Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider (Rock Valley High Book 4), стр. 43
Stupid date.
Stupid Sarah.
Stupid heart.
At this rate, I was going to have to lock myself away in my room until graduation. Voluntary grounding. My parents would love it. No more having to worry about me coming home after curfew. In fact, they might even send me off to a nunnery. Not that we were Catholic, but I was sure they would make an exception for a lonely teenage girl who could only think about locking lips with her totally off-limits best friend.
Not even the stars in the sky above on my walk home could settle the pulsing of my veins. Or the glass of milk I guzzled when I got inside my house. And when I finally laid down in my bed, my mind was still buzzing.
Everything was wrong. So very wrong. What had happened to having the best year ever? It felt so far out of reach, I couldn’t imagine it anymore.
Not even the idea of stealing a crown from Sarah’s head could cheer me up.
It felt like she’d already won.
Chapter Seventeen
Secret hangout. 8 am.
Meet me there.
It’s in the rules.
I stared groggily at those words on my phone as I laid in bed, hugging the comforter to my body. Hunter had texted me late last night and I’d just seen it now. I was surprised the vibrating tone of my phone hadn’t woken me up.
Honestly, it was the worst night of sleep I’d had in a long time. It had taken me hours to drift off. I couldn’t wade through all my jumbled thoughts about Hunter, and Sarah, and Graham. Or answer the question of why the events of last night had me so worked up. None of it made sense. And this morning felt no different. My temples throbbed and it felt like I hadn’t had a drink of water in days.
But there wasn’t much time to recover. The blurry numbers on my phone warned me that I had only twenty minutes to put some clothes on, run a toothbrush over my teeth, and get to our secret hideout. Hunter was right. I couldn’t reject his demands to meet. It was part of the rules. We always had to make up after a fight—no matter how much we’d hurt each other. And so, I begrudgingly slipped my feet into my Toms and went to splash some cold water on my face.
The secret hideout wasn’t far. About halfway between our homes sat a little suburban park with a man-made pond, complete with a cute fishing dock. Part of the park was covered with dense trees where no one seemed to venture. During our many exploratory trips around town, we’d discovered a little hollow back there that was hidden from sight. A place where we could carve our names into the rocks and joke and talk about our lives. It was our secret. And that was where I found Hunter sitting and waiting for me, using a stick to trace in the dirt between his feet.
“Hey.” I crossed my arms and walked grumpily in front of him to sit on a large rock.
Just the sight of him had me steaming mad again. Although, the bags under his eyes and his messy hair did help alleviate some of the worst of it. At least he hadn’t slept well, either. That made two of us.
“Char.” He dropped the stick and rubbed the dirt off his hands. “I’m glad you came.”
“I kind of had to,” I said, glaring at him for a second before tearing my eyes away.
Okay, so maybe I wasn’t completely mad at him anymore. More like confused and hurt. It might have been in the friendship pact that we had to make up, but I didn’t have to make it easy on him.
“Well, thanks, anyway.” He rubbed the back of his head and grimaced. “I wanted to talk about last night.”
I inhaled and waited. Here it came. The apology. He should’ve been on his hands and knees groveling after what he did. I fully expected the works.
“I don’t think you should go out with Graham anymore,” he began, scowling at the ground. “I’ve never liked him. He’s got one of those faces, you know? I don’t think you’re safe with him. You need to dump him.”
My mouth fell open as I gaped at Hunter. So much for an apology. Instead, he was ordering me around? Heck, no. Not on my watch.
“Hunter McNally, you did not just say that to me.” I rose to my feet, my cheeks burning hot. My fists curled at my sides as I glared at him, my whole body quivering with anger.
His eyes grew wide and he held up his hands. “What?”
“After what you did...after the way you acted last night.” I inhaled through my nostrils, trying my best to keep my voice below hysterical mode. “I can’t believe you’d have the nerve to talk to me this way. I want an apology from you.”
He scrambled to his feet, his eyes flashing with matching anger. “For what, exactly?”
“For showing up to ruin my date.”
He huffed and tossed his head. “Why should I apologize to you? I was just trying to protect you. You don’t understand guys like Graham.”
“You don’t get to decide what I need protecting from.” I glued my hands on my hips and continued to glare at him. Anger pulsated in my chest. “Especially not when you show up with her.”
Understanding entered his eyes. He shook his head and laughed hollowly. “That’s what you’re angry about? You’re upset I went with Sarah?”
“Duh! She practically ruined my life last year. Or do you not remember when I nearly drowned?”
His face softened and he took a step toward me. “Of course, I remember.”
“Then, why her?” My eyes blurred with tears.
It felt like I was