I step off that bus.

I take in several deep breaths and then find the street that will lead me to Hunter’s house. Despite the clothes Hunter dressed me in, I get a few odd looks on the way; I guess I give off a poor vibe.

Finally, I make my way to the massive gate that guards Hunter’s house and wait for someone to buzz me in, tapping my foot impatiently. When the red light on the little silver box turns green, I push open the gate.

I walk across the stone driveway to the big oak door, where the same butler lets me in and gestures for me to remove my shoes. By the time I place my shoes on the rack, he has disappeared, and I am left alone in the quiet mansion. Not knowing where to go, I stand there, waiting for some noise or other sign of life.

Nothing.

I decide to head to one of the few places I know, the living room. Seeing no one around, I think about trying Leah’s room, but I can’t remember how to get there.

Maybe I should just text Hunter to let him know I am here. Or would that seem really creepy? Just imagine: ~Hey, I’m downstairs waiting, where are you?~

Shaking the idea away, I wander around. Since no one appears to be downstairs, I make my way up the grand staircase, running my hand along the polished banister.

~So smooth.~

All the doors on the second floor are closed, and I don’t want to try to find out what is behind them. However, the door to one room is slightly ajar, so I peer in, hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

On a desk in the center of the room is a computer and stacks of paper. The office looks really nice, but I don’t see anyone in it.

“Finished snooping around?”

I jump out of my skin and whip around, coming face-to-face with a hysterical Hunter. Between laughs, he says, “You should’ve seen your face.”

I roll my eyes and wait for him to finish. “Just for the record, I wasn’t snooping; I was looking for someone to point me in the right direction of, well, finding you.” My voice comes out firm, and I wonder where this confident girl came from.

Hunter must be thinking the same because his eyes are full of surprise and amusement. He quickly recovers, however, shaking his head so that a few dark strands fall in front of his emerald eyes. He then nods, indicating for me to follow him up yet another flight of stairs.

~Seriously, how big is this house?~

“The third floor is where all the bedrooms are, just in case you need to know.” He winks at me, and I roll my eyes and shake my head in disgust. He continues, “The second floor has game rooms for me and a playroom for Leah. It also has offices for both mum and dad.”

I nod in understanding just as Hunter abruptly stops, causing me to walk straight into his hard back and fall on my bum. Wincing in pain, I get to my feet and rub my back end slightly.

Hunter smirks. “I could do that for you.”

“No, thank you,” I say through clenched teeth.

Laughing at my annoyance, Hunter opens the door to his bedroom, and I step back a bit. I’ve never been in a boy’s bedroom before, so this is certainly a shock to the system.

I’ve had a lot of firsts with Hunter, and that scares me a lot because our relationship isn’t even real.

The huge room isn’t messy like I thought it would be. On the contrary, the bed is made, no clothes are on the floor, there’s no rubbish laying anywhere. It doesn’t even smell bad.

I actually really like it. With a navy and white color scheme, the bedroom is quite stylish.

Hunter walks in and jumps onto the sofa at the foot of his queen-sized bed. When I decide to perch gingerly on the end of his bed, close but not too close, he looks over but doesn’t question me. Instead, he wrings his hands and blushes slightly.

“Princess, I was wondering if you’d like to…er, well… Gosh, why is this so hard? I was wondering if you’d come to watch me play football this Friday?”

I stare at him, unblinking, for a moment. ~Did he just ask me to watch him play football?~ ~From what I’ve heard, he never asks anyone to watch him.~ I feel my stomach flip, but that’s just nerves, right?

First, I don’t know the first thing about football. What am I supposed to wear? Am I supposed to bring stuff with me? I don’t even know the rules.

Second, I’ve never watched a football game in my life because it never interested me. What happens if I get bored? I guess I could bring a book.

Looking at Hunter’s worried face, I feel a little sorry for him. He did seem nervous about asking me. I nod my head and watch his face go from worried to delighted.

“Great, you can wear one of my hoodies.”

~What?~

“No, I’m not wearing your clothes.”

He looks at me funny before shaking his head.

“Princess, we’re meant to be dating, remember? Wearing my clothes while watching me play will help us. Plus, you’ll look cute.”

What he said makes sense. How bad could it be? I nod again, and he smiles and lies down on the sofa.

~What have I gotten myself into?~