I'll Reach For You, page 2
"I don't want to talk about it, can we go home?" She pleads. I nod. I’m not sure if it’s the look in her eyes that makes me agree, or that I’m tired of Hunter driving me insane.
"Yeah, let's go," I say, and we walk to the car and drive home.
"Do I have to watch you all the time?" I ask, upset. I turn to her, she has her head lowered and shakes her head as an answer.
"You know, the things you do will affect both of us, you get the blame and I get the blame." I say. I look at her again and she nods.
"Don't tell him then." She says, and I snort.
"He’ll find out eventually, the teachers will inform him if you miss too many hours. The yelling will get much worse." I sigh and shake my head at her ignorance.
"You know what, your trouble." I wrap my hands around the steering wheel hard. In my peripheral vision, I see Hunter shrink. I don't want to talk or look at her.
We walk in the front door and I find dad out in the garden. I glance behind me as Hunter sits on the couch looking scared.
"Dad?" He turns to me from the sun chair.
"Yeah?" Dad answers and takes off his sunglasses.
"I want to let you know Hunter skipped another class," I say and rub my forehead. He raises his eyebrows and stands up. Dad looks behind me into the living room at Hunter on the couch.
"Thank you, Skylar. I'm glad you keep an eye on her." He kisses my head and walks away. I facepalm myself after he closes the door. Watching her yeah, right? I turn around to see dad talking to Hunter. He doesn’t appear angry as he sits on the edge of his seat, his mouth is moving, and hands are waving. Hunter sits with her mouth closed, she looks so small. Mom comes in the door with her hands full of bags. I help her, hearing dad still talking to Hunter.
"Thanks, darling," Mom says. We both go into the kitchen and store the groceries in their place. The talking has stopped. I step into the living room, finding no one, but I see my dad out in the garden again. Hunter must have gone up to her room.
Chapter 5
Goodnight, Skylar
Taylor and I are on our way to Brooks house, her parents left for the weekend. It happens sometimes, and every time she throws a party. The last time she had one, it got so damn messy we spent hours cleaning before it was finished. We were so lucky because an hour later they came home! I swear I’ve never seen Brook with her heart up in her throat like that before, she’s usually calm and full of energy. Sometimes, I wonder if there’s a brain in her head, it appears to be empty up there. Taylor parks the car behind a small Audi.
"I guess the party has already started," Taylor says. We get out of the car and walk to the house, trying to avoid the maze of cars and people. The music and talking people hit my ears as we reach the open door. I step into the mess, people are dancing, and others are talking. A guy runs past us with a girl on his heels, she has her shoes in each hand and they run out the door as Taylor and I stare at them. The girl throws her shoes at him, with the last one only inches away from hitting his head. Taylor and I glance at each other and shrug. Since I drove us home last time, it’s my turn to drink. Taylor must remain sober.
I stumble towards Brook, who’s filling up a glass.
"Can you fill mine, too?" I ask as she turns to me with a bright smile, I think. Things seem fuzzy and blurry.
"Yeah, sure." She takes my glass, but it slips out of her hand to the floor, breaking into pieces. We look at each other and burst out into laughter. Brook's hair looks messy, so do her clothes. Her eyes are almost closed. She looks as tired as I feel.
"Okay, I think you two girls have had enough." We turn to find Taylor with a grin.
"No, we're fine," I say, and put my hand on her shoulder to steady myself.
"Yeah, we’re having fun!" Brook shouts, making the others cheer. Taylor doesn’t look happy.
"I think it’s time to get you home because that’s the third glass you’ve been around that’s cracked." She points at the pieces on the floor.
"And that's in less than a half an hour."
Taylor holds me under the arm and helps me towards my front door.
"Your key?" I open my purse but get lost in it. She grows impatient and grabs it out of my hands.
"Jesus, Skylar." She says and opens the door.
"I can do the rest by myself," I say and steady myself on the doorframe. She looks at me doubtfully.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, go." We say goodbye and she drives away. I stumble in the door to the sound of talking. Oh, my God, don’t tell me my parents are still up? They’re going to kill me. I take a deep breath and walk into the living room, only to find Hunter on the couch watching TV.
"Why are y-you up" I hiccupped. I shake my head, and fall hitting mom's small table. The sound of something breaking makes me wince, oh shit. Before I know it, Hunter’s next to me with her arms under my own, dragging me.
"What are you doing?" I mumble. She opens a door and takes me into the bathroom.
"What’s going on?" I hear dad yell. Oh, that is why. Hunter runs out and closes the door, leaving me there.
"Sorry, I walked into the table by accident." I hear Hunter say, her voice is unsteady like my feet. Why is she taking the blame? I try to stand up, but my legs are failing me.
"Okay, well, my wife really loved that vase." I hear him sigh.
"I guess no TV for the rest of the week." I breathe. When did I stop breathing?
"Good night." I guess Hunter nodded to him since I didn’t hear her voice. The TV turns off and I hear footsteps. She opens the door, finding me on the floor and I try to get up.
"Let me help you." She moves over and takes me by the arm. I stand up and we stare at each other for a moment; her hair’s up in a ponytail. She seems so tired, there are bags under her eyes and they’re red, probably from rubbing her eyes too much. She looks as if she’ll pass out any minute.
"You ready to walk?" She asks and yawns, I nod. Hunter puts her arm around me, firmly. We walk down the stairs and stop to take a break. I breathe and blink hard. Hunter’s yawning again, I turn to her. She has that same crooked smile on her face and her blue eyes are shining like the day on the roof. It makes me blush again.
"Can I ask you something?" I’m not sure if I’m the one talking or if it’s the alcohol. She nods.
"What did you do to end up here?" She freezes, her tired eyes widen. She opens her mouth but closes it again as her eyes wander to the stairs.
"We should get you upstairs." She says, not one glance at me. We take the first step easily, then the rest and cross the hallway towards my room. She opens the door.
"Was it drugs?" I ask. She takes both of us in and doesn’t say anything but helps me to bed. I look up at her, face blank, unreadable.
"Goodnight, Skylar." She whispers my name so softly her voice lingers in my head. She walks out and closes the door leaving me alone.
Chapter 6
Rub the guilt in me
Iwake up with the worst headache in history. Oh, my God, I need water. I reach for my phone on the nightstand.
"Ouch." I end up face down on the floor instead. I rub my temple as if my head wasn't in enough pain. I move my legs, stand up, and stumble down the stairs. Hunter sits on the couch reading a book. She looks up quickly and then back down. She still has bags under her blue eyes. Her grey sweater is full of small holes, it’s old and too big for her. Most of her clothing must come from the foster care or her old home.
"Um, where’s mom and dad?" I ask to kill the tension.
"Out shopping." She answers and doesn’t give me a glance. I walk into the kitchen to take a painkiller and drink some water. I should thank Hunter for last night. She took the blame for me, few would have done that. Why would she? The only thing I’ve been to her is an asshole. She shouldn’t have done that for me. I walk back into the living room, Hunter’s still reading her book.
"Umm, Hunter?" She turns her head to look at me but doesn’t say anything, so, I continue.
"I'm sorry about last night and thank you for helping me." She just gives me a flat smile and continues reading.
"Don't you want to talk about it?" I ask, and she shakes her head. I feel the anger building inside of me.
"What? I come here to thank you and apologize, and you don't care?" Now she turns to me and shrugs.
"I don't want to talk about it." She says, closing her book. Hunter stands up, looks at me with sad eyes and goes upstairs. I sit on the couch and sigh. The front door opens, and dad and mom come in with grocery bags.
"Give us a hand?" I nod and walk out to the car and take in the rest.
"Where’s Hunter?" Mom asks as I put the milk and soda in the refrigerator.
"Upstairs," I answer.
"Is she okay?" Dad asks, and I nod.
"She’s really quiet, it's hard to talk to her." Dad turns to look at me and sighs.
"I know, just give her some time, maybe she’ll come around." He says smiling.
"Oh, “dad starts.
"Hunter’s not allowed to watch TV, so if she does, just tell us, okay?" I nod.
"She’ll probably not do it anyway, but just to be sure." He says. Yeah, just rub the guilt in me. I’m so angry with Hunter for not talking to me, I even let her know how grateful and sorry I am. She’s so goddamn quiet and closed in, she’s driving me insane. Why does dad have to be so kind? Couldn't he just wait a little longer before taking her in? It’s annoying to know we share the same bathroom, everything is wrong.
Chapter 7
Like you Care
The school hallways have always smelled bad. I don't understand why they haven't done anything about it. I walk down the hall on my way to the bathroom.
"What?" Then I see Hunter sitting on the floor next to the bathroom door. She’s skipping class again.
"Hunter, what are you doing out here?" She turns to look at me and then stands up walking away from me.
"Goddammit, Hunter. Stop!" I run after her. For having shorter legs than me, she sure is fast. I reach her and grab her arm.
"Hunter, what..." She turns. Her eyes are red, and she has a nasty bruise on her right cheekbone. I put my hand to her chin and turn her head around to get a better look.
"Hunter, what-what happened?" I ask worriedly.
"Nothing." She moves out of my grip and takes a step back.
"Hunter, you can tell me."
"Like you care." She turns to walk, and I follow her.
"Hunter, stop." She does, but she doesn’t turn to look at me, so I walk around her.
"Let's go home". I say, and she nods. Her eyes always look so goddamn hurt.
We walk to the car and start driving home. I watch her, and she looks like a sad little pup. Her head down and gaze stuck on her feet.
"You okay?" I ask. She nods carefully.
"You're not going to talk to me, are you?" She shakes her head.
"You know, I’m missing football practice right now, so I think I deserve an explanation." She shakes her head again, it makes me sigh. I give up and stop the car behind dad’s vehicle. She steps out of the car before I can even take out the keys. I grab them and follow her in. Dad turns to look at us from the sofa as Hunter walks towards the stairs.
"Hunter, what happened to you?" Dad asks, but Hunter reaches the stairs and goes up, two steps at a time. Dad turns to me.
"What happened to her?" He asks worriedly.
"I don't know, I was on my way to the bathroom when I saw her. She was sitting on the floor next to the door. Then I saw her cheek was blue." He scratches his neck, worried.
"No one from school has called, so I guess she must have been hiding or something since the accident. Did she say anything?" I shake my head.
"I tried, but she doesn't want to talk to me," I tell him frustrated.
"Okay, well at least you tried." He says smiling.
"I think we should just give her some time and then I’ll talk to her." He says I nod, and he goes to the porch door.
"By the way, mom will be home late." I nod again, and he goes out into the sun.
✽ ✽ ✽
I wake up to the sound of someone downstairs. I step out of bed and start walking down the stairs. The light in the kitchen is on; I go in finding Hunter at the fridge. She stands there in her blue pajama pants and a black T-shirt. She turns to look at me.
"You okay?" I ask her, and she nods.
"Hungry." She answers. Hunter skipped dinner this evening, she moves back to the fridge and takes out the pizza we had for dinner. She turns around and I can see the blue mark on her cheek. I feel awful, I should’ve been there, done something. Still, she doesn't want to talk about what happened. Dad tried, but she didn’t say anything. She places the pizza in the microwave and starts it. I move closer to her and lean on the counter. She turns to look at me with the same shy smile she always has. She still looks tired, she’s looked tired from the day she arrived.
"When was the last time you slept?" She looks at me, and just shrugs, I sigh. She’s like a brick wall, hard to get through. She takes out the pizza and walks into the dining room.
"Good night," I tell her and go back to bed.
Chapter 8
You two haven’t really been on the right Track
"How was your day?" Dad asks Hunter and me. We’re all sitting around the dinner table. Dad made dinner; he wanted to try his new grill, so he made burgers. They taste good, so he’s satisfied.
"It was great. The coach told me I’d start the next game." Dad looks at me.
"That's great hon. I’m so proud of you." Dad says, smiling looking at mom.
"We’re so proud of you, both of us," Mom says too. They both look so happy. Not just because of me, but with each other. They look at Hunter.
"How was your day, Hunter?" Dad asks as I turn to look at her. Today Hunter’s wearing one of her black hoodies and ripped jeans as usual.
"It was fine." She says shrugging.
"No details?" Dad asks. She shakes her head and he nods. It’s been a couple of days and her left cheek is still a little blue. Dad hasn’t said anything about it, so I guess she hasn’t told him. I haven't heard him talk on the phone with the school or anyone, he’s waiting for Hunter to be ready.
“As you both know tomorrow is Friday, Rachel and I are going to visit some old friends for the weekend." I nod. "So, I hope the two of you stay put and don't do anything stupid." He looks at me and I roll my eyes.
"We have some rules for you two," Mom says.
"What, are you kidding me?"
"Yeah, well," Dad starts.
"You two haven’t really been on the right track, so we thought there should be some rules."
"What are the rules?" I ask, upset.
"Okay, here we go. No visitors, no fighting and you," he points at me.
"Don't leave her behind anywhere, okay?" I roll my eyes and nod.
"Good, and Hunter." He looks at her now.
"Just ask Skylar when it comes to food or anything you need. Okay?" She nods. She looks at me and I give her a small smile.
"And call us if there’s anything wrong, okay?" Mom says. Hunter and I nod.
✽ ✽ ✽
Hunter and I help mom and dad with the luggage. We put all the bags in the station wagon. Hunter's forehead is shining; she must be very warm under that sweater.
"If you don't have any t-shirts you can borrow one of mine." She puts the last bag in the car, then turns to look at me.
"No, I-I have, I just..."
"Thank you, girls." Dad comes interrupting us.
"No problem," I say and Hunter smiles. Mom comes out looking through her black purse. She grabs a set of keys and hands them to dad.
"Ready to go?" He asks her. She nods.
"You girls behave, okay?" Mom says. Both of us nod.
"Of course, we will," I tell them. They walk to each door of the car.
"See you on Sunday, bye."
"Bye." Hunter and I say at the same time. He starts the car and drives away as we wave.
Chapter 9
A little too Late
Iwake up to the sound of the TV. Didn't Hunter turn it off before bed? I rub my eyes and start walking down the stairs. There’s no light in the room except the one on the TV. Hunter sits on the couch.
"Hi," I say. She turns to look at me.
"Hi." She says too. I sit down on the couch, next to her.
"Couldn't sleep?" I ask her. She nods.
"Why not, is there something wrong with the room or the bed?" She shakes her head.
"You can tell me, you know, maybe I can help you?" She shakes her head again. I wish she’d open up a little, let me know what’s going on in her mind. I don’t know anything about her, what she likes to do, or what her past was like. It's like she’s hiding, and even though she’s safe here, she’s still closed off.
I’ve figured out she can’t have been on drugs, because if she was, I don’t think she’d be like this. If she’d been using, she’d have had more of an attitude and been more of an asshole or something, but she’s quiet, a little too quiet. I wish she’d step out of her cage, the thing that keeps her trapped. I know it’s too late to want to become her friend, but I could at least try. The bruise she had on her cheek made me feel awful, I don’t know where it came from or who did it. But I know she didn’t deserve it, she’s too quiet to make someone angry. She’s the person that hides in the shadows, so no one can see her.
"What are you watching?" I ask her. She turns to look at me, I can barely see her face but the light from the TV allows me to see her clear blue eyes. She looks tired as always, and it’s starting to worry me. I’m not sure if dad knows she’s up in the middle of the night sometimes.
"It's a movie. Shutter Island." She answers looking back at the screen.
"Oh, yeah, with Leonardo DiCaprio." She snorts at me. I turn to look at her, she has a smile on her face and it makes me smile as well.
"Is this your favourite movie?" I ask. I’m curious to know things about her because she’s so mysterious. She’s like a crime scene just waiting to be explored, and I’m willing to look for my answers.
