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HUNTER
Istifletheneed to roll my eyes as I watch Seth scowl at Alex. Ever since the New Year’s Eve party, the tension between the two has gotten worse, and I’m very close to shoving the both of them inside a very small closet for an entire night and seeing which of them survives. My bet is on Alex, but Seth can be surprising from time to time. Seth’s gaze swivels to Rachel, and he shakes his head, earning a deep and frustrated sigh from her as she grabs her suitcase and drags it out of the car.
“Do we have everything?” Rachel’s mom asks with a very awkward smile.
Thankfully, we’re not alone so Seth can’t make a scene, but I know a scene is definitely happening in the very near future. Most likely when we get home. Then he’ll probably call for a roommate meeting and go on and on and on about how much Alex sucks.
“Yeah, I think so,” says Rachel sweetly. I can see she’s desperately trying to ignore Seth and his bitter looks.
Honestly, I find the whole thing hilarious. Other than Lucas’s dad being an asshole, New Years was fun. Alex’s mom was nice. She gave us a ton of chocolates and delicious little pastries I will probably never eat again in my entire life. I think there was even a little cake with gold frosting. Thinking of that time in the kitchen, I can’t help but laugh as I recall Seth’s face when Lucas, Rachel, and Alex walked in.
“Ah, there you are,” Alex’s mother said, her smile disappearing as she looked Alex up and down.
Alex’s silly little top hat was gone. His shirt was wrinkled and his hair was completely disheveled. There was even a mark on his neck, displaying proof of his shenanigans. Lucas was a bit more subtle, with only his lips swollen, whereas Rachel had her hair down and kept shyly stroking the back of her neck. It was like Alex wanted everyone to know what had happened upstairs.
“Well,” said Alex’s mother. “I better… go.” I nearly burst into a fit of laughter as I watched her grab Alex’s wrist and add under her breath, “We’ll talk about this later.”
Alex stilled, his eyes widening in worry while I covered my mouth with a hand, struggling to contain my amusement. I glanced at Seth, his shoulders shaking, his hands fisting. He was definitely seeing red.
“Did you seriously—” Seth began to shout as the door closed on Alex’s mom.
“Happy New Year!” Rachel shouted while throwing her arms around Seth’s neck. She kissed his cheek, leaving red lipstick on the side of his face.
“I can help you with that, sweetie,” says Rachel’s father while slamming the car door.
Rachel’s mom grimaces, and I notice her clenching her jaw and fighting the need to tell her husband off. The car ride was silent and the tension was terrible. This whole trip has been very interesting. I don’t know what I had been expecting. Some sightseeing? Maybe some home cooked food while watching holiday movies? Maybe some ice skating?
Well, we did do some sightseeing, but Rachel looked exhausted and upset the entire time. The atmosphere was dark and part of me wondered if it would have been better if I stayed home. My gaze goes to Rachel’s dad, watching him lug Rachel’s giant suitcase into the airport. I haven’t seen the man since that first night, but he seems to be doing better than before. He’s smiling. He looks freshly showered, and his clothes aren’t all wrinkled. It might be just an act. He might want to prove something to Rachel’s mom. I wouldn’t know. Before my mother’s death, my parents were happily in love. I don’t think I could ever imagine my parents having an affair. I want to help Rachel, offer her a shoulder to lean on, but I don’t know what she’s going through. I have no clue how to help.
We file in behind, with Rachel’s mom lagging in the back. Her gaze remains on the floor while she fidgets with her keys. Looks like they’ll continue giving each other the silent treatment, I think with a heavy sigh. I don’t know which is worse: listening to them argue, or having them pretend like the other is invisible. Both are absolutely terrible.
“Now, where do you check in at?” Rachel’s father murmurs while looking around.
“They already checked in, Tom,” says Rachel’s mother with a frustrated sigh. She stalks forward and grabs Rachel’s bag, shoving her husband away with her shoulder. “We just need to drop off Rachel’s bag.”
Tom looks to the ceiling and I watch his lip move, noticing how he’s counting down from ten. “Alright,” he says through clenched teeth. “Then where should we drop her bag, Sarah?”
Sarah scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I don’t know, Tom.”
“Then maybe, we should look for check in,” Tom says harshly. “Like I asked before.”
“I’m going to get some coffee,” Rachel says, her voice shaky as she forces a smile. Her eyes glimmer with unshed tears. Looking at her trying to pretend to be happy and calm for her parents’ sake really breaks my heart.
“I’ll go with you,” I say while quickly grabbing her arm and tugging her toward the closest kiosk. I glance over my shoulder, wondering if the others will follow, or if Seth will have something stupid to complain about. Thankfully, the little asshole is no longer scowling. He looks a little worried as he watches us. My gaze goes to Rachel’s father, who looks at us with a questioning look before moving his gaze to Lucas. I have no clue why he looks so confused. His daughter is nearly breaking. He should be a bit more concerned.
Rachel sniffs and I look down, finding her wiping her eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this today,” she rasps.
“Do what?” I ask gently, taking her in my arms and giving her a hug.
“Deal with them.” Rachel buries her head in my chest.
“It’s going to be alright,” I whisper while stroking her hair. “We’ll be on the plane soon.”
“This trip sucked.”
Hearing Rachel’s sniffing and the crack in her voice makes my heart twinge. “It wasn’t that bad.”
Rachel pulls away from me, her eyes narrowing on me as she says, “No, it was terrible. I wouldn’t have invited everyone if I knew my parents were going to be like… like…” The words linger in the air between us as she waves in her parents’ direction.
