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I groan while grabbing a few. “Let’s not. I don’t want to ruin the afternoon either.”
15
RACHEL
I sip at the delicious coffee while I look at Hunter’s drawing. It’s supposed to be of a bowl filled with fruit. Unfortunately, for Hunter, it looks more like a circle, a curved oval, and three smaller circles barely attached together hovering over what’s supposed to be a bowl, yet looks like another curved oval. The lines are very shaky, as if Hunter had been too nervous to even drawn.
I sigh and shake my head. I really wish beginner art classes would begin with something else, but I guess each teacher has their own method.
“It’s terrible,” says Hunter mournfully, leaning over the table with his elbows pressing against the wood. His coffee sits in front of him, untouched, and he stares at me with such a puppy-dog expression, I have no clue what to say.
“It’s not terrible.” I set down the paper and grimace while watching him snatch it away, stuffing it into his backpack. “It’s your first time.”
Hunter groans. “I don’t know why I even try.”
“Were you good at football the first time you played?”
Hunter shrugs. “I was good at running. I was pretty skinny when I was a kid. And small.”
“But obviously you didn’t know the rules.”
Hunter nods. “And I sucked at catching.”
I smile and reach for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “See, but then you got better, right?”
Hunter sighs. “Sure. I got better, but I still think I should drop the class. I’m too old to be any good at drawing or art.”
I shake my head, lacing my fingers with his and not letting him go. “I think you are being too hard on yourself.”
Hunter pulls away from me and I feel something hard piercing through me. My eyes prickle and I’m suddenly reminded of Seth pulling away from me. “Maybe it was stupid coming to Paris.”
No.
I blink away the tears, sniffing while I watch him look away from me. Not him, too.
“I feel like I’m dragging down the group. I have no clue what to do with my life, with this summer.”
“Don’t say that,” I whisper, wiping my eyes to keep from crying. “Please, don’t say that. I’m happy you’re here. You’re not dragging us down at all.”
Hunter groans and shakes his head. “You have your internship, Lucas has his crazy family to deal with, and Seth has his marathon.”
I try very hard not to roll my eyes, finding myself brimming with anger as I think of both Seth and Lucas. Out of the whole group, Hunter has been the only one spending time with me, catching up over coffee dates, walking with me to and from work. And, although he isn’t as busy as the other two, I feel like he actually cares.
He’s like a big sensitive teddy-bear that I never want to let go of.
“Please, don’t think that about yourself, Hunter. I like that you’re here.”
Hunter perks up, offering me a sad smile. “Really?”
I nod. “I also think you should continue with the drawing class.”
Hunter groans.
“Just listen to me for one moment.” I raise a finger and wag it in front of him. “Art can’t be learned in one day. This was your first class. Of course you’re not going to be amazing after one day.”
“Yeah, but-”
“And didn’t your therapist say that you should stick to a routine? Won’t this help you have a routine? Doesn’t this give you something to do with your time?”
