Chapter 6: Lonely Days

As Hunter walked through the leaves and grass, he clutched the sledgehammer in his hands before bringing it down and smashing the log into two pieces. Hunter walked back over to the tree and picked up another log, repeating the same process over and over until all the logs were gone. He wiped sweat off his forehead and dropped the hammer and sat down to rest under the shade of the tree. It was starting to get hot after months of cold weather. Hunter closed his eyes and leaned against a tree stump until he heard the crackling of leaves. He looked over and saw Shawn coming towards their home with a bag in his hand.

"You could help me, you know? This thing's heavy." Shawn said as he threw the bag on the ground.

"What's in there?" Hunter sat up a little.

"Stones and twigs for the fire."

"Cut the fire idea. It's so hot my shirt's soaked."

Shawn smirked. "So, you made me go out and get stones for nothing, huh?"

Shawn walked over to Hunter and sat down. Hunter placed his arms behind his head and sighed. Shawn looked at the chopped logs and laughed, causing Hunter to look at him.

"What?"

"You chopped those logs for no reason?"

"I didn't think it was going to be this hot."

Shawn took off his shoes and jacket, feeling how hot the air was getting, and sighed. Hunter closed his eyes and planned to get up and crack open the pecans he and Shawn grabbed, up on the hill nearby, for dinner.

Hunter woke up and saw everything around him turn dark. He looked around and saw Shawn sleeping on the ground next to him, curled into a ball with a relaxed face, and gently rubbed his brother's head before smiling to himself and curled up against the tree stump planning to fall asleep again, the soft wind in his ears.

"Hunter?"

Hunter opened his eyes and saw Chyna walking towards the tree. He smiled and said, "Hey, baby."

Chyna walked quietly over to Hunter and sat down beside him, smiling as her boyfriend kissed her on the lips.

"Where were you at school today?" She whispered.

"Out here," Hunter whispered. "I couldn't leave Shawn. He had a bad stomach ache and we saw a few people talking near the river last night."

"Oh." Chyna knew Hunter and Shawn were careful when it came to strangers near their home.

"Besides, it was worth the wait."

"Why's that?" Chyna smiled.

"Because I love you so much that I wait for you."

"How sweet," Chyna kissed Hunter's cheek, then kissed his earlobe before whispering, "Come back to my place."

Hunter tensed up. "No, I-"

"Hunter," Chyna looked at him. "Shawn will be just fine."

"You don't understand. I can't leave Shawn. He needs me and I need him. That's something you don't forget."

Chyna shook her head, understanding the promise he made his brother years ago. Hunter wouldn't leave Shawn alone, that's why he keeps Shawn around friends and classes.

Hunter sighed and looked up at the sky. He smiled a little and breathed heavy when he leaned back on the tree stump. Chyna leaned down and placed her head on his chest.

"I love times like this." Chyna whispered.

"Me too." Hunter wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

"Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Yes. Shawn too. He needs education more than I do."

"Don't say that. You're just as smart as Shawn."

Hunter smiled a little before looking at the small shining objects in the sky. He looked deeper into the skyline before saying, "The stars are all like brothers. Looking after one is easy, but so many of them take full responsibility for the other."

Chyna smiled. "We don't see a lot of stars where I live."

Hunter looked at her and smiled before kissing her on the forehead, silently thinking about how he could come to her house, but her Dad was home almost all the time thanks to his diabetes and her Mom ran away with another man. He looked over at Shawn and saw the slight smile on his face, then sat up and saw the moon in the distance. He sighed and said, "You should go, baby. It's getting late."

Chyna frowned and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, feeling his muscles tighten but eased quickly. "Okay, baby," She kissed his back in three spots, feeling the muscles tighten again. "See you later."

Hunter watched as Chyna's face came to his and kissed her deeply before Chyna stood up and left. Once Chyna was a shadow in the distance, Hunter leaned back on the tree stump and looked at the stars before grabbing the blankets nearby and placed one on Shawn before wrapping one around himself, letting his arms breath in the hot air.

"Does this mean we're going to Chyna's house tomorrow?"

"Go to sleep, Shawn."