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Rachel laughs. “I guess you lost track of time, huh?”
“Is that Hunter on the phone?” I hear someone ask.
“Who’s that?” I ask, my jealousy taking over as I hear more laughter on the other line.
“Seth! He’s walking me to class.”
I look at my watch and notice it’s almost seven in the evening. “This late?”
“Yeah. Don’t get me started. One of my class times changed and now I come home especially late on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“Hunter!” I hear Seth shouting. “You asshole! Stop being so busy! We miss your ugly face!”
I chuckle as I feel tears streaming down my face. I miss them so much. I wish they could be here with me. Why do they have to be so far away from me?
“I miss your ugly face, too!” I shout into the receiver before wiping the tears from my eyes.
Rachel and Seth laugh on the other line and it’s like music to my ears.
“Listen,” says Rachel. “We have to go, but we’ll see you in about a week. Make sure to get some rest!”
“Looking forward to it,” I say as happily as I can muster.
I look around at the room, frowning at the mess and the bottles. I have been drinking nearly nonstop since Adrien’s barbecue. I don’t think I’ve gone a day without alcohol. Sure, I can clean the place up, but how will I be able to not drink?
“Fuck,” I mumble to the silent apartment. “How the hell am I going to be able to pull this off?”
Chapter 18
RACHEL
Ifrownwhilelookingaround at the clothes cluttering my room. It’s Tuesday night. Fall break began after my last class on Friday. I should be happy. I should be jumping up and down, running from bar to bar like Seth, drinking beer and counting down the hours Lucas gets off work. Instead, I’m here, scowling down at my clothes, wondering what the hell I’m going to wear when I finally see Hunter tomorrow.
I inwardly groan while picking up a dark sweater, holding it up in front of me and the mirror. It shouldn’t be this hard. I’m sure Hunter will like me in whatever I’m wearing, but I want to look sexy for him, while at the same time be comfortable on the flight. It’s not like they make those seats cozy.
My phone rings and I quickly answer it without looking at the caller ID, assuming it’s Lucas, wondering if I need a cup of coffee.
“Hello,” I say into the receiving while releasing the sweater, hearing it plop onto the floor.
“Rachel!”
I frown at the feminine voice. It’s familiar, but I can’t quite place it. A quick glance at the caller ID has me cursing myself for not bothering to look before.
“It’s Lauren.”
I bite my tongue to keep from groaning.What does she want?I wonder while sliding to the floor, my butt hitting the ground slightly harder than intended.
“Hey, Lauren,” I say awkwardly. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’ve already started on the project Miss. Graves assigned.”
I shrug. “I was going to worry about that after Thanksgiving.”
“Oh. So you haven’t started?”
I shake my head while picking up a slinky black dress I know will be too tight for the flight. “Not at all.”
I wish I could ask Charlie for her opinion. If we weren’t currently in a fight, I’m sure she would be over here, advising me on the perfect outfit to wear for Hunter. I tilt my head back, looking skyward as if begging the gods above to send her to me. I haven’t spoken to her since Mike’s party and she’s made a point of avoiding me during class. For some odd reason, I thought we would be able to get past this, let bygones be bygones. Instead, Charlie seems to think ignoring my text messages and snubbing me in the halls is the best way to go about this.
