Unmaking Hunter Kennedy (35 page)

“Aunt Nan! I have to go to a required appointment with a college counselor next week. College.
Me
?”

Nan’s eyes widened. “Have you thought about it?”

“Why would I need to go there? I have a paying job already.”

“I don’t know. You can be one of the lucky ones. Go to college because you
want
to learn? Maybe there are other things you long to explore besides the entertainment industry. College is a blast. Even more fun than high school.”

“There is no way high school is fun,” he lied. “It’s an odd form of torture from what I’ve seen.”

“Why can’t you let go for awhile and try to just enjoy the experience. Spend the year here like your mom wants. Stop fighting so hard to go home.”

Dustin looked at her and blinked. “Look. I love you. But you have to know as soon as I have my ticket, I’m out. I don’t want to enjoy any of this! I just want to be free. This is my whole life on hold. There's no way I mean to spend the whole school year here!”

“You need to call your mom. She should have talked to you about her plans and ideas around you staying here. There’s a lot more to this that you don’t understand. Go through the letter your mom sent for you to read, at least.”

He marched over and took the his mom’s letter out of the drawer and handed it to Aunt Nan. “She needs to come here and say it to my face. I refuse to read this unless she and I are in the same residence. Maybe that will get her to send for me.”

Aunt Nan took the envelope. “I’ll tell her.”

He walked back to the window and saw Vere’s white VW parked in front of the house. “It won’t be long now. They will start missing the money soon. Either she or Martin will have to get me out of here. Simple as that. Only from now on, I’ll let them do the work.”

She shook her head.

“Aunt Nan, I’m out. Vere’s been waiting this whole time. Thanks for listening.”

**

As he made it through his doorway he froze, completely taken by surprise. Vere was leaning against the wall just outside his door, gasping for air. She had her arms around a giant, lumpy, newspaper-wrapped package with a floppy bow made out of orange knitted yarn on top.

She looked straight at him and shook her head. Her eyes were luminous, huge, and weighted with tears.

His stomach knotted. He realized she wasn’t gasping for air, she was full-on crying, and he knew why.

Hell.

“Did you hear all of it?” His voice had come out clipped.

“Yes.” She sobbed. “All of it.”

He felt as if he’d been punched. He held his breath, just in case. He was desperately afraid breathing would hurt worse than ever right now, and he didn’t want to associate that feeling with Vere.

Not her. Not ever.

“I’m sorry.” Her words came out in a sniffling rush. Her face had long since flooded with color. “I...waited outside. And when you didn’t come out, I thought I’d dash up. The front door was open. I have a present—for you. It’s a thank-you present. For all you’ve done to help me. You know, for the
BGF
stuff.” Tears had started streaming down her face and her voice shook, but she kept on, “Charlie lent me the money for half. We drove up together to the antique shop and back. Got it on Sunday. You still need an amp.” She gasped. “He thought it was a good idea too. Now that we’re all friends. And now that I’m practically, totally...
cured
. We think you need to have this.”

Tears poured unchecked like a river now.

He didn’t move or answer. He couldn’t.

Vere whispered through her tears. “I know you said you didn’t want it, but I also know you were lying. You’ll have to fix it up—oh, jeez. Take it.”

She lurched forward and shoved the package into his arms just as Aunt Nan stepped into the hallway.

Aunt Nan gave Vere a sad, little smile. “More secrets to add to your mix, Vere. Can you manage to keep track of one more? It’s a lot to ask. Even your parents don’t know this private stuff.”

Vere wiped the back of her hand against her nose and sniffled loudly. “Yes. Of course. I won’t, I wouldn’t.” She shot him a desperate glance. “I’d never tell. I understand. I’m sorry about what I did. About what you did to yourself.” Her eyes closed for a quick second.

Dustin used that moment to finally manage a deep and thankfully, painless breath.

When Vere reopened her eyes, the tears were still pouring out, but she looked right at him for a second before her face flushed a second time. She didn’t glance away, instead she continued, her gaze tangling with his as her voice reached a frantic pitch. “Nan. Dustin. Please. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—but then I couldn’t stop listening.”

She shifted back and forth from foot to foot, unable to do her usual pacing thing in the tight hallway.

“It was terrible of me. I don’t know why. I just stood here. I can’t believe what you’ve been through.” Her eyes met his. “We’re all a bunch of kindergartners compared to you, aren’t we?” She took a long shaky breath and shook her head, her expression had turned almost accusatory. “You—you’ve been so generous. All this time, helping me work on my lame, puny problems. I’m such a selfish baby. I can’t believe how I’ve been acting with you about my stupid crush. Like it was the most epic, important thing in the whole world. While all this time—all this time—you’ve had
all this
on your mind?” She flung her arms wide.

“Vere. It’s okay,” he started.

She rushed on, “I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to know. And now—” She broke out into a round of rocking sobs. “Now I do know. I know. And that’s that. I can’t take what I did back. I can’t stop hearing your story in my head. I totally, totally, totally, eavesdropped and I’m so—”

“Stop. Stop!” he said, glancing at his aunt.

Vere sucked in a breath and stopped talking.

But not crying.

“Vere. It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world,” Nan added.

His chest constricted, watching the tears roll down her face. He knew she needed help when she got all worked up. He now felt guilty for not stepping in sooner. She was now two thousand times worse than she’d been up at the cabin that first weekend. He was so moved by her tears, he was having a hard time functioning too. He had to make her stop crying. Make her feel better. Before she blacked out or something.

And she thinks she’s cured?

Girl couldn’t be more tragically, bright-red, adorable right now.

“Vere. I’m not mad,” he started up loudly over her ragged breathing and sobbing. “It’s actually a relief that you know everything. I’m the sorry one.”

“What?” she gasped out.

“Don’t you see? I’m sorry that now, in your eyes—” He paused, almost losing himself in the wide brown depths of her pure empathy before continuing in a much softer voice, “I hate that you will think I’m way more messed up than you thought I was yesterday.”

She gasped. “I heard what you said. You aren’t messed up at all. If anything, you sound more evolved and okay than anyone I know. You’re ready to go on talk shows, and speak to kids at high schools!”

He shook his head. “Not even close.”

Vere wiped her now puffy eyes and wet cheeks with her sleeve as she went on, “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’re some sort of spoiled, party-boy any more. That’s what I thought about you yesterday. I actually respect you now,” she finished with a double snuffle.

Her body shook as it took in more air.

She shot him a guilty glance. “Um. No. Wait!”

Was there an end to her cuteness?

“Waiting.”

“I respected you some yesterday too, okay? I’m just upset...so I’m talking crazy. You know how I am....” She wiped her face against her shoulder.

Nope. Definitely no end to it.

“Yes. I know how you are.” A small chuckle escaped, and he let himself breathe fully. His lungs filled with a heady mix of flowers, saltwater and her.

He had the urge to take her face into his hands and wipe away the tears still threatening to pour out of her eyes. He was also desperate to plant a kiss on each of her ruby-red cheeks, and then her lips.

Luckily, the giant package in his arms saved him from making a fool out of himself in front of her and his Aunt Nan.

The fact that she’d brought him a present—
this present
!

Damn, how she knows me. And damn how I love her for it.

Way too much.

It was enough to almost undo him into another round of awkward tears himself. He tried to yank his mind and his heart back from her, gaining control with a long sigh.

Teasing is in order here.

Better to have her spitting mad than looking so deeply into my eyes right now.

And if she doesn’t stop chewing that damn upper lip...

“Now you’ll stop bugging me about the long sleeves on my shirts. You know? Even when it’s hot?” He smiled.

She locked gazes with him and gasped.

She seemed to pull him directly into her soul, and then snapped him back out like a rubber band. She burst into a new flood of sobbing, and tore down the stairs not once looking back.

Her sobs grew louder the farther away she ran.

The front door slammed and the VW started up outside.

He could hear her drive exactly one house over, cut the engine, slam her car door, and do the same with her own front door.

Sobbing the entire time.

He looked helplessly at Aunt Nan, who didn’t seem to be shocked by Vere’s hasty retreat. “Any tips on what grown men do in this situation?”

She shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Wait for her to come back. She will. In the meantime, open that thing.” She gestured toward the lumpy package in his hands. “I’m dying of curiosity.”

“I don’t have to. I know what it is.” His heart raced and filled up with an unexplainable feeling of gratitude and excitement. He tested the weight and gentle curves of Vere’s badly wrapped present.

“It’s a guitar. She’s bought me an amazing, old guitar.”

28: more favors and WTF?

Dustin

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: WTF? Where are you?

Martin: There better be a good excuse for this zero-communication bull. To be fair, I thought I’d tell you this will be my last email. This time, for real.

WHY? 1. I’m pissed, and, 2. I have midterms on the horizon.

GET IT BASTARD?

MIDTERMS means I’ve been here too long.

If you want me, show up or call me directly because I’m DONE checking my cell phone like your little slave.

If you care, I’ve got a new song worked out. Been practicing my ass off up here on an old guitar while hiding in my room.

I think it’s time GuardeRobe branched out into the love song arena. Working in A Minor. Would send you the chords if you didn’t suck so much. I’m thinking slow. Adding cello.

Major love ballad. I’LL TRADE YOU THIS SONG FOR MY LIFE BACK IN ORDER. You know you want it.

Cheers back, you ass. WTF?

DUSTIN (about to lose my shit) McHELPMe

**

“You. Dork Boy.”

Dustin pulled out of his locker, startled to find his back surrounded by semi-hostile football players.

Charlie stepped forward and tossed his friends an easy grin as he moved up to slam Dustin’s locker shut.

Hard.

Curtis Wishford stepped forward as though to join Charlie, but Charlie tossed him some silent command executed by pushing his chin toward the ceiling in what Dustin had dubbed the
universal, Palmer Ridge High, jock salute
.

“I’ll catch you dudes later,” Charlie said and looked pointedly at his pack of friends. “I need a word with Vere’s
pet
.”

Curtis got the message and returned the jock salute with a
cool-guy
nod of his own and stalked away with the other guys.

Dustin could tell the guy was not pleased to be shut out of the conversation, but he’d already learned from being with Curtis in Drama class, that the fool avoided anything that might cause a scene.

When the team was out of hearing range, Charlie leaned on to his left shoulder against a closed locker to turn his back to his retreating pals. “Sorry about the slam. Wouldn’t want any of us to get out of
character.
”

Dustin eyed him and decided to stay silent.

Wait to if this dog meant to bark or bite.

It had been a silent car ride that morning between all of them, so he was certain Charlie was tweaked about that.

Well stand in line. Aunt Nan had said Vere would come back—talk to me—but so far she can’t seem to look me in the face.

Why?

“What in the hell did you do to my sister yesterday?”

“Nothing. She gave me the guitar. Said you helped her buy it. Nice gesture by the way, coming from both of you. Aunt Nan’s taking me to get an amp this afternoon.” Dustin layered on his best sincere smile and wondered if it looked sincere with the giant retainer. He hadn’t practiced this look in the mirror yet.

“It sort of seemed like Vere had been crying. Her face was all puffed up. Do you know anything about that?”