I was too excited to sleep well, and finally decided that 6:30 am was a good time to get out of bed and get ready. It was a sunny day, so I put my hair in a bun and grabbed a sundress from the closet. I didn’t expect anyone I knew to be awake already, so I was surprised when my phone rang.
“Hi Hunter. Why are you up already?” I asked.
“Just making sure you got home safe,” he said in a groggy voice. “And now I’m going back to bed.”
“Sleep tight,” I said before the call ended.
I smiled at the odd gesture. Hunter was worried about me and this would take some getting used to. The next phone call was the one I had been waiting for. Tru was calling and I answered it in a hurry, almost dropping my phone as I did.
“There you are,” I said, trying to sound calm.
“ ‘There’ is outside of your house. I couldn’t sleep. Too anxious.”
“Same. I’ll be right down.”
I practically flew down the steps and he was waiting with the passenger door open for me. I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek before I got in the car. I realized we were both wearing the same smile. We settled on grabbing a snack from the coffee shop and taking it with us to the park. We found a shady spot near the duck pond and settled on the ground. I leaned against Tru’s chest as I nibbled on my pastry and sipped my tea.
“This is so peaceful,” he whispered into my hair as he kissed the top of my head.
“I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe the part about you leaving tomorrow.”
He pulled back instantly and I knew I had said the wrong thing. I sat up and turned myself around.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s just so hard, and you’re the only other person who understands why. Don’t be mad at me.”
He shook his head and pulled me into a hug. “I’m not mad at you. Just mad at life. Why does the most amazing girl in the world have to live clear on the other side of this great country?” He kissed my head again. “Let’s not think about it. It only makes it harder. Instead, let’s focus on hanging out all day, then going out to dinner.”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond. Instead, he pulled me into a kiss that made everything around us disappear.
21.
After spending most of the day browsing books, flipping through vinyl, and vintage shopping, we decided on tacos for dinner. My parents settled for small talk over snacks because they had been invited to dinner with friends, so we ended up on our own for the evening. Mucho Macho was the most popular place to eat on the weekends, so I was prepared to see people from school. What I wasn’t prepared for was seeing Hunter sitting with Jessica, Brady, and a group of their friends.
I tried to pretend that I didn’t see them when we walked in, but it was too late. Jessica spotted me from across the small dining room and gave me a smile that looked more like a warning. Hunter looked up to see what caught her eye and he seemed surprised to see us. I could see a small apology on his face. He got up to come talk to us.
“I know, it looks bad,” he said as a greeting.
“Is it? I mean, is she being horrible to you?” I was concerned for his mental safety.
“It’s fine. I’m trying to keep the peace.”
“Yeah, with North Korea. She’ll go nuclear any given moment,” I added sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and shrugged.
“I’m slightly lost,” Tru said.
“I’m so sorry. It’s a long story I can tell you over dinner.” The hostess came and took us to our seats and I promised to call Hunter later to check on him. Little did I know, his party wasn’t done with us just yet. I had just finished telling Tru the break-up story (leaving out a lot of details) when Jessica decided to plop down next to him in our booth. I knew this would be bad.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Jessica.” She held out her hand for Tru to shake and he did so reluctantly.
“Jessica, you should go,” I encouraged.
“Nonsense,” she argued. “I have to get to know the boy who is brave enough to date Double F.” She shot me daggers and I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from everyone and everything.
“Double F?” He asked.
“She didn’t tell you? Of course not,” she said in a patronizing tone. “Fugly Fenley. Really, her transformation astonished us all.”
“Jessica stop! What the hell is wrong with you?” I said from my side of the table. I saw Hunter shake his head as he made his way over.
“Let me show you pictures,” she said as she opened the photo album on her phone. The whole thing felt like slow motion as she did it. I knew I couldn’t reach over and slap the phone out of her hands like I wanted to. That would be too obvious. It was like a speeding train was coming at me and I couldn’t move out of the way. Just as Tru was getting an eye full of the old me, Hunter came along and literally dragged her away from the table. Tru looked astonished from what had just transpired and I was too stunned to say anything at all. Hunter passed Jessica off to Brady then came back over to us.
“I’m so sorry guys. She’s been drinking. I’m getting her out of here.”
When they finally left I managed to find the only words that would come out of my mouth.”Please take me home,” I whispered.
“No, don’t let the drunk girl ruin our night.”
“Take me home,” I repeated.
“No Fen. I only get a few more hours with you.”
“Fine, I’ll walk.” I got up calmly and placed my napkin on the table. I knew if I didn’t get out of the restaurant right away that I would break down into a million pieces and I didn’t want Tru to have to try and pick them all up. He tried to stop me but I didn’t let him. I was already a block away when he caught up to me in his rental car.
“Fenley, wait!” he said from the window.
“Nope. I’m going home.”
“I would have been able to stop you if that stupid waiter didn’t take so long with the check.”
I stopped where I stood. “Go home.”
He stopped the car in the middle of the road and got out, then jogged over to me. I tried to keep walking but he kept me from moving by trapping me in the tightest hug I had ever felt.
“Do you really think some pictures of your awkward phase are going to scare me off? That girl who did that is a sociopath.”
“She’s also single handedly responsible for all of the misery I have felt in school. She’s vicious and evil.”
“And that makes her hideously ugly. People will see that.”
I sighed and wiped away some tears that escaped from the corner of my eye.
“I’m going home,” I said in an exhausted voice, but he didn’t let go. Even when he heard a driver from a passing car honk and curse at him he didn’t budge. He only hugged me tighter.
“I only get to be with you for a few more hours. If you really think I’m going to let go of you you’re crazier than I suspected.”
“You think I’m crazy?” I asked into his chest.
“You’re smiling now, aren’t you?”
I had to let a giggle escape.
“We better get your car out of the road.”
An evening of being snuggled against each other as we looked out from the top of South Mountain finally had to come to an end. I had spent the last few hours wrapped in his arms with lazy kisses grazing my face and lips, but his plane was leaving earlier than any decent person would wake up and I needed to let him get some sleep.
“This is the part I hate,” I pouted from the passenger seat.
“Me too, but I’m so glad I got to be here.”
“Thank you for that. For being here and going with me to my first dance.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. And I’ll be back. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and my dad hates staying in the city.”
“Come here and spend it with us. Aunt Haley will be here too.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he whispered as he leaned in. He hesitated then pressed his lips to mine a
nd kissed me softly. I took in his scent as he did, committing it to memory so it would be fresh in my mind once he was gone. We managed to pull away from each other then he got out to open my door. “I’m not saying goodbye. I’ll see you soon,” he said before he pulled me into his arms.
“Yep.” I was doing my best not to cry.
“Hey,” he lifted my chin and made me look at him. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Be safe.”
I watched from my front porch as he pulled away and I felt like a huge part of me was being pulled along with him. Even after he was long gone I stared at the space that he had just occupied and replayed the last moments over and over. After what felt like hours I forced myself to walk into the house.
My parents were already in bed, and I knew I’d never be able to sleep, so I curled up on the couch and turned on cartoons. Just as I was getting into a comfy position I heard a light knock on the front door. I looked through the peep hole and saw Hunter standing there.
I opened the door and started walking back to he couch. “Adventure Time is on,” I said as I plopped down in my spot.
“Are you okay?” He was looking at me and ignoring the cartoons.
“Peachy. Hey, how’s Jessica?” I said with my voice dripping in sarcasm.
“Well, she did a face plant. I thought it would be funnier. It was just sad. She chipped her front tooth.”
“Huh,” was all I said before I turned my attention back to the television.
The next morning I woke up with a throbbing pain in my neck. I was still completely dressed and I had something jabbing me in the side. It was Hunter’s elbow. He shifted slightly when I sat up, but it didn’t wake him. I rubbed my face in confusion and looked at my phone to check the time. It was just after 6:00 am. I stretched and groaned and then my phone lit up.
“Wish you were on this plane with me,” the text said.
“Me too,” I answered.
I smiled and set my phone down. No one else was awake so I headed to the kitchen and put on a kettle for hot tea. Then I rummaged through the fridge and found some cold pizza to snack on. I sat down at the kitchen table and started thumbing through a magazine while I nibbled on my food. I didn’t hear Hunter sneak into the kitchen and his form at the fridge startled me. He grabbed a slice of pizza and sat down next to me.
“Watcha’ reading?” he said, turning the magazine at his angle a little more.
“I don’t know. Some trash. I’m so tired, and my neck hurts,” I said as I rubbed it.
“Well, you fell asleep in a pretty jacked up position.”
“I need a shower...and a nap,” I said as I rubbed my shoulder.
“You just woke up,” he said with his mouth full.
“This weekend felt like it was a month long.”
“Agreed. I’ll catch you later.” He got up with his slice of pizza in one hand and used the other to grab his keys and shoes. “Are you going to be okay today?” He asked from my front door.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” I shut the door behind him and wondered if I had just lied.
22.
Jessica’s lip was huge. I could hear her throughout the day telling varying tales of how it happened. The most glamorous story involved trying on some Manolo Blahniks and missing a step. I had to wonder how her sidekicks could stand next to her and listen to her lie over and over, but that was their problem.
She glared at me with a threat in her eyes as I walked past her in the halls. I was on my way to french and Monique caught up with me.
“Bonjour Odette!”
“Hi Monique,” I said much less enthusiastically than she had.
“Tell me everything about your weekend with Tru,” she demanded as she squeezed her books to her chest. I noticed her ponytail was pulled so tight it made her eyes look smaller.
“I will after french, I promise! At lunch?”
She agreed and we walked in together. It was super difficult for me to concentrate on translating the poetry we were reading to french because my mind wandered to the good parts of my weekend. I resigned to the fact that my work would now be homework and I allowed myself to zone out until the bell rang. As soon as the lunch bell rang Monique wasted no time grabbing me by the hand and leading me to a spot for us to sit at. When Hunter approached she handled him for me.
“Shoo! This is girl talk. You need to go.”
I shrugged at him, now knowing what to say. I could tell he was trying not to laugh as he backed away slowly. I narrowed my eyes at him, letting him know he would pay for leaving me.
Aside from Tru, I had never had someone so interested in anything I had to say, but there sat Monique, taking bites in slow motion as she listened to my recap of the weekend with wide eyes.
“You’re living a fairy tale. It must be so dreamy.”
“Well, the ‘Fugly’ years aren’t quite out of my system, and he lives on the other side of the country, so I’m not at dreamy just yet.” The warning bell rang and I was glad it gave me an excuse to stop talking. “I have to get to study lab. I’ll see ya later.”
I was able to finish most of my school work in the lab which freed up my evening. I rushed home and tried to call Tru, but I got his voice mail. I left him a message telling him that my evening was all his if he wanted to talk. I wasted about an hour reading and grabbing my phone from time to time to see if I missed a call, but there was nothing.
Eventually I got too antsy to stay home, so I decided to go for a walk. I grabbed my keys and slipped on my converse, but when I opened the door I interrupted Hunter just as he was about to knock. His fist froze in mid-air as soon as the door opened.
“Well, hello there,” he said.
“Hi. What’s up?”
“I’m a little bored. I really want to hit up the comic shop. I was driving by and decided to see if you wanted to join me, but you’re on your way somewhere.”
“I’m really not. I was just going for a walk. We could walk there. It’s not too far.”
“Cool.” He was quiet at first, not saying much of anything, but I could tell he had something on his mind. He glanced at me a couple of times as we walked and I felt a little nervous for no reason in particular. “So, I didn’t really get to ask you how Tru’s visit was.”
“Oh, aside from the Jessica incident, it was good. It was really hard to see him leave, though.” I twisted the drawstring of my hoodie as I spoke.
“Yeah, I bet. New York is really far.”
“Well, maybe I’ll go to school there or something,” I said with a little bit of hope in my voice.
“Maybe,” Hunter said, almost in a whisper.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, sensing that something was eating at him. He stopped walking and looked all around before he could meet my worried gaze.
“I...I don’t know. It’s not anything I can put into words.”
“Ok, you’re freaking me out a little, Hunter,” I said, nervously. Hunter had never had any trouble being himself around me and I wasn’t used to him holding back like this.
“Seriously, it’s nothing and we need to get to the comic book store before it closes.” I glanced at the time on my phone and he was right. I decided not to press him anymore and hoped that if he needed to say something to me he would.
Everything fell back into place at the comic shop as we flipped through colorful pictures of characters that made us both laugh. This was where Hunter could safely geek out, away from the spotlight of his popularity and disapproving girlfriend. I glanced at my phone as he inspected a new comic he was thinking of buying. He watched me out of the corner of his eye but didn’t say anything as I turned the screen off, disappointed that I didn’t have a call or text from Tru.
“Hey, we should go get a shake,” he suggested in an attempt to cheer me up.
“Yeah, whatever. Sounds good,” I answered distractedly.
“Wow, your mood went south,” he noted as he put the comic back on the shelf.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I just
haven’t heard from Tru since his visit.”
“Well, it was kind of a whirl wind trip. Maybe he’s just catching up on sleep or something,” he said with a reassuring smile.
“Maybe.” Hunter paid for what he picked out and we walked across the street to Alpine’s Shake House. Hunter and I ordered and as we waited I snuck another look at my phone, but no message was waiting for me.
“Don’t get yourself worked up, Fen. I’m sure he’ll call,” Hunter said, sensing my anxiousness. I sheepishly stuffed my phone into my pocket.
“I’m sorry. I just... I still can’t believe he’d be into someone like me anyway. I guess I’m a little paranoid.”
Hunter leaned back in the booth and stared at me for a long and uncomfortable minute. “Like you. Like what? What does that even mean?” He sounded frustrated and on the verge of anger and I jumped a little when he leaned forward. “Don’t question your worth. I’m a shit friend because I should have said that a long time ago. And don’t let this guy do that to you. Even if he never calls again...which he will...it doesn’t reflect on your worth.”
“Wow.” I was too stunned to say much more. “Hunter, where is this coming from?” He shifted again in his seat and looked around before he answered.
“I just don’t want to be a bad person.”
“You’re not a bad person,” I said, shaking my head. He met my gaze with skepticism.
“Really,” he scoffed. “Did you think that this summer in New York?” Now it was my turn to look anywhere but at him. “It’s okay,” he said, reassuringly. “I haven’t been too thrilled with myself either.”
“Stop,” I blurted out. “You have been nice enough to indulge me since we were kids. You could have stopped that at any time, but you always made time for me and I know it’s because you felt...or you feel sorry for me. I have been genuinely surprised every time you show up, but you always do. That’s not a trait of a bad person.”
“Jesus, you seriously think that’s the only reason I hang out with you? Because I feel sorry for you?” he said as he stood up. I looked at him in confusion.
Fugly: Book One of the Fenley East Series Page 7
