18. Hunter

The cover of my hot pink moleskin notebook is soft and well worn against my hands as I flip through the pages until I find the one I need. I've been journaling and doodling in this same style of notebook since I was a kid.

For years, I've dreamed of being a lawyer. But the hopeless romantic in me still loves to write poetry and song lyrics. Most mornings, I jot down the details of my dreams, and throughout each day, when inspiration strikes, I scribble ideas on the pages, so I almost always have a notebook with me in some capacity.

I wrinkle my nose when I find the page I need. As the salutatorian of our graduating class, I was asked to read a poem at the ceremony. Annoyingly, I didn't even get to choose. But I've done my due diligence and memorized it, nonetheless. I guess I can contain multitudes, too.

Predictably, Kylian Walsh is valedictorian. Rumor has it, though, that he is refusing to give a speech, so Decker is stepping up to take his place. No one thought to offer the second in the class an opportunity to give a speech, I guess. That, or they wanted the pomp and circumstance that comes with the Crusade name.

The school secretary emailed a link to my assigned piece weeks ago, and I've had it memorized since. But I'm shut in my room tonight and feeling wound up after my latest run-in with my mom, so it's as good a time as any to refresh my memory.

I should be used to her mood swings by now. The highs and lows that dictate her entire existence. It doesn't help that she's downed at least two bottles of wine so far this weekend. She never allows herself to get totally inebriated, but she maintains enough of a buzz to channel the melodrama. And to get away with doing and saying things that are downright mean.

She's been worse since my dad left. That, or maybe my dad protected me more than I realized when she went on a bender.

I miss my dad. He used to travel a lot for work, so we're used to staying in touch via email and text. His business trips always ended though. He'd come home, and everything in my world would right itself.

It took me several months to realize that he wasn't coming back. That no one is coming to restore peace in this house. I'm on my own, and no amount of frustration or self-pity is going to change the reality of my situation.

I just have to make it through the next few days, then the rest of this summer.

Once I'm on my own on my own terms? Watch out, world.

For now, I'll bide my time, holed up in my bedroom and avoiding any sort of confrontation with my mom. She's downstairs now, working on bottle number three and bemoaning her status as a woman old enough to have a high school graduate.

I've been under the impression that this stage in life is one parents are proud of, yet she's in a true state of disbelief and maybe even a little disgust.

I had every intention of tagging along with Greedy tonight while he makes a grocery store run before our trip to the cabin.

Graduation is tomorrow. For the next few days, every senior in town will be attending one epic pool party or beach party after another. On Friday, we'll head to Greedy's cabin up past Beech Mountain.

When I told her my original plans for tonight, she accused me of abandoning her. It's the night before my high school graduation, yet she made it about her. She has no interest in spending time with me, but she doesn't want me to leave the house and have fun without her.

It wasn't worth the fight. If I appease her now, it will make it easier to get out of the house for the graduation parties this week, and heading to the cabin this weekend is my top priority. She hasn't come up to check on me or mentioned dinner.

My stomach growls on cue at the reminder that I haven't eaten since before graduation practice this afternoon.

My phone vibrates where it's charging near my nightstand. Heart leaping, I jump up and rush to retrieve it, grinning before I even see who it is.

Greedy: special delivery for the prettiest girl in North Carolina

Butterflies flutter in my belly like they do every time I hear from him. He's so damn sweet.

Greedy: come to the window

Startled by his request, I spin around and rush to the large picture window. My hands tremble a little as I push the frame up. If he's here, my mom might see him.

I have to squint to make out more than just his silhouette where he's standing on the sidewalk below my room, so I pop out the screen and lean out to get a better view.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in a loud whisper.

"Just wanted to see my girlfriend," he tells me, his face lit up with a smile. "We got everything all set for this weekend." With his hands shoved into his pockets, he steps a few feet closer to the window. When he's as close as he can get, he tips his chin. "Do you feel okay?" he asks, his voice full of genuine concern.

My heart sinks with disappointment once again. We had tentative plans to meet up later, but that's clearly not going to happen. I already texted him an excuse, saying I just wanted to stay in tonight.

"I'm fine," I insist. "My mom wanted me to lay low tonight since it's such a busy week." I shrug like it's no big deal. As if it's typical for eighteen-year-olds to do whatever their parents tell them to.

"I could come up and keep you company," he offers, taking two steps back like he's going to head for the front door.

"No," I say too quickly and a little too loudly.

The last thing I want is for him to have to interact with her or be tarnished by her in any way. Greedy is special to me. He's mine, and I'm his. Getting him tangled up in my mom's melodramatic bullshit tonight jeopardizes that.

He stops and comes back, his face set in a concerned frown.

"I'm sort of stuck in my room, trying to avoid my mom," I admit.

The sigh he lets out is one of defeat. "How long have you been up there?"

I check the time on my phone. "Most of the night." My stomach responds as well, growling loudly.

So loud, in fact, that Greedy hears it from the lawn two stories down.

"Did you eat dinner, Tem?"

I don't bother lying. I wasn't hungry earlier, but clearly, I am now.

"No." I give my head a slight shake. "I haven't eaten." I've been waiting for my mom to go to bed, though I don't bring that up. Again, the last thing I want to get into with him is my mother and her issues.

"Hunter," he scolds, whipping out his phone. "I'm ordering food for you."

Before I can push back and tell him not to bother, he holds up one hand.

"Don't tell me not to. Not on this." He glances up from the screen and offers me a soft smile. "I hate that you're stuck at home tonight, but if that's easiest, I get it."

He's quiet for a few moments, and all the while, my heart pounds out a rhythm just for him. Each time we're together, he shows me more of his genuine kindness. Greedy makes me feel like I'm easy to love. Because of that, I think I might be falling in love with him.

"Done," he tells me, stashing his phone away. "I left instructions to leave the food on your porch and to not ring the bell or knock. You can sneak down and get it when you're ready."

My stomach twists in gratitude, but also with a pang of anxiety at the prospect of trying to sneak food past my mom. Although given the rate she was going when I shut myself away, she'll be passed out sooner rather than later.

"Thank you," I tell him, my throat clogging with emotion as I hang out my window a bit more and smile down.

"Wait, stay right there." He spins on his heel and hustles back to his truck. He opens the back door and rifles through a plastic bag, from the sound of it.

He doesn't have to worry about me taking off. The exceptional view of his backside in those jeans keeps me firmly in place, hanging half out the window.

Greedy mentioned there's a hot tub at the cabin, and I'm more than ready to get a peek of him in something other than jeans.

A rush of excitement rolls through me again. Graduation is so close I can taste it. I can't wait to go to the cabin this weekend. I can't wait to finally be free.

Greedy jogs back with something white in his hand and tips his chin up. "Open the window all the way and stand back."

I do as he says. We've only known each other for weeks, but he's shown me over and over again that he's worthy of my implicit trust.

A moment later, the white object soars through my window and lands softly on my bed.

A paper airplane.

As I pick it up off my comforter, my smile widens. Because the dark indentations in the paper hint at a note he scratched onto it for me.

I unfold the middle section carefully, just enough to reveal the words.

His handwriting is small and neat, despite how quickly he jotted down the words while leaning halfway inside his truck.

I can't wait to be with you this weekend.And I really can't wait to be together next year.

With the paper clutched to my chest, I let my own excitement for the future wash over me.

I decided yesterday that I'm officially going to Lake Chapel University.

Greedy lit up when I told him. We don't have to consider whether we want to try long distance. Our relationship is so new, yet it feels so right. With him at SCU and me at LCU, we can let it continue to progress without forcing anything.

He's been committed to South Chapel for a while, so we'll be thirty minutes from each other for the next four years.

I head back to the window while carefully refolding the treasure so I can keep it.

"You promise you're okay?" he asks again, his expression still full of concern.

"I'm more than okay," I tell him.

A rough night with my mom is nothing new, but this kind of positive turn is. Greedy's appearance and his genuine care have made it exponentially better.

"Okay. Text or call me before you go to bed."

"I will," I promise.

With another sweet smile, he turns and heads for his truck again.

"Hey," I call out, keeping my voice low.

He spins, then he freezes where he stands, looking so damn beautiful in the moonlight.

"I'm really excited about next year, too."

Grinning, he sticks his hands into his pockets and walks backward to his truck.

He doesn't take his eyes off me until he has to get in the cab and finally drive away.

As his taillights disappear, I hold the little paper airplane to my chest again.

This weekend will be amazing, no doubt.

But next year is going to be the start of something brand new. Something so much better.

I can't wait to do it with Greedy by my side.