17. Hunter

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Levi moans.

He's crouched down beside me and gripping the side of the boat like his life depends on it.

Greedy huffs. "Don't you dare puke on this boat."

I roll my lips and hold back a laugh. Although now that I'm looking closer, Levi really doesn't look well.

I'll never get tired of listening to these two bicker like an old married couple. The boat in question belongs to a man Greedy's dad plays golf with. Or maybe it was someone from work? Either way, it's a really expensive vessel, and it offers us the perfect hiding spot to film the prank that's about to go down.

I've been leading a double life all week, it seems.

I was privy to the details of the prank Lake Chapel played on South Chapel High before it went down.

The seniors from Lake Chapel set dozens of timers to go off simultaneously and hid them throughout the school. The cheap magnetic kitchen timers were stuck everywhere: under the bleachers, in the teacher's lounge, even under the serving trays in the cafeteria.

It took the student body hours to locate them. And then, near the end of the day, a brand-new set of timers went off.

The reaction videos are hilarious.

I don't know how the heck Decker and his friends pulled that one off.

Although I have a sneaking suspicion his friend Kylian, who's always got his head buried in at least two devices, had something to do with it.

Now it's South Chapel's turn for retaliation. And I'm in on this one, too.

The prank is simple enough, but it required a good amount of planning.

At least half the seniors at Lake Chapel are in for a rude awakening this afternoon when they arrive at the North Marina. Every car in the parking lot is covered in Post-it notes.

Bright aquamarine Post-it notes.

It took hours to cover them all, but we had a sizable team. The rest of the crew is gone, but we remained to film Decker's reaction, because he has the nicest car in the lot.

"Here they come," Greedy whispers, his mossy-green eyes sparkling with excitement.

We crouch lower, hiding behind the sides of the docked boat.

Levi lets out a little moan. I really hope he doesn't puke. It would not be fun to be stuck on this boat, smelling like vomit.

As the sound of the engine gets louder, I peek over the side, confirming that the big SUV that's pulling up belongs to Kendrick Taylor.

It slows and turns in, then navigates through the parking lot. I'm already imagining the look on Decker's face when he steps out and sees his beloved G-Wagon covered in sticky notes.

I fight back a snort and slap a hand over my own mouth to keep quiet.

"Temi," Greedy growls in warning.

I definitely don't want to give this away. But also… I have the worst poker face in the world.

"Temi?" Levi repeats. He's resting on his knees now, with his face buried in his hands.

I put one hand on his back in hopes of soothing him.

He peers up at Greedy, his skin peaked. "You call her that all the time. What does Temi even mean?"

"Don't worry about it," Greedy bites out. "It's an inside joke between Hunter and me."

"Explain it to me," Levi says with a pathetic groan. "Maybe that'll keep my mind off puking."

Greedy locks eyes with me and shakes his head. No.

He said it before: the name is special because he's the only one who knows the meaning behind it.

"Fine," Levi huffs when neither of us gives in.

"If you get to give her a nickname, then I want to give her a nickname, too."

Greedy scowls and reaches around my back to shove our friend. "You don't just get to give her a nickname."

Good thing Levi's already sitting on his knees. Otherwise, he'd topple over.

I'm pretty sure Levi knows the deal. Greedy and I aren't officially official, but we're definitely on our way there.

"Why not?" Levi teases, suddenly sounding a little less pitiful.

A tickling sensation on my leg pulls a startled yelp from me, and I bat at the spot on instinct.

Levi pulls his hand away, bringing a string from the frayed edges of my jean shorts with him. "I'm going to call you Daisy, because these jean shorts are a certifiable hazard."

A cackle escapes me before I can throw my other hand over my mouth.

Once I've pulled myself together, I lower my hand and whisper, "You can call me Daisy, but only if I can call you Duke."

"Perfect." Levi grins, looking a little less pale. "Daisy and Duke. Duke and Daisy. Together, we're double D."

"Do not call us that," I warn him.

"Will you two can it before you give us away?" Greedy hisses.

We watch over the edge of the boat with bated breath as Decker and his friends pile out of the car.

Greedy positions his phone, then hits Record. I can barely contain my laughter as Decker Crusade marches to his car, his posture so rigid his movements are jerky.

He glares at it for several seconds, then very tentatively peels one single Post-it note off the bumper.

His friend Locke curses loud enough for us to hear, and then all four guys get to work pulling the sticky squares from Decker's G-Wagon in earnest.

It took more than an hour to cover his car.

It's going to take them at least that long to remove them all. And that's if they don't notice the ones in the wheel wells.

I'm still fighting back my laughter when the boy with the glasses looks our way. Greedy curses and lowers his phone. I go utterly silent as Kylian stares in our direction for a breath, and then another.

We're all as silent as can be, swaying with the motion of the docked speedboat. Within minutes, I'm restless and suddenly realizing that we'll have to sit out here until they board their own boat and head to the Crusade isle.

We've been silent and watching for several minutes when Levi lets out a soft snore.

After all that, the motion of the boat lulled him to sleep. I guess listening to him snore is better than bearing witness to him losing his lunch.

With a giggle, I carefully turn his backward baseball cap forward to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Hey," Greedy says, the word whisper-quiet.

When I turn to give him my full attention, I'm met with a lustful, hopeful stare.

"Hey yourself," I tease.

His gaze finds mine, our connection instantly charging the energy between us like it always seems to do.

"Be my girl," he says.

Brows raised, I give him a once-over, not bothering to tell him I already am his girl. That I've wanted nothing but to be his girl since the moment he kissed me in the woods last weekend.

I bite down on my lower lip and nod.

"Yes?" he asks, ducking his head and moving closer.

"Yes."

"Good." He kisses me on the lips quickly. "I want you to come with us to my cabin next weekend for a graduation trip."

Delight soars through my veins, making me lightheaded. "I'd love that. Who will be there?"

"Levi's coming. A few other guys from the team, plus their significant others. It's a small group, and the trip will be chill." He grasps my hand and squeezes. "It's a good-size place, but there are only so many bedrooms. Do you want me to see if one of the other girls wants to share with you, or…"

He's so thoughtful and so sincere, but he can't hide the hopefulness in his tone.

"I want to be with you," I quickly confirm, grinning.

He matches my smile, then reaches over, takes my hand, and kisses the top of my knuckles.

I close my eyes and commit this moment to memory. The sun warms my upturned face, and the lake gently lulls me into a hypnotic state of happiness and tranquility.

I've never been quite as happy as I am in this moment.

Next weekend and every day after, I want to be Greedy's girl.