Hunter slowed to a stop at a red light and glanced over at me. “How old were you when they adopted you?”
“I had just been born, and Brad was almost a year old,” I replied. “It’s weird having a mom and dad who are already seventy even though I haven’t graduated high school yet. People always assume they’re mygrandparents.”
“I think I thought the same thing when we moved to the neighborhood,” Hunter said. “Why didn’t they have children before that?”
“They didn’t think they wanted kids. Dad was focused on his job, and mom was a nurse practitioner, so they were always busy. It wasn’t until they were ready to retire early that they realized they wanted a family. But I love them more than anything. And growing up with them was obviously better than being an orphan.”
The moment the word left my mouth, I wished I could grab it and pull it back. It hung in the air like a bad smell. I winced, and glanced over at Hunter.
But the light had changed, and he was driving through the intersection without acknowledging what I had said.
To quickly change the subject, I said, “Thanks for making Brad apologize. It’s really not a big deal, though. We tease each other all the time.”
Hunter shrugged one shoulder. “I just wanted to make sure you knew what he said was bullshit. You don’t need to work off any flab. You have a great body.”
If I had been sipping a drink, I would have spit it out in surprise. “You think so?”
“I mean, you’re really fit,” Hunter said casually. “You play volleyball and soccer. It’s not like you’re sitting around on the couch all day, eating potato chips.”
Hunter had been friends with my brother for ten years now, and this was the first time he had ever acknowledged my body. I didn’t think he was evenawareof my existence as a grown woman. But he had said so. He thought I was fit. He thought I had a great body. I repeated his compliment in my head until the words lost all meaning.
Before I could figure out how to return the compliment, Hunter’s phone rang. “Hello? Oh, hey. Nothing, just dropping off Brad’s little sister at volleyball practice.”
Brad’s little sister.So much for him thinking of me as a woman. His words stung because Hunter and I were the same age: I had just turned seventeen, and he didn’t turn eighteen until the summer. Sure, technically that meant he was nine months older than me, but in my head it put us on even ground.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Hunter was saying to the person on the phone. “The movie starts at eight, so I’ll pick you up around seven so we can grab food beforehand. Later.”
After he hung up, I waited five strategic seconds before casually asking, “Who was that?”
“Priscilla,” he replied simply. “A girl I’m seeing.”
I didn’t know who that was, but I instantly hated her based on the name alone.
“I thought you were dating Katie Offerman,” I said.
Hunter smirked over at me. “You stalking me, Erica?”
“No! Definitely not. I just… Katie’s the captain of the cheerleader squad, and rumors fly around school. I heard you two were dating.”
“We dated for a while,” he said casually, like he was describing a part-time job. “It was all right. But now I’m seeing Priscilla.”
My brain was screaming at me to stop asking questions, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Is Priscilla, like, your girlfriend?”
“Nah,” he replied. “It’s just one date. We’ll see what happens after that.”
I breathed a long sigh of relief. I didn’t know why I was so obsessed with who Hunter was seeing, since he obviously had zero interest in me. I wasBrad’s little sister, after all. But it still felt like a victory to know he was single.
Hunter pulled into the parking lot next to the gym. He put the car in park and put his hand across the back of my seat again. The upholstery creaked as he twisted to look at me.
“You sure you have a ride home?” he asked.
“Yeah, my best friend Lizzy said she can drive me.”
“If that changes, call me.” He flashed me that perfect smile, the one that made all the girls in school swoon. “Later, Erica.”
“Bye, Hunter. Thanks again.”
I left the car with a huge smile on my face.