that.”
“I swear, she did,” Hunter said.
I came around the corner and saw that he was sitting down again and Tawny was back on the couch. There wasn't any blood, and no one was missing a limb, which shocked me.
“Hey, guys...” I said hesitantly.
“We were just talking about that night at Blue Lagoon,” Hunter said. “I was filling in your sister on your dance skills.”
“You hussy,” Tawny said. “I didn't think you had it in you.”
“Why not? I went to plenty of dances.”
“There's a difference between high school prom dancing and club dancing and you know it.”
“Is there? Because I saw plenty of girls at prom who should have been attached to a pole.”
They both laughed at me.
“Has she always been like this?” Hunter said.
“Not always. She changed a lot after our parents’ divorce.”
I glared at Tawny. Hunter didn't need to know about Dad.
“So your father isn't in the picture?” Great, thanks a lot Tawny.
“You could say that,” Tawny said.
I struggled to find some way to change the subject.
“Why don't I give you a tour of campus?” I blurted out. It was the first thing that came to mind.
“That would be fun. I've never really seen the whole thing. You want to come?” Tawny directed the last part toward Hunter. “Unless you have somewhere else to be?”
“Not right now,” he said. “You okay with me tagging along, Missy?” His eyes teased me, knowing that my plan had been to get him away from Tawny.
“Fine,” I said, smiling brightly. Suck on that, Hunter.
“Let me just find some shoes,” he said.
I glared at Tawny when he left.
“Oh, Kid, you've got it so bad, but so does he.” She just shook her head. “I'll give it a week before he's tattooing your name on the other side of his chest.”
“I thought you didn't like him. What happened to being pissed at him about the bet?”
Tawny shrugged. “I was overreacting. Typical big sister move. He explained why he did it, and it makes sense, in a slightly twisted way. He's not a bad guy. He's just a jerk. But a nice one.”
“That doesn't make any sense.”
“Men rarely do.”
Nine
After the longest tour of the UMaine campus ever, Tawny decided it was time for her to get back to Belfast.
“Remember what I said. He could be the greatest or the worst thing to happen to you. It's up to you to choose,” she said as she hugged me. “Don't let my past dictate your future, okay? I want you to be happy.”
“You sound like a Hallmark card,” I said when she let go.
“I know what I'm talking about, Kid.” She pressed her thumb in the middle of my forehead, as if to impart her wisdom into my brain. “I'll call you when I get back. When are you coming home next?”
“Not sure, might do a weekend in October, but if I don't, it'll be Thanksgiving.”
“Well, I'll try to get up again before then. Love you, little sister.”
“Love you, big sister,” I said as she put the top of the Volvo down and cranked the radio. She honked as she drove away. I just shook my head.
*****
When I got back home, Hunter was gone, but there was another note on my bed.
Went out to objectify some women. May have sex with some of them. Be back later. By the way, your sister is welcome back anytime. He signed it with just the letter Z.
I crammed that one in my desk with the other. For all I knew, he was having sex with a bunch of different girls. I hated to admit it, but I'd snagged his phone one night when he was in the shower and scrolled through his contacts. He'd messed with mine, so I had to return the favor.
I recognized a few of his contacts, including his cousin and his guy friends. The others, not so much. He had six contacts named Ashley alone. Ashley B, D, H, F, R, and T. The theme continued for the other common names like Heather, Sarah and Liz. I couldn't even count how many names there were. Really, though, was I surprised? Not so much.
I rarely ever saw him talk on his phone, but he texted
Kristen Ashley
Patrick Modiano
Hairy Bikers
Ellie Danes, Lily Knight
Nadia Lee
Ellen Dominick
Arnold Palmer
T. R. Harris
Taylor Caldwell
Catrin Collier