I nodded as the tears began to flow. “I’m sorry for slapping him. I should have been cooler about it. Derek’s really popular, and he’s the reason everyone showed up to the party…”
“No,” Brad said emphatically. “Don’t youdaredo that, Erica. Don’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. Derek is the piece of shit who touched you. Okay? I don’t care how popular he is.”
His reassuring words meant more to me than I expected. Relief washed over me like a soothing ointment.
“Thank you.”
He hugged me. “I just wished I had been the one to beat his ass. You’remysister, after all.”
I laughed and said, “Speaking of that, how is Hunter?”
“Last I saw, he was keeping three football players at bay with my lacrosse stick,” Brad replied. “I’ve never seen him like that. I think hewantedto fight all of them at once.”
He did it for me, I thought, remembering the way he had flown into the room to tackle Derek.He was trying to protect me.
Brad gave me another hug and said, “I need to make sure nobody breaks anything on the way out. I’ll come check on you a little bit later.” He gave me a warm, brotherly smile, then left, closing the door behind him.
Brad and I didn’t always get along. We teased each other and fought the way siblings were supposed to. But tonight I realized just how good of a brother he really was. When push came to shove—literally—he was there for me.
Another knock came at my door. “Changed your mind?” I called. “Decided to come back and blame me for ruining the party after all?”
But when the door opened, it was Hunter’s face that appeared in the crack. He was holding a bag of frozen peas to his cheek.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure,” I said.
He closed the door behind him and sat next to me on the bed. He winced as the bag of peas shifted against his face.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “What about you?”
He grunted. “One of Derek’s linemen sucker-punched me on the way out. But I’ve had worse.”
I pulled the bag of peas away and touched his face. His cheek was beginning to swell, and the skin was hot to the touch. But despite the growing shiner—or maybe because of it—I felt more attracted to Hunter than ever before.
“You didn’t have to fight him,” I said.
“Like hell I didn’t,” he replied without hesitation. “Derek grabbed your ass.”
“You weren’t even in the room,” I pointed out. “You were getting more beer, and then suddenly you were tackling Derek before you knew what had happened.”
Hunter shrugged. “I got the idea when I saw him pointing at you, claiming it was your fault. And you had tears in your eyes. Whatever had happened, I knew I couldn’t let it slide. I had to protect you.”
He wants to protect me?It was one thing for Brad to jump in the middle, since he was my brother. But Hunter was just a friend. I didn’t understand it.
“Besides,” Hunter said, “Derek’s always been a dick. I’ve been looking for an excuse to clock him. The seniors on the football team are taking their graduation photos tomorrow. We’ll see how he likes having a black eye for those.”
In spite of everything, I laughed. Hunter had that effect on me, making me laugh even when I was on the verge of crying.
He reached out and touched my arm. My body buzzed at his touch, strong and tender at the same time.
“You’re bleeding,” he said, twisting my elbow. A trickle of red was smeared along my skin.
“Oh. That must have happened when Derek shoved me. My arm scraped against the table.”
“Let’s get it cleaned up.” Hunter stood and took my hand, leading me into our shared bathroom. He patted the counter next to the sink and said, “Sit.”