Feudlings

by Wendy Knight

  “Of course we do. We’ve been watching you play football all afternoon and now we have to go shopping to re-assert our womanhood.” Nev pumped her fist in the air, only to pause and stare at Ari in bewilderment when Ari said nothing.

  Livi giggled. “Right. What she said.”

  Shane appeared in front of them, walking backward. “Does that mean we’re not invited?” After classes he had changed into a blue shirt that brought out his metallic blue eyes even more. The effect was devastating. Ari tried not to notice.

  “You want to go shopping?” she asked in stark disbelief.

  “No. He doesn’t,” Hunter said from where he walked at her side, shaking dirt and dust off his shirt. He had gotten sacked during the last play. It was a brave soul who dared to sack Hunter. Whoever it had been, Ari was sure he was going to pay in the next game they played.

  “Of course I do.” Shane was grinning, still walking backward. Ari realized it was something he did just as gracefully as he did everything else.

  “Sorry Shane. Girls only.” Nev shook her head. Shane’s face fell.

  “Please tell me you didn’t honestly want to go shopping,” Hunter muttered in disgust. Ari cracked a smile, which she promptly tried to hide.

  “Fine. But this weekend, we’re going to the alpine slides. Deal?” Shane ignored Hunter and tipped his head to catch Ari’s gaze. Once again, when caught in those amazing eyes she found it annoyingly hard to breathe. She frowned at him and looked away. He stopped in front of her so suddenly she nearly smacked into him.

  “Please, Ari? You’ll love it. I promise,” he said.

  Standing so close to him she was forced to tip her head back to see his face, which annoyed her even more. She wasn’t used to having to look up at people. “Fine. Fine, we’ll go do this Alpine-whatever. Now will you move? Apparently, I need to go shopping instead of doing my homework.”

  Shane’s face lit up triumphantly and he stepped out of the way with a bow. Hunter sighed.

  ****

  Two hours later she followed Nev and Livi, both of whom were laden with bags, down the sidewalk of a strip mall. Charity had bought sunglasses, and that was it. Ari had found a pair of boots with four-inch heels and she hadn’t been able to pass them up. Let’s see Shane look down at me now, she thought smugly, swinging her bag.

  “I needed this.” Charity sighed, content. Ari glanced over, surprised to see Charity’s fair cheeks coloring sheepishly. “I’m surrounded by Hunter and Shane all the time! And if Shane is around, then of course, whatever girl is pretending to be my friend to get to Shane is there too. All. Of. The. Time.” She enunciated each word. “It’s so nice just to have a break.”

  Ari nodded. “I can’t imagine having someone around all the time. I’m used to being on my own.”

  “Yeah. I kinda noticed.” Charity laughed, swinging her small bag so it smacked into Ari’s. “I’m glad you’re here though. Nev and Livi are the best, but it’s great not being a third wheel all the time.”

  Ari squinted up at the blue sky, unsure what to say. She had never had someone tell her they were glad she was there. Unless it was to kill something. It was new territory for her. Finally, she broke into a smile. “I’m glad I’m here too.” She paused. “Can I ask you something? If you don’t want to answer, I understand… it’s just been bugging me since I got here.”

  “Sure. Of course. What’s up?” Charity’s brow furrowed as she glanced up at Ari.

  “You and Hunter… are you guys together? Because sometimes I swear you are, and sometimes I think you’ve got this brother-sister relationship going on.”

  “Why? Do you like him?” Charity asked, her voice slightly strangled as her bag dropped to the ground. She bent to pick it up.

  Ari looked at her in alarm. “No! No, that’s not it at all. Just curious.” She stumbled over the words, feeling ridiculous. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  The relief was plain on Charity’s pretty face. “No, I’m sorry. It’s complicated. Promise not to tell anyone?”

  “I promise, Charity. Like I talk to anyone but you.” Ari wasn’t sure she had ever had to make a promise like this before, and it felt fabulous.

  “I’ve been in love with Hunter forever. But… well. Hmm. How to put this. I guess with how muddy our family lives are, he’s only focused on surviving. He doesn’t date either, just like you.” Charity’s voice was so forlorn, Ari ached for her.

  “And he doesn’t know how you feel about him?” Ari asked.

  Charity shook her head, kicking at the sidewalk. “One day I’ll tell him, but not yet. When it’s a safer time, I’ll tell him.”

  “Not that I’m brilliant when it comes to relationships, but wouldn’t it be better to tell him now? I mean, safer times might come too late.”

  Charity closed her eyes. Her smile quivered “Maybe, Ari. Maybe you’re right.”

  ****

  Shane was restless. He kept glancing at the clock on the library wall, and then at the door, and then at his phone that he knew wasn’t going to ring. Actually, it did ring. A lot, but it was never who he wanted it to be.

  As he drummed his pencil on his book and attempted to study for his physics test the next day, Hunter’s hand snaked out and slammed the offending writing instrument into the table. “You’re driving me nuts,” he snapped.

  “What? I’m studying.” Shane sat back in surprise.

  “So what’s that last formula you just read?” Hunter asked, leaning back in his chair with a cynical raise of his eyebrow, waiting. Shane just glared at him. They both knew he couldn’t answer. “You’re pathetic, you know that?” Hunter said.

  Shane started to object. He tried to be offended. Instead, he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Yeah. I know.”

  “Why don’t you just tell her you’ve got a thing for her and be done with it? Once she gives you the time of day you’ll drop her just like every other girl before her and we can go back to being normal.” Hunter looked away, his eyes focused on the multicolored Berber carpet at their feet.

  “It isn’t like that with her,” Shane said quietly.

  “Of course not. Because she doesn’t want you. If she did, it would be the same with her as it has been with everyone else.” Shane raised his eyebrows at the harshness in Hunter’s voice. “Face it, Shane. You’re obsessed with her because she’s the only girl ever to come along that didn’t throw herself at your feet.”

  “It’s not like that, Hunter. She’s different,” Shane insisted. “And why are you so angry about this anyway?” He watched in amazement as Hunter’s cheeks reddened. He had never seen Hunter blush. Ever.

  “I just think you’re being an idiot, that’s all,” Hunter said sharply, jumping to his feet so fast he knocked his chair over. The room fell silent as everyone looked over to see what the commotion was.

  Shane’s jaw dropped. “You like her,” he said. “That’s why it bugs you so bad that I like her.”

  “Seriously. An idiot,” Hunter stammered, his eyes shifting uneasily before they settled on Shane. “I respect her.” He sighed at Shane’s dumbfounded look, jerking his chair upright and, after a brief hesitation, thunking down into it.

  He leaned toward Shane and dropped his voice as they both realized they had the attention of everyone in the library. “I respect her enough to not want to see her go through what you’ve put every other girl through. She doesn’t deserve that.”

  Shane sat still, studying his best friend for a long time. They’d never wanted the same girl before. Hunter took his job as Guard seriously, and girls got in the way. But Ari was different for both of them, apparently. “Hunter, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m being her friend, and that’s it. She’s too important to me to mess it up trying to be anything else.” Hunter squinted, not believing him. Frustrated, Shane leaned back and rubbed his neck, staring up at the ceiling. “You heard Charity. She said if I chase her, Ari will be gone. I’m not going to risk that happening.”

 
His throat went dry at the thought of Ari leaving. They all knew she could, at any time. She never let them in, not completely. No matter how hard any of them tried, she kept a part of herself locked away where they couldn’t get to it. She wouldn’t get emotionally involved, so packing up and walking away would never be a problem for her. But just the thought of it scared Shane to death.

  “I’m not going to risk it either,” Hunter replied, his light brown eyes darkening just a bit as they met Shane’s. No one else would have noticed, but Shane did. He wondered if Hunter meant that as a promise, or a threat.

  ****

  Saturday dawned bright and clear. Ari could tell before she even opened her eyes. She loved the almost complete lack of smog in Park City. She had never been to Utah before coming to this school, and she wasn’t positive she had even heard of Park City until her brother suggested this place. But it was beautiful. Mountains; green, rolling mountains surrounded them on all sides, and beyond Park City, the peaks rose majestic and jagged into the sky. She had never seen mountains like these in all her traveling around the world to kill things.

  If she had to be honest, she would admit that this school in the mountains was by far her favorite. She loved the crisp air and the quaintness of Park City. And she loved…

  Ari froze. Her eyes snapped open and she glared at the ceiling. What had she been about to think? She glanced over at Brittany, who was still asleep. Brittany was perhaps the only person Ari had ever met who wore an eye-mask to bed. A pink zebra striped one with fluff all along the edges. It would have driven Ari insane, but Brittany wore it, every single night. Ari got up and padded to the window, running her fingers through her tangled waves. She loved her friends. She loved the people here. And admitting it to herself wasn’t as painful as she expected.

  ****

  Ari pulled on her new boots and studiously ignored Brittany, who sat, scowling, in her pink pajamas on her bed.

  There was a light knock on the door, and Brittany leapt to her feet. Ari was faster and beat her to the door, giving Brittany a dry look as she swung it open. Brittany’s eyes opened wide and she squealed, diving under her covers. Ari frowned and faced the door.

  Ah. “Shane,” she drawled. “Whatcha doin’?” She dropped a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.

  “Everyone else is down at the cars. You’re late.” He was leaning against the door frame, a black and white polo hugging his broad shoulders, arms crossed. Several girls were peering excitedly into the hallway.

  “Yes, well, I have a phone.” Ari held hers up and wiggled it in front of him. “You have a phone. You could have called. You’re giving my roommate a heart attack.” Ari’s eyes sparkled. The heap that was Brittany on the bed growled something unintelligible. They both ignored it.

  “This was more fun,” Shane said, a mischievous grin playing around his mouth as he pushed away from the wall. Like the other ten girls watching him right then, Ari had the urge to sigh in pleasure at how gorgeous he was standing in her doorway. But Ari was not a sigh-in-pleasure kind of girl. The only sighs she gave were annoyed or frustrated, so she refrained.

  “I’ll bet it was. Let’s go before she has a conniption.” Ari grabbed her purse off the desk. She was pleased to see that she looked Shane in the eye now, instead of having him four inches taller than her.

  “Nice boots.” He smirked.

  She just grinned.

  ****

  “Does anyone have a car we can all fit in?” Nev asked as Shane and Ari walked up. Hunter frowned. He stood with the three girls, wearing a black t-shirt that was stretched across his broad chest and a black baseball cap on backward. The cap was typical of Hunter. As soon as classes let out, he had it on. “Took you long enough,” he said. It was nearly a growl, but then, a growl was also typical of Hunter. Ari wondered if she had ever heard him speak a whole sentence without growling as Shane shrugged.

  “Beep fits eight, but the back is kinda short on leg room,” Ari offered, giving both boys a curious look, which they ignored.

  “Beep?” Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow. Ari nodded. He shook his head and said, “My truck fits six, plenty of leg room. I’ll drive.” He swung toward a big black truck with at least a six inch lift.

  “Pretty.” Ari purred.

  “I know,” Hunter answered without turning around, but she saw the hard set of his shoulders relax. She grinned over at Shane, expecting to be rewarded for getting Hunter to chill, but Shane frowned and looked away. Ari’s eyebrows furrowed and she nibbled her thumb nail. What in the world…?

  Livi rode up front with the boys since she was the only one tiny enough to fit in the middle. The girls had a rambunctious conversation about the jelly beans they were eating and whether the yellow one actually tasted like lemons or air freshener. Although Shane kept chuckling at them, Ari noticed he and Hunter were both quiet. Hunter was always quiet, but it was uncharacteristic of Shane.

  A little more than thirty minutes later they were walking toward the resort that housed the Alpine slide, which was built right into the mountainside. There was also a zip line and a rock climbing wall and all sorts of other fun things Ari had never had the chance to try. The resort was quaint. It reminded her of Switzerland with the pointed roofs and painted shutters and cobblestone walkways. And the weather was beautiful, not hot. Ari was not a big fan of heat, and Park City was much cooler than many of her other homes.

  Nev and Livi were in the lead, Charity and Hunter walking just behind them. Ari could hear them laughing about something, but she had fallen back to check her phone, which she could swear kept ringing. She was wrong. With a shrug she shoved it back in her pocket and glanced up to see Shane waiting for her, standing awkwardly a few feet away as he glanced from her to their friends. She lengthened her stride.

  “Sorry,” she said as she caught up to him.

  “No problem. Everything okay?” he asked as they both started after the others.

  “Yep. How ‘bout you?” she responded.

  “I’m good. Shouldn’t I be?” Shane frowned as he glanced at her. Ari was amazed that he was oblivious to all the girls who were so awestruck as he passed them. She shook her head, trying to focus.

  “Yes. You and Hunter both. You’re quiet,” she said, then added, “Is it like this wherever you go?” Shane shook his head, confused. “Girls.” Ari swept her hands wide, indicating the whole population around them.

  “What? Oh. Girls like guys who are nice to them. I’m a nice guy,” Shane said like he had answered the question a hundred times before.

  “These girls don’t know you,” Ari pointed out.

  His mouth quirked up in a half-smile and he said, “They can smell it.”

  Ari chuckled. “Right. So? What’s wrong with you?”

  “Because I’m nice?” he asked, confused again.

  “No. Because you’re so quiet. You’re not a quiet person, Shane. Especially when you’ve got four girls trapped in a car with you.”

  “You wound me, Ari,” Shane declared, putting his hand over his heart as he rolled his eyes. Ari just raised an eyebrow at him, waiting. A light breeze wafted through, tugging at her hair. She shoved her ponytail behind her just as Shane reached out, snagging a red curl. “You should leave it down,” he said quietly.

  She brushed his hand away with a shake of her head. “It gets in the way. And stop trying to change the subject.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “You were. What’s up, Shane?”

  He stopped walking to study her. “Hunter and I… are at an impasse we’ve never been at before and we aren’t sure how to cross it.” For a minute she could see the worry just beneath his eyes, and then it was gone, shoved deeper where she couldn’t find it. “We’ll get through it.” He shrugged and started walking again.

  Ari hurried to catch up. “I’m not even going to ask what that means. You’re not going to give me a straight answer, are you?”

  “Nope,” Shane responded without looking at her, his face split w
ith a devilish grin.

  “Fine. Answer me this then,” Ari said, looking up toward their group. Hunter and Charity had fallen behind a few steps and were talking, his head bent close to hear what she was saying. “What’s up with Hunter and Charity?”

  Shane stopped again, surprised. Ari looked back at him. “What? I can’t be the first one to ask.”

  As Shane pursed his lips, his brow furrowed, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Why do you ask?” He wouldn’t look at her. He was squinting at the ground and seemed to be concentrating hard on his breathing.

  “They make a cute couple. I was wondering why they hide it.” Ari tipped her head sideways at Shane’s strange reaction.

  “Hey! You guys comin’ or what?” Nev yelled from where she was about to round the corner.

  “Yeah. We’re coming,” Ari called back with a wave, motioning them to go on. With a shrug Nev disappeared, followed by Livi. Hunter and Charity still stood at the corner, hesitating. Ari glanced back at Shane, who had started walking again.

  “The three of us — Hunter, Charity and I — have been together since we were in diapers. If they do like each other, I don’t think either of them knows it. In fact…” Shane hesitated. Ari watched the ground in front of her feet, waiting. “I think Hunter thinks he likes someone else right now.”

  “Hm. That’s too bad. They’re good together,” Ari said as they came up to Charity. Hunter was moving away, the angry set of his shoulders back.

  “Who’s good together?” Charity sent a concerned glance at Hunter’s retreating form.

  Shane draped his arm around his cousin’s neck. “Peanut butter and jelly.” He winked at Ari over Charity’s head.

  ****

  “I don’t know, Ari. The zip line might be too much for you,” Hunter said as they waited in line for the ski lift that would take them to the top of the mountain.

  “I handled the slide just fine, didn’t I?” Ari sniffed at him, glad that he was relaxing and not snarling at everyone.