In the days following the carnival, which was now dubbed "The Incident: Part Two," the boys were particularly nice to Eleanor. They listened to what she wanted to do, laughed at all her jokes, and never made fun of her when she did something dorky. Of course, everyone still hated them, but because David still had bruises and scars all over him, everyone gave them a wide berth.
On Thursday, Eleanor slid into her first class, a little late. No one had needed rides today, but then again, no one was there. Eleanor pulled her phone out discreetly, shooting everybody a text.
GROUP NAME: Hunter's stable of hoes
ELEANOR: Hey, where are you guys? Are you not coming to school?
She stashed her phone quickly and turned her attention back to class. First period passed quietly, considering she had no one to talk to. Usually, she has Hunter in the next class, but no one's texted her back, so Eleanor has no idea if any one's coming.
It's the middle of second period when her phone buzzed.
GROUP NAME: Hunter's stable of hoes
ROB: Hey, me and Rich are at school, but Hunter's not coming, he got sick.
ELEANOR: Okay! Hope you feel better Hunter!
No one answers after that, so Eleanor shoved her phone back in her pocket. The next few periods pass in silence, but Rob is one of her classes so it's mostly okay. Unfortunately, they have a test that day, so Eleanor didn't get to ask about Hunter and why they were late.
Finally, during lunch, she got to see the guys. Eleanor settled at their usual table, tray in front of her. She smiled at the guys when they got there, and was given tired smiles in return.
"Hey! So what happened? Where were you guys this morning?" she asked. Rob and Rich exchanged unsure looks.
"We… got held up?" It came out like a question, making Rich wince.
"Held up doing what?" Rich and Rob shared looks again.
"We were just doing some research, for an English project we have," Rob explained. "It's sort of an extra credit thing."
"Oh, okay. What happened to Hunter? Did he get sick?" Rich shrugged at that.
"Yeah, probably, we were hanging out last night and he looked pretty awful," he said. He dug into his lunch, stuffing his face. Eleanor frowned, but stayed silent.
Weird.
00000
Friday was normal, no one missing at least, but the group glossed over any questions Eleanor had, not matter how innocent they were.
Whatever, she thought, it doesn't matter. If it did, they'd tell her. The weekend passed pretty normally, with everybody getting together to watch one of many "classic" horror movies Eleanor had never seen.
Sunday night, however, something truly odd happened. She was over at the Sands house, helping Hunter with the homework he'd missed during the week. They'd finished up, and Eleanor shot a text to her mother letting her know that she was headed back. It went unanswered, of course, but it wasn't like Eleanor expected anything else.
Hunter walked her outside, helping carry her books, which was odd in itself, but not the point.
"Hey, so listen, I think I dropped my flash drive somewhere in your car when you took me home on Friday," Hunter started, pulling open her car door. He dumped the books onto the seat. "You haven't seen it, have you? It has all the pictures of the carnival on it."
"Uh, maybe? We can look for it, if you want," Eleanor told him, pulling up her phone's flashlight app.
Hunter didn't respond though, he just stood frozen, staring at the house across the street, face slowly draining.
"Yo! Hunter, what's wrong?" she asked, only to get no response. Eleanor started to walk over to him, which must've jarred him back to reality, because he grabs her roughly by the upper arm and all but drags her inside, still with no explanation.
Eleanor is dragged all the way to Hunter's room, and deposited roughly on the bed, before he whirls around like a chaotic tornado, closing windows and blinds, yelling for his dad. Mr. Sands ran up immediately, eying the situation wearily.
"Paulina," Hunter declared, like that explained everything. Eleanor was too frightened to say anything, to question Hunter's behavior, so she stayed silent, curling in on herself. Off-handedly, she heard her phone ping, signaling a text back from her mother.
Mr. Sands only stood there, gaping at his son, before crossing over to him fast, gripping him by the shoulders.
"Hunter, I need you to be absolutely certain. I need you to tell me exactly what you saw out there," Mr. Sands instructed, staring fiercely at his son.
"I'm positive, dad. I was out on the driveway, and I looked over and there she was, only she didn't look right, like she didn't even look vaguely human, but I'm one hundred percent sure it was her, I swear," Hunter recounted, Eleanor momentarily forgotten. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to talk.
"Um, what's going on?" The question came out much weaker than she'd intended, but they heard it all the same. Mr. Sands looked at her, an uncertain smile on his face.
"Eleanor, I think it might be best if I drive you home tonight. You can leave your car here and Hunter will pick you up for school tomorrow," he said slowly, like she was a small child.
"I'm not sure I understand, sir, but what exactly is happening?" She tried again. Hunter and his dad exchanged looks quickly, much subtler than Rob and Rich could ever hope to be.
"E, you have to trust me, okay," Hunter said, coming to sit by her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "A few years ago, this lady stalked my family, and I'm pretty sure I saw her again tonight, so I don't you going home alone tonight. Is your mom at home?" Eleanor pulled her phone out to check.
MOTHER: I'n nmot hone rihggt now, wont be fro a wihle
Eleanor stared at the gibberish on her phone screen for a second before sighing.
"No, she's gone. Probably partying with her friends, from the looks of this," she mumbled, embarrassed. Mr. Sands was regarding her with soft, sympathetic eyes that only made her burn with secondhand embarrassment for her mother.
"Alright, Hunter, this is your turf, so you do what's right. Just keep me posted," Mr. Sands said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I'm going to go call Jordan. Goodnight kids, stay safe." With that, he left, closing the door gently behind him.
"Now what? Do we call the police?" Eleanor asked, not quite sure how to feel. Hunter shrugged.
"Nah, I don't think so. I don't want you to go out alone though," he answered, frowning a little.
"So, what do we do?" she repeated. Hunter ran his hands through his hair, pensive.
"Jesus, this is like… ugh, Jordan would know what to do," he muttered, mostly to himself.
"Your sister?"
"Yeah, she's way better at plans than I am. Mine kind of… end badly," he explained, a sheepish little smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "I used to be the king of this sort of stuff, but she really stepped up, I guess."
"I need to get home, just in case my mom decides to come home. She can't be trusted to take care of herself," Eleanor started. "I guess we just do what your dad said."
"But what if you're mom doesn't show up?" Hunter countered.
"It's not like I've never been home alone overnight, Hunter. And besides, I'll double-lock all the doors." Eleanor stood, waiting for Hunter to come along.
"Alright, listen, how about this: I stay over at your place tonight, just until your mom comes home, and we can just get a jump on the carpool for tomorrow," Hunter offered, winning smile in place. Eleanor blinked, surprised.
"Hunter, man, I don't know. If my mom found out I let a guy stay the night—"
"Just for protection!" he interjected, cheeks pink.
"Still. And besides, would your dad even be cool with that?" she finished, crossing her arms. Hunter nodded, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"He told me to do what I felt was right, and leaving you by yourself sounds like the opposite of right to me," he explained, cheeks going redder still. Eleanor could feel her own face heating in tandem, even though Hunter had made it clear this was a friendly visit.
"Okay, fine, but hurry up, it's getting late," Eleanor conceded, pulling her hair into a messy little ponytail. Hunter grinned a little, and began stuffing his backpack with supplies. Eleanor waited for him at the door to his room, trying to convince herself that was rational Hunter behavior.
Finally, when they were both ready, and Hunter had called a quick goodbye to his dad, they made their way to her car, stopping to pick up her fallen things. Hunter scanned the street carefully, before getting into the passenger seat.
They drove in silence, with Eleanor sneaking looks at Hunter every so often. He stared out the windows intently, eyes going gold from what Eleanor assumed was the glow of the street lamps.
They pulled up to find the house empty, no surprise there. Eleanor fumbled with the keys, hands shaking with unexplained nerves.
"Sorry, I, the keys are just being difficult," she mumbled. Hunter mumbled something unintelligible, but she managed to get the door opened before she could ask him to clarify.
"Do you want, I mean, can I, like, get you something to drink? Or like, to eat?" She leaned against the counter, gripping it surreptitiously. Hunter shook his head, giving her a little smile.
"I'm good," he assured her. They hung around the kitchen a little, alternating between staring that the floor and sneaking looks at each other. Hunter sighed, and huffed out a little laugh.
"This is getting ridiculous, you want to just go upstairs? You can just grab me a sleeping bag and we can just go to bed," Hunter said, charming little smile in place. Eleanor laughed, and nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good! Let me go grab the sleeping bag and you can just meet me upstairs, my bedroom is the first door to the right of the stairs." Hunter nodded, and headed up the stairs. Eleanor grabbed the sleeping bag from the linen closet just off the kitchen, along with some snacks, and followed after.
When she got up there, she found Hunter looking around her room, walking slowly along her wall.
"Hey," she said, announcing her presence. Hunter turned, grinning.
"I like your posters, man, very nerdy," he teased, gesturing to her eclectic collection of posters. There were several of her favorite TV shows represented, along with various bands and artists she enjoyed.
"Oh, please, like yours are any better," she shot back, referring to his large collection of horror movie posters.
"Mine are way cooler and you know it," he argued playfully, stepping closer. Eleanor followed suit, until they were an arm's length apart.
"You keep telling yourself that, buddy," she said, reaching up to pat his shoulder. She side stepped him, and plopped down on the bed, tossing the sleeping bag to the ground.
"Want to watch a movie? Before we go to bed?" Eleanor asked, pulling her laptop into her lap. Hunter settled down next to her, the both of them nestled against the headrest and each other. Eleanor opened Netflix up, and she Hunter flickered through the selection, laughing at some of the more cringe-worthy movies.
Finally, they picked something to watch, balancing the laptop between their laps. Halfway through the movie, Eleanor's head fell against Hunter's shoulder, prompting him to wrap an arm around her. Eventually, they fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other, Eleanor slipping down to rest against Hunter's chest, syncing their breath.
00000
Eleanor woke to the alarm blaring very, very loudly. She couldn't get it, though, because apparently she'd wrapped her duvet around herself too tightly. Eleanor struggled a little with it, but couldn't manage to break free.
Weird.
Weirder still, the duvet started mumbling.
"What the hell…" she mumbled, squirming to face whatever it was holding her hostage.
Hunter Sands was wrapped tight around her like an anaconda, snoring still. Eleanor stilled entirely, just staring at him, well, as much as she could considering the way he held her. She was cuddled close against his chest, head almost tucked under his chin. Their legs were entangled, so that there were barely any parts of her Hunter wasn't in contact with.
Weirdest of all, it was all very nice.
She was warm in a way that went all the way down her body. Hunter was pretty much a furnace, radiating heat and rumbling as he snored. He made a pretty amazing pillow, in all actuality. It was then, however, when Hunter started waking. He stirred a little, yanking her closer and nuzzling into her hair, humming a little.
"Hunter," she tried, voice raspy from lack of use. He gave no response, only burying his nose deeper in her hair.
"Hunter, it's time for school," she muttered, pushing his shoulder a little.
"No, five more minutes," he whined quietly, tightening his grip on her even more. Eleanor squirmed harder.
"Dude, I have to pee, let me up," she said, managing to shove her way out of one arm. "Hunter!"
That seemed to do it, because Hunter jolted awake, and pulled away from her like he'd been burned. He stared up at her, eyes wide and cheeks pink, embarrassment heavy in the air.
"Oh! Jesus, I'm so sorry, Eleanor, I totally spaced and fell asleep right here when—"
"It's fine, so long as we're not late for school. Come on, we have to get moving!" With that, the two teens quickly got ready for the day, careful not to look at each other. Eleanor couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, and refused to try. Hunter, however, kept sneaking glances at her, turning bright red every time she caught him.
The drive to school was pretty silent, Rob and Rich interjecting occasionally when the silence was too much to bare.
First, second, and third periods were pretty much the same: awkward, embarrassed silence. In fourth period, however, Hunter asked for a pencil when his ran out of lead, so things were looking up. Around lunch time, however, he'd talked to her again, like this morning hadn't happened. They chattered about this week's calculus test, and how unfair it was that they were being tested over three chapters, instead of the usual two. Rob and Rich watched them with knowing eyes, smirking at each other. Hunter seemed to catch on, though, and leveled them with a look.
Things went back to normal after that.
After school, Eleanor stood at her locker, piling things into her backpack, trying to remember what she'd forgotten. Just then, a soft sniffling noise caught her attention. She looked around the hallway, confused. She was the only one there, she thought. Then, she noticed a pair of expensive looking pink sneakers stick out from the small alcove at the end of the hall. She approached it carefully.
Natalie Wilson sat huddled against the alcove, tear soaked mascara dripping down her cheeks. Her usually gorgeous curls were greasy looking and saggy. She scowled up at Eleanor, but there was no fire in her expression.
"What do you want, Davis?" she asked, voice rough with tears. Instantly, Eleanor simply stared at her, unsure of what to say.
"Um, have you been crying?" she asked, albeit a little lamely. Natalie scoffed, though it lacked it usual crispness.
"Clearly," she answered bitterly. "Want to take a few shots at me? Make fun of me?" It sounded terribly tempting, the power she could hold over Natalie. Eleanor had decided she didn't like her after the fair, and taking a little revenge sounded good. There was something in Natalie's expression, however that stopped her. She looked small and unsure, bracing herself to be hurt again.
"You look like Sméagol," she blurted out. Eleanor clapped a hand over her mouth, surprised. Natalie looked at her in confusion.
"Who?" Eleanor shook her head, and held a hand out, meaning to help Natalie up.
"Never mind," she said. Natalie took her hand carefully and hauled herself up. She smoothed down her clothes and patted her hair self-consciously.
"Thanks."
"Sure. Do you need a ride?" Natalie blinked at her, a little surprised. She smiled, though, a cautious closed-mouth thing.
"Yeah, thanks." She swiped the tears off her face, wiping the rest of her makeup off in the process. She looked more human like this, Eleanor decided.
The girls made awkward conversation all the way to the car, where Hunter, Rob, and Rich stood, arms crossed, identical scowls on all their faces.
"Hey guys, you know Natalie," Eleanor said, unlocking the car. Natalie slid gracefully into the front seat before the guys even had a minute to fight over who got shotgun. Before Eleanor could climb into the car, Hunter pulled her aside, dragging her away from the car.
"What's going on?" he demanded. "What is she doing her?"
"She needed a ride," Eleanor told him simply. It felt wrong to explain anymore, like she was betraying Natalie or something.
"What, are you guys friends now?" Hunter scoffed. "Are you forgetting she shoved you into the river last week?"
"No, I still remember." Her voice was cold, and left no room for argument. Hunter deflated, looking at her in concern.
"No one wants you to get hurt," he admitted, looking at her imploringly. She smiled softly.
"It's just a ride," she reminded him. "Don't worry."
The car ride was awkward, and the boys went out of their way to be mean to Natalie. She gave as good as she got however, snarking right back. Eleanor stayed quiet, scared to talk. She dropped Hunter off second to last.
"Text me when you get home," he told her, stooping low to peer through her window. He gave Natalie one more frown and left, walking up his drive and disappearing inside.
"Why do you hang out with those guys?" Natalie asked, once they were on the way home. It turned out that Natalie only lived a few houses down from her.
"Why did you steal my bracelet?" Eleanor fired back. Natalie blush, red staining her caramel colored skin.
"It was a dare. We knew you were the new kid, so they dared me to take something from you," she admitted. "Sorry." Eleanor burst out laughing, amused at the simplicity of the apology. It held weight though, and rang with sincerity.
"Yeah, yeah."
"This is me," Natalie said, nodding in the direction of her house. "Thanks for the ride!"
"See you," Eleanor called as Natalie headed out of the car. She walked over to Eleanor's window, like Hunter had done.
"I really am sorry, though. It was shitty of me to take your bracelet, even for a dare. And I'm sorry for the fight on the bridge." Eleanor blinked up at her, taken aback.
"I… yeah, I'm sorry too, for scaring you." Natalie beamed at her.
"We're cool." With that, she headed inside and Eleanor followed suit, taking the time to park in the garage this time. She wandered into the kitchen, feeling lighter than she had in ages.
00000
The week passed by slowly, the gang suffering from tests and quizzes and projects. They had a few study sessions at Rob and Rich's place. It turned out that they were step brothers to be, because Rob's mom was marrying Rich's dad. Eleanor couldn't tell who was more excited about the impending union, the boys or Mr. Dean and Ms. Haverfield.
Tonight, they were hanging out at the Sands house, struggling through chemistry. They sat in Hunter's room, textbook and flashcards interspersed amongst Hunter's gory movie props. Eleanor had intestines draped over her shoulders like a feather boa, Rich played with a bloody rubber brain, Rich had something that looked like a liver in his hands, and Hunter tossed a heart up and down.
"Okay, there's only so much acid-base equilibria that I can take," Rich complained. "Let's take a break and do something."
"I agree. If I see another hydrogen ion again, I'm going to scream." Rob concurred. Hunter yawned, accidently dropping the heart.
"We could watch a movie or something?" Eleanor offered. Her phone chimed then, signaling a text.
NATALIE WILSON: Hey! I'm having a party tonight; do you want to swing by? If you're not busy. You could bring your friends if you want
ELEANOR DAVIS: Yeah, we're all studying together, but I think we could use a break. Let me see what the guys say.
"Okay, so I just got invited to a party," Eleanor announced, trying to keep her composure. She'd always wanted to be invited to a high school party; this was like every clichéd dream she'd ever had coming true. Hunter rolled his eyes.
"By Natalie? Are you leaving?" he asked darkly. Eleanor frowned at him. Leave it to Hunter to ruin a good thing.
"She asked if you guys wanted to come too," she informed him, something akin to anger boiling low in her gut. Hunter softened a little. Rob and Rich smirked at each other.
"Well, I'm in," Rob decided, pulling himself to his feet. "What about the rest of you." Rich nodded, running a hand through his hair.
"Do I look okay?" Hunter laughed, a hollow sound. "You look fine."
"Come on, let's get a move on!" Eleanor couldn't quite place what was wrong, but she didn't care; she was determined to have a good time. The three of them headed out, Eleanor in the lead. After a minute, Hunter came thundering down the stairs, sheepish expression on his face.
"I'm not hanging out by myself," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "Dad! We're headed out! We'll be back later! I'll text you!"
"Okay, Hunter! Text me!" Mr. Sands answered back. "Bye, kids!"
Eleanor shot a quick text to her mother, sure she wasn't going to get a reply. They piled into her car and took off, boys hooting excitedly. Hunter sat in the front seat, frowning at the radio station.
"Want to pick the music?" Eleanor asked. He shook his head, silent for a moment.
"What's the deal with you and Natalie? Why is she being nice all the sudden?" he asked, looking at her intently.
"We talked. Things are cool with us now," Eleanor explained. Still, she was a little weary. Even though she was thrilled beyond thrilled for a chance to go to a real high school party, she was a touch apprehensive. It felt a bit like a set up.
"She could be setting you up," Hunter echoed her thoughts.
"I hope not. If she doesn't, then we can be friends with her, but if she does, then screw her," Eleanor told him simply. Still, Hunter didn't seem convinced. Either way, it was too late to chicken out now; they were parking outside Natalie's house.
Here we go, Eleanor thought. Neither she nor the boys noticed a streak of black whiz past the house, moving too fast to be human.